Chapter 36: The Beauty of Death
Somehow, Dia wasn't happy anymore.
Somehow, Kurt wasn't happy anymore.
'What happened now?' Was the main question in a few curious minds. Not many people knew about the goings-on between Kurt and Dia, and those who did still knew little of what was really going on.
No one knew what recently happened, but something did happen. Gina noticed that Dia was not polite to her anymore, or read, or dance, or play the piano the way she used to before. She would constantly ask the miss if there were any problems, but Dia constantly assured her there was nothing wrong and promptly asked her to leave.
Joe, Woody, and Gwen noticed that Kurt no longer got off of work early or see Dia come by the shack or Carpenter's House at all. Joe worried about his brother, he spoke less than he did a few seasons ago! He was acting like some downtrodden monk that took the vow of silence! He wouldn't rejoice in the nature and his long stares out into oblivion no longer looked thoughtful, but instead, blank as if he shut down inside.
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It was now Fall 13, in the middle of the rainy season. It was a Thursday, but ever since he was freed from the barn he went to stay by Maple Lake instead of the Villa. Now the rain came swiftly down as he worked his way toward his now favorite spot. He sat on the old log and silently let the rain wash over him.
He looked on the lake, rippling to each raindrop. The rainy season was the time of giving, and the other seasons were the time of taking. The sky and the lake worked together, giving and taking water. In this process, life is supported. Life is given. And Life is taken away.
His vision was blurred as drops rested upon his eyelashes. The feeling of his warm blood quickly disappeared as the rain soaked him. And the strange thing was, he liked it. He liked feeling helpless in pure nature's water. It filled his senses with an incredible calmness. If only it lasted longer…
The rain picked up and began to pound on Kurt's back. He was foolish for staying out for so long. Thunder rumbled in the sky. The flash lit up the lake. It was a beautiful sight, and it was a dangerous sight.
He felt his arms wrap around himself because he became too cold. And yet what he felt was not his body, but hers. He saw himself holding her, rubbing her, protecting her like he did that stormy day not so long ago. His nose filled with her sweet fragrance of her raven hair as it brushed up against his soaked chest. He couldn't stop himself, he wouldn't let go of her.
"…Are you suggesting that love is foolish?" Love? What is love? Why did he say that sometime before?
"Love is foolish." He muttered through his gritting teeth. He was starting to shiver slightly in the cold.
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…come and pick me up soon. I've made up my mind and have decided the sooner I leave, the better.
Sincerely,
Dia Clove
She set down her pen and looked over the letter one last time. Yet, what were these strange feelings toward the word "sincerely?" Was she being sincere?
She stood up from the desk to search for an envelope in the room. A loud crackle in the sky frightened her, causing her to bump against the piano. She immediately fell to the floor and under the piano. She clung to a piano leg, waiting for the thunder to subside. She wished someone were there to calm her down. She hated being afraid of thunder; she couldn't stand being helpless. A deep, soothing voice reached out to her from her memories, the quickened beat of another heart not her own came to her ears, and hands running briskly upon her back. She couldn't dismiss the fact that she missed holding him or just simply hearing him.
Besides, who could never miss a person who thought you to be "the most beautiful person on the inside?"
"I guess I'm not beautiful enough." She whispered as she shook in fear.
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He collapsed onto the shack's floor shivering. The water dripped off him slowly, falling to the floor. He turned his head to the side where Dia slept peacefully that one night. He had felt complete that night, knowing that he could make someone happy, but he also felt guilty. He was never able to once let her know that she was important to him.
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She came across a small piece of paper and scribbled something down on it. She fell onto her bed and blinked away a few tears here and there.
Their tears that had once mingled sweetly on that summer day were falling alone now.