Unendurable Distance
They began the day with gathering firewood. Ray and Jasper chopped it up and Henry gathered all the fruit from the grove. Schwoz worked out a water filtration system with Charlotte but by the time they'd finished, it was too hot to move. Henry sat against a tree with his baseball cap on his face as he napped under shaded bliss. He was only half asleep when he heard something down by the water. He sat up and took his hat in his hand to see what splashed along the bank. Charlotte was reaching down towards the water, sitting on her knees with a pitcher to fill. She washed her face as droplets raced down the brim of her nose and left by the tips of her fingers. They sparkled on her lips and fell from her eyelashes before vanishing to steam.
He leaned back again, not a sound from him made. His head felt warm and heavy as did his chest. It was an insufferable feeling that always came before tears. He tried to rub the feeling away in his chest, his wrinkled t shirt more worn with every tug. He watched her move. Desire produced inclination to abandon all conscience and break restraint. If only for this he could call out to her, reach for her, leave his self inflicted prison and sell his soul to her. He saw himself running from shade to shore and his fingertips meeting her, his arms sweeping her up and his lips claiming her love as his. The daydream was more real to him than any other moment since daybreak. He forced himself back to the present as he looked down at his hands that gripped the sand fiercely. He slowly opened his fists, letting the sand fall back in place and his red skin recover from the sting.
Charlotte sensed his eye as she rose from the rivers edge. At his sight she picked up her pitcher and made him her destination. He sat straight up and scratched his head shyly. As she plopped down in front of his feet he looked down and then up at her. A kind smile on her lips cooled the moment as they fell to ease in each others presence. She rested her chin on her arms that were folded over the chipped ceramic vase. Her sleeves that dripped and draped over the rim drove him to distraction.
"Hello there." he said under the breath of the breeze that rattled the palm fronds above them.
"So," she began.
"Hard at work I see."
"Ah, its too hot to be bothered by things like starvation." he said returning the sarcasm.
"Oh hey so guess what. Jasper found some little cat or kitten, like this little baby panther thing, I don't know I haven't seen it but Ray wanted to eat it and Jasper made a face I've never seen before. I believe his exact words were, "not over my dead body you useless, selfish, heartless rotten pile of waste in the garbage bin of society."."
"Wow, harsh. What's he gonna do though, fire him?" he replied with a laugh as she reciprocated with giggles of her own.
"So, what are you up to now?" he asked as he fidgeted with his shoelaces.
"Well actually, I was thinking of charting the land, maybe drawing up some maps. If you wanted to cross the river with me you could check out what's on the other side of the dunes. Ray said we could cross as long as we don't go alone right?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Then you'll come?" she said in a quiet voice of modesty. Her innocence brought her beauty to the surface. Not to say she hadn't seen the horrors of reality, she simply had the wisdom to not let them hinder her. A natural pause elevated the sound of the shushing gust in the rustle of branches and swept up terrain.
"I will."
They gathered what they'd need and said goodbye for now to the others. They stood at the brink above the water, looking down at the intimidating current. They looked at each other and took the first step. The rivers temper was fierce yet it's chill brought refreshment. Their chins touched their chests as they ventured deeper. It fought them but they made it nonetheless. They looked for grip on the uneven surface as they rose from the water on the other side. They carried the river over the dunes and when they'd descended, the sun and wind had dried it from them. The hills and their heat waves were a mere veil that kept secret the face of a city missing her people. Greek ruins in an Egyptian land. Each built of sandstone and well hidden within it's surroundings. Through the middle ran a ghost of a market place and remains of it's past, bringing together both sides of the village. It's rapturous architecture towered over flawless tapestry that hung between each side. Each intricately embroidered stitch and bead left the trace of a culture once beloved. Beneath we're trading tables and booths full of forgotten treasures. Adorning garments, jewels and piles of spices, eroded with each gust. This uniting center drew the eye down to it's perfect end.
There, they found a large but humble temple, a cobbled pool at it's feet. The unmoving water sustained lilies, white as snow. Their illogical immorality gave hope as not one petal wilted.
"Is this real?" he professed.
"If not, I'm thankful for the dream." she said with a hand across her chest and on her shoulder.
"Are you so thirsty?"
"SO THIRSTY!"
"Right? Ok hold on." he said pulling out an empty bottle. They exchanged looks with gaping mouths. Neither of them thought to refill it, it was simple human error.
"What do we do?" she posed moving her hand to her beaded forehead.
"Uhhh.. I dunno hmmm. Ooh! There's a booth with wine, maybe there's water or something." he said as they both jogged over. They searched through each case, basket and under every bottle under the table. It was all wine, and they would almost rather drink from the stagnant pool. But with too hot a journey back, their decision was made for them.
"I don't wanna do this." he said.
"Yea, me neither." she agreed.
"It'll be alright, let's just do it in moderation. Real slow ok?"
Thankfully the day was still young, but the toxin was taking it's effect quickly on the inexperienced pair. The journey back was too far for thought, and soon a moments rest turned to a life-giving nap. Charlotte was fortunate enough to steal some silk sheets before letting sleep take her. They were azure blue of satin, layered over sheer linen of maya. They flowed around her like sea against wind, intertwined and flooding over her curves. The sand kept them warm but Henry woke from it's shift. He found himself sliding from against the wall, the sand carrying him down the short distance. He rubbed his eyes as he slowly touched ground. His head was heavy, nose slightly stuffed and half his face was red and speckled with indents from sand. He could not recount a better sleep of his life, and Charlotte looked even further under the influence.
He stared in total peace. He had no where to be and for the first time as of late, he could take his time. He surveyed the majesty at rest before him. Her figure lay unaware of it's perfection beneath the glass like drapery that danced to the low hum of wind. Her fraying converse partly buried and her sleeve escaping down her shoulder.
"Charlotte.."
His voice blended with the dim breeze. At her name, she awoke. She sat up with puffy and refreshed eyes, misty with sleepy warmth.
"What a nap. Felt like a coma, what was in that stuff?" she mumbled groggily. "Wow, is it that time already?"
He followed her gaze to the sun melting into the horizon. They both quickly stood and prepared to set off for home with every intention of revisiting the lonely civilization to revive it with life and appreciation once again. If not only to answer questions as to why it was abandoned, then to also have a time and place for their bond to grow. Charlotte gathered her mess of cloth and whatever else she felt up to carrying, including an unbelievably gorgeous sewing box. She told Henry her plans to pass the time by embroidering a design into the sheets so she might have a touch of herself in her room again, even if she must share it. He listened quietly and told her of ideas of his own of how to spend his time. They discussed ways of getting home, how they'd miss their families in the mean time and how they had forgotten to chart anything at all that day. So far they'd wanted for nothing and, though the voyage was tiring, at arriving back they wished for more time to talk. From then on they would make the trip a daily tradition, and a beloved one at that.