Asturias

It was a hot summer afternoon in Asturias when he first saw her. She was sitting in the bar of the hotel they were staying. She was there trying to find herself, while he was there trying to get lost from everybody. She kept writing in an old notebook, as the sun was buried in the horizon. He kept drinking as the moon was rising in the black sky. Maybe it was meant for them to meet that rainy afternoon, perhaps it was a cosmic coincidence, or maybe it was just a glimpse of hope that a cruel fate had given to them. The notebook fell at his feet, and as he rose to return it to her, their dark eyes met and froze. Their hands touched for a second, and the alien touch was so warm and kind that both of them felt electricity running through their veins.

Asturias was strangely silent that night as they walked through the crooked dark alleys. They spoke a lot for the first few hours, but then a comforting silence fell between the two of them. Finally their steps took them back to the hotel and the bar that had seen them write and drink away their afternoons. They held hands as they spoke a little more. They both knew they would end up in a bedroom, but they don’t have any rush to get there. After a few drinks they climbed slowly the stairs to her room. At the door, he looked her into her eyes and kissed her tenderly. It was in that kiss that she was able to find herself, she heard her own voice for the first time. It was in that kiss that he slipped away from reality and faded into her. Suddenly sex had no point at all. It was only that kiss that mattered. They looked into their ayes once again. The darkness that usually clouded them was lifted, and a quiet clarity embraced them.

Time was still frozen as they returned to the bar and sat by the fireplace. There was nothing to talk about. They just wanted do feel the other. The bizarre closeness made them feel good. She fell asleep by his side, resting her head in his shoulder. Time flew by and the sun find them again. They said their goodbyes and left to their rooms. They longed to see each other, but they walked away that night without even seeing each other. He left for Paris, while she headed for New York. Twenty years passed by since, when fate chose for them to return to Asturias.  They recognized their faces right away. As if they had loved each other for a century, they kissed and surrendered to their arms. Twenty years suddenly meant nothing and their success and tragedies were suddenly erased. After twenty years they knew their night had come. Maybe there will be nothing tomorrow. But for tonight, tonight was their night.

- Dark Shadow!