She had bought everyone on the planet some time, and they would never know how close they had come to death. They didn’t need to. It was her burden and her gift.
Forfeiting not only her longevity but her home below wasn’t a terrible price to pay, actually. She was in paradise. There were worse ways to spend the next thirty or forty years than a place like this, and she would cherish every second.
Besides, when her time came – the end of a life longer than most humans could fathom – she knew she had a friend waiting on the other side to greet her.
When she thought of Thoozy, she smiled again.
That lightness she felt was partly due to being with Fergus, here in this beautiful place after surviving months of discomfort, fear, stress, and disgusting food. (Spaghettio Stew!) But the lightness was also because an obscenely long life no longer loomed before her, weighing on her with its appalling unendingness. She had never realized until now how tired it made her knowing she might live forever.
We all make sacrifices, she thought. Indeed, every one of us.
She turned back to Fergus. He held her hand; she knew he was feeling all her emotions through their physical contact, and was accepting them with equal measures of sorrow and joy.
She was happy to know he understood, even if his own path would eventually take him away from her. Just as there can be no light without darkness, there can be no joy without sorrow. But the sorrow could be delayed for a time. For now, this sunset, this ocean, and this man were all that mattered.
THE END
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed this book. I'd love it if you posted a review about it on Amazon or Goodreads. Reading a well-written book in the company of snoozing doggies is my favorite pastime. Receiving feedback and reviews from readers about my own books is my second favorite pastime. Which scenes did you like best? What character could you relate to the most? How do you think you'd fare in a post-apocalyptic world?
On a side note, if you've spotted a typo, please email me a [email protected]. I hate those insidious little buggers as much as the next reader.
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I look forward to hearing from you!
Nicki Huntsman Smith
Beauty and Dread Page 35