He stood alone, at the top, abstract, unmindful of the surrounding. He looked around, there was no fear, no pain, just the calm, the peace in his heart. He looked down the cliff, the steep slope, the beautiful gorge, the ruggedness, the rawness, breathtakingly beautiful. The darkness enveloping the surroundings ,the sun masked by the clouds, with no shelter around, he walked calmly and slowly, deliberately taking the time, to absorb the feeling around. The clouds burst, the thunder roared. The walk was long, there was no hurry, cold and wet, he sat on the boulder.
His thoughts wound back, into the past. He stood across the lawn, by the road in a strange country, where he had never been. The rented car had been his refuge for the last few days. His vigil was coming to the end. His mind made up, as he saw happiness all around the house. His soul cried, it bled, it was the end, the end of the road, the end of the dream. For the last time, he glanced, saw the face, so happy and calm, so perfect and beautiful, same as he had seen a couple of decades back. He pressed on the gas, the car sped.
The thundering clouds broke his thoughts. He had quit his world, for the search of the elusive soul, as a last measure for relief. Now he stood alone, his recent past closed, his future closed. He stood alone in solitude, peaceful and calm, with his memories.
