Come, let us be alone together

Seen while washing dishes in the dark. Take the title exactly as it is.

The man in black treaded alone across the dunes. Trailing behind was a line of footprints, two-by-two extending off into the infinite distances. The man was hunched slightly, his hands buried into the depths of his coat’s front pockets, his body seeming to curl into itself against the blowing sands. At the moment, he was walking up the crest of a wave of sand, the one moving blip in an eternity of isolation.

The winds blew, sending the ends of the black jacket aflutter. The air was chillingly cold, despite the abundant rays of light. This sand held no welcoming heat, no acknowledging warmth. The winds blew oblivious to his presence. The man only scrunched tighter into himself, keeping his head low. His shadow drew smaller, ultimately disappearing into himself as the sun arched ever higher into the cloudless sky. He never looked up, only continuing on his solitary journey.

Hours, days, weeks, months meant nothing here. Time was measured by one footprint left after another. The inhale of one breath full of gritty oxygen after another. At times, Sol seemed to move, setting as Luna took his place, rising up again later. In truth they meant nothing; it was always cold, and there was always nothing more in the distance. And always, there was no one else.

Until, at one moment somewhere in time, there was sound of the crunch of sand below feet, sounds not his own. The man in black peeked upwards to see another individual, garbed in swarthy, loose cerulean robes just ahead of him. Behind the Other was another line of footprints disappearing to the far corners of the desert, curving sharply towards the man’s current path from some unseen origin. Yet now this newcomer’s route was coming towards his, and judging from the angle, likely to follow.

The man in black had paused in his tracks, only staring at the Other in gust-filled silence. The azure-robed stranger stared back.

The man in black stepped forward first, resuming his trek. The Other fell in tow, gradually matching pace until the two of them walked side by side. Two sets of footprints, parallel yet clearly separated, now interrupted the smooth flank of the sand dunes. Wind flittered in the distinct space between the two wanderers. They walked, side by side, yet still unto themselves.

Together, but still alone.

Author's Note

I usually proofread my works, however as always I'm sure there are typos and syntax errors. I appreciate any and all notices of that, and will work to correct those. If I haven't do know that I did acknowledge your notice and try implementing it, but found that it detracted from the effect I wanted and so omitted it.

Reviews

[Violet Hill]

To put this frankly, I loved it. I think it was just long enough.

" Together but still alone" -- Solitude but yet not completely in seclusion. A sense of safety even without words.


^ I kept it short and simple this time ;)


-jk

[luthien7]

Nice imagery here. is there a continuation?