That night, the dreams flowed like a river, swift and swollen after a heavy rain.

.  .  .  .  .  .

Tiny, icy blossoms drifted through the canopy of gaunt branches, showering the pair of lovers in the cold beauty of the year’s first snowfall. They strolled aimlessly down the park’s worn path. The place was a miracle, a quiet heaven in all the hell.

James laced his own calloused fingers through So-Yeon’s to keep her warm, relishing the silky texture of her skin.  He brought her hand to his lips and pressed a tender kiss to the golden wedding ring encircling her finger. She was his; he’d won the skirmish, but the war to make a life with her, to keep her safe, wasn’t over.

“I have to leave in a few days,” he confessed.  “The Times is sending me to Guam.”

“When will you return?”  So-Yeon’s lips trembled, and he could see that she was afraid.

“Soon, I promise.  I could never stay away from you for long.  I couldn’t survive it.”  James reached up to her cheek.  He held her palm to his heart and leaned down to press his forehead against hers.

“I love you, James.” Her breath was warm against his chilled skin.

“I love you, my darling. Always and forever.”

“What is this?”

“What do you mean?”

“This feeling I sense from this memory you have shown me.  It seems like … a joyful aching … and a bittersweet sadness.”

“Is it?  I suppose it feels like that sometimes.  It’s love, ancient one.  Haven’t you ever been in love?”

“Been in love … no.  I have no memory of being in love.  I have taken love.”

“True love isn’t something you take, ancient one.  It’s a gift you receive.”

.  .  .  .  .  .

            The sky raged. But beneath the Mediterranean’s boiling surface, all was calm.

            To her left, the dark-haired fifth hovered, guarding her thoughts, wary of contact. To her right, the golden seventh writhed in anticipation. Reckless. The seventh had always been the reckless one. The one most loved and cherished. The youngest.

            A shadow floated above them. The high-pitched screech of wood being beaten and stretched beyond its capacity by an angry wind reached their ears. And then, the soft thump of a human body breaking the water’s surface. A dusky-skinned Egyptian, beautiful and save the cloth that covered his loins.

The seventh bolted forward.

            “Wait.” She grabbed her younger sister’s wrist. “Wait. This is our way now. Let fate decide if he is yours.”

            “This … this memory is my own.”

            “Yes. So much is new for you. It brings back your fear of the old hurts. I know it’s hard for you, but please, please don’t forget me.”

            “I will not forget, James. I will never forget.”

.  .  .  .  .  .

The stars overhead winked at him. Their brilliance in the night sky, unopposed by any garish city lights, was breathtaking. Almost as breathtaking as the sparkle in So-Yeon’s eyes had been at the airport when he’d gazed down at her before leaning in to give her one final, lingering kiss.

The military transport he’d hitched a ride with had waited beside them, its propellers stirring the air and humming with a growing insistence, a reminder that time was short. So-Yeon gave it occasional disdainful glances, as if it were another woman poised to steal her husband away.

“I’ll be back soon, I promise,” he wiped a tear from her cheek with the rough pad of his thumb, “and then we’ll go far away from all this madness. Together.”

Her grip on his forearms was anxious. She looked up into his eyes.

“I …,” her voice broke. She drew in a deep breath. “I think I’m pregnant.”

James had known joy in his life, but the overwhelming emotions that surged through him at that moment left him speechless. In place of words, he answered her with laughter and tears, pulling her close into the shelter of his embrace.

The captain called out to him from the aircraft’s open doorway, urging him to hurry or he’d be left behind.

“I have to go,” he sighed into her ear. “I love you. I’ll be back soon.” He pressed his lips to her cheek then backed away to heave his camera bag and duffle over one shoulder.

“Wait!” So-Yeon’s hands trembled as she clutched at his jacket. “Take this with you. It will bring you luck.”

She yanked at the chain around her neck, pulling the attached pendant over her head. With a quick twist, she separated the pendant’s backing, catching the intricate, heart-shaped design as it fell into her hand in two distinct parts.

“It belonged to my mother,” she explained with a hopeful smile.  She rose onto her toes to drape the chain over his head. “It will bring you luck … it will bring you back to me.” She patted the remaining silver and mother of pearl inlaid disk where it rested above his heart.

James laughed, “Don’t you know?” He danced backwards towards the stairs nestled next to the airplane’s wide, round side. “I married the most beautiful woman in the world. That makes me the luckiest man on earth!”

After blowing her one final kiss, he ducked inside to find his seat.  When the plane pulled away, he spied her out of the small window portal. She clutched the other half of the pendant to her chest, frantically waving her goodbye though she could not see him.

He had pondered his good fortune as they had flown southward towards Guam. Lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t even realized something was wrong until the plane began descending far too rapidly.

They were still over deep water. Outside there was nothing but darkness. Nothing to warn him when they crashed into the rolling black. Nothing to prepare him for the endless, inky rush.

James remembered these things as he gazed upward at the brilliant stars. The corners of his mouth curved into a smile. The stars were so clear, so vibrant, like diamonds sprinkled onto a velvet midnight. Marvelously vivid, these tiny, dancing gems dangling overhead, like he could pluck them up and string them together to hang around So-Yeon’s silky shoulders. 

A shadow obscured his view. A pair of wide, startling eyes blinked at him in concern. It was at that moment that the pain came, and with the pain came clarity. He winced as he lifted his head and looked downward. His shirt had been ed. It lay open, baring his chest to the moonlight – baring the jagged wound that spilled his life onto the sandy beach where his body was splayed.

Beside him sat the figure of a girl, face as pale as the moon, hair as red as his blood. Her lips quivered, and she gazed back at him. 

With horror, James realized that he had failed; he would never be able to keep his promise to the woman he so deeply loved. With a feeble effort, he pulled off the pendant and it at the strange girl.

“Please,” he moaned. “Give this to my wife. Give this to So-Yeon. Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her I love her.”

The girl took his hand. In silence she held it, weeping for him until he took his last breath. Weeping long after he had faded away.

“I am sorry I was not able to save you.”

“Don’t be sorry, ancient one. If it weren’t for you, there would be no second chance. Our story isn’t finished yet.”

“I could have eased your pain. My voice would have torn all thoughts, aside from me, from your mind. But … I did not want to rob you of your clarity. You pleaded so earnestly.”

“Thank you, ancient one. It was how I wanted to die – loving her until the end.”