He had been thinking lately that he couldn’t quite remember the lines in her face any more; the criss-cross patterns that uniquely identified her to him were losing their clarity as he sought to recreate her likeness in his consciousness.
Ever since she’d been gone he had felt that he was losing a little fidelity every day, it was all a little softer – less defined, and the thought occurred to him that perhaps losing one’s mind might be like this.
In truth his mind was as clear as ever, it was time that was playing tricks on him, making him second-guess his recollection of her, subtly smudging the edges in the same way that a raindrop mellows the characters on a piece of paper.
He glanced at a photograph, dog-eared and faded by the years, the monochromaticity of her features suddenly brought into sharp relief – he was back, staring into her eyes as he had done for nearly forty years; now he remembered her.
Putting the photograph down he settled back into his chair and closed his eyes, a quiet smile on his face; it would not be long now.
This was lovely, depicting a sense of loss but yet acceptance of that loss. Nicely done.
Thank you Sandra.
Ooh, I liked this. I imagined him, frantic to remember her. Lovely description.
Thank you CC. Most kind.
I agree with Sandra, a lovely portrayal of love and loss. May I also say that the phrase ‘losing fidelity’ is genius and would be a wonderful title for a book. I contemplated stealing it (oh yes I did!) but thought instead I would suggest it for you to use down the line. Great phrase and lovely story :))
Thank you Jo-Anne. Please feel free to use the phrase, and I’ll take your suggestion and use it too!
Beautiful sketch of a heart still in love, alive and dying at the same time. Gorgeous work.
Thank you Angela. Very kind.
Poignant, aren’t we all fated in this way? I wish I knew to write like you 🙂
I think that those with a soulmate are fated in this way. Thank you for your comment.
Such beautiful imagery portraying his quiet desperation for her, and his resignation is almost heart-breaking.
Thank you Lisa. How sad that many of us will be in the same position one day.
Sometimes words fail me when I leave a comment, this is a beautiful piece of writing but that doesn’t even begin to sum up how moved I am by it and how I tangibly recognise those feelings of loss – very well done!
Thanks so much Sarah – it’s very kind of you to say such nice things. I appreciate what you said.
This is such a realistic view of love, loss, and the way memories are our link to the past. Really well done!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a positive comment Lillie!