Allrighty, I decided to try something new. I've always done something with a little bit of fantasy in it and I wanted to try just pure real life stuff. I just finished reading As Long as We Both Shall Live By: Lurlene McDaniel and I fell in love with that type of writing - raw real human emotions and lifelong relationships and family ties. Just good stuff. So this is my take on it. Hope you like it!
Happy Reading!
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Preface
Too happy Time dissolves itself
And leaves no remnant by –
'Tis Anguish not a Feather hath
Or too much weight to fly –
By: Emily Dickinson
Rock cliffs jutted at angles that seemed impossible, creating sharp inclines and gradients that didn’t look real. The mountain air teased Anna’s hair into tangles as her eyes rested on the thick vegetation and random brown rock patterns that broke the flow of trees. Humidity was light, causing a heat that warmed her thoroughly without causing discomfort. She was on her back, the fabric of the blanket scratching her bare thighs and arms, her gaze moving to the wide expanse of Carolina sky, bright blue and cloudless.
“’Mazing, isn’t it?”
Anna shifted, her body instinctively moving closer to his voice, so familiar and comforting. “Yeah, I never imagined I would be here. And with you.”
“Miracles happen, you know,” he teased, and she met his smile, lopsided and goofy, dimples indenting both cheeks.
“Not very often, but I guess they do,” she agreed, unable to resist his contagious good-humor.
“Anna, did you ever picture your future?”
“Sure I did. It definitely wasn’t this.”
His laugh rippled through the mountains like a rock slide, light enough to flutter her heart but deep enough to thunder in her chest. “I never thought I would be here with you. Not in a million years”
“Me either, Zeke. That’s why I’m still in shock.”
“I noticed.” His eyes twinkled when he spoke and he moved closer to her so that they were shoulder to shoulder. He took her hand in his and traced the lines along her palm. “You know, we’ve been in North Carolina for almost a week now and we haven’t even done any rock climbing.”
“Zeke,” Anna said slowly, catching the wild glint in his eye.
He just laughed, quick and sharp, before jumping to his feet in one smooth movement that left her scrambling. “That should do, huh?” He was eyeing a particularly sharp cliff face, and Anna frowned disapprovingly.
“We don’t even have any gear. Don’t be stupid.”
Zeke’s brow furrowed. “I’ll be safe. When am I not?”
She just rolled her eyes. “When are you safe?” He chose not to answer but just flashed her a wink and started walking towards it. “Zeke!” she called, started to get panicky. “Stop it.” Anna ran up to catch him, and he spun to meet her, taking her in his arms.
“You’re too anxious. Relax, Anna,” he whispered in her ear, sending shivers up her spine.
“I wouldn’t be like that if you would just act normal and weren’t such a reckless child!” she scolded, heart still pumping at the thought of Zeke scaling the mountain with little more than pure luck to keep him from falling to his doom.
“A reckless child, huh?” he asked, a devilish grin marring his features before he stumbled towards the edge, holding Anna just out of safety’s reach.
“Zeke!” she shrieked, half-exhilarated, half-petrified.
His eyes danced. “I got you, Anna. Stop shouting.”
Anna smiled. “I will if you take me away from this edge.”
“And what will you do for me in return?” Zeke asked softly, coyly.
Her smile deepened. “I guess you’ll have to wait until you step back.”
He laughed softly and then, just as quickly, his smile vanished and his footing faltered.
“Zeke, stop it! That was too close!” Anna jumped from his grasp and stood on safe ground. “Don’t you ever do that to me—” But her voice caught when she saw Zeke, eyes wide, mouth slanted open in a look of bewilderment, hands clutching at his shirt for dear life.
“Oh god,” Anna murmured before running to him just as he began to fall. “Oh god. Oh god. Oh please no,” Anna cried, trying to hold his weight as she fell to the ground.
“Zeke!” she shouted but his eyes were rolled back in his head and he was starting to convulse violently.
“Help! Oh please! Somebody! Carter! Lana!” Anna was near hysteria, Zeke flailing around in her arms. She felt his pain like her own, flinching every time his arm shot up of its own accord or when his leg gave a quick snap. She tried to think clearly and quickly ripped off her bandanna, folded it and put it in his mouth to keep his jaw in place.
Mercifully, she heard footsteps on the path only minutes later, Carter’s face set in stone as he helped lift Zeke up.
“We have to get him to a hospital.”
“Yeah,” Carter mumbled, emotionless. Anna found it hard to be as strong as Carter, her own distress showing on every inch of her.
Time went quickly after that. Lana convinced her to go in her car while Carter and Andy took Zeke in their own. The whole way to the hospital, she chewed her nails to the quick, thinking all the time: Why now? Why now? Why? Time had been good to them, providing them precious time that they didn’t think they could have.
Now it was back to its cruel self. And Anna found that time could never really be controlled and it only dissolved itself in the end.
Note: Some of the corrections are just ones that sound better to me, but feel free to disregard them. 
