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Once summer began it began to end, the cloves had been done in their seasons. Marcus knew that the end of his life was near, he knew not how close but could feel the toll of age that comes to the least and greatest of men not fated to die young. As the sun streamed down on his face, he regretted little in his life and felt at least, that he had done his part in the grand full circle of life. All but one detail remained to him, one detail for him to take care of after the morning faded. But first Marcus would pay his wife a visit to consult her on the matter at hand.

As he wheeled away he imagined to hear her singing in the voices of the larks.

"Mr. Marcus, sir, it's a little early for you to be up today isn't it?"

"Ah, Andrew, it's a wonderful morning to be awake for, it is worth the morning tidings to be passed along today as well as any greater another, yes?"

"Well sir, I guess I'd have to agree with you there," Andrew said with a laugh. It was indeed a beautiful morning, a morning where the sun seems to make everything open itself to possibilities, even the trees so often hiding in their gloom seemed to show off the splendorous greens within their leaves. "May I take you somewhere, sir?"

"I'm just at the business of old men visiting the memories of young women, nothing one as young as you should be trifling yourself with."

"No, indeed sir, it would be my pleasure"

"I mean to say that I would visit the grave of my wife," said the old captain in a slightly less sunny voice the beginnings of a cloud appearing over his eyes as he remembered the day his wife had died.

It was a cold december morning when he had heard the news, away from his home-post, a significantly younger Marcus was just explaining the finer points of tree roots to a colleague when his brother called him, crying over the phone.

"What? What is it Barry? What's wrong?"

"It's... I just can't"

well, they were both dead now. Time does little but helps us forget, time does little but keep us in knowledge that we can be very much and very little and pruned off like all the awkward branches who reached too far from the bush.

"Sir? I'll take you there, and take you back also"

"If you could take me back, take me back..."

"sir?"

"I'm sorry, well then Andrew, to twenty paces from the grave and no farther."

"Yes sir"

Marcus remembered how the story began, with Elise, with him, before was no beginning and he believed "Love has no end"

"hrm?"

"Andrew do you have someone you love?"

"no sir, no one in particular"

"I'm sorry, I thought you would at least love me"

"well, of course sir, I thought you had meant..."

"don't worry I was just teasing you a little"

So he had no one, Marcus thought, no one to teach him what it feels like.

"We're here"

"And you will go no farther," Marcus willed himself forward to meet the letters in the stone "Here lies Elise Ermenia Smith, loving wife and daughter"
"Hello"

Marcus felt that he could feel her reply in the wind, love is like the wind, love is like the wind. "Love is like the sun and the moon and the stars," she had said and every year brought something new in nature to reflect her.

"I don't have flowers today, but I hope I'll have some when I see you again. I think, I think that time may be as soon as any day can come when I too will be brought to my own ends."

There were a few moments of comfortable silence, and then it appeared for a moment that the old man was between the stone and a hard place in his heart.

"My dear Elise, I have come to my decision."

He wheeled himself back to Andrew.

"Welcome back, sir, how is she?"

"Alive as always"

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Andrew, take me back"

"Yes sir"

And they began to go back to the old man's house.

"Andrew"

"Yes sir?"

"I'm leaving what I have to you."

"What sir?"

"I'm leaving my possesions to you, in my will. Do what you want with it, give it to charity"

Andrew was dumb struck, after all the old man's fortune was of a considerable sum. "But why me sir, why now?"

"Because I believe in your character of heart, and I will be going soon. But more so because I believe that one old man's story should end in the beginning of another's, and I hope you will be able to cherish longer memories than I."

"I hope that day won't be for many more days"

"Andrew, an ending can only be for so many days, only fairy tales can end in forever ever afters."

The morning would pass as the sun drifted towards the twilight.