masquerade.

It was a hopeless undertaking of counting the dry grains of sand littering the premises of the beach they claimed their own. Waves crashing, the heavy scent of salt pregnant in the afternoon’s thick air, the oxygen’s lethargy soon ruffled up by the kiss of a gentle breeze, rolling in like a northern tide to bless them with a refreshing breath of divine serenity. Her toes were buried beneath dry layers, legs exposed to the liquid gold descending from an azure sky, as the rest of her physique resided in the shadow cast by a large parasol. Her bright eyes endlessly wandered above the turquoise waters and ventured further and further into the far-off distance, where the horizon seemed to lighten against the line of a calm ocean. 

The infant’s breathing was marked by innocent calmness. Small eyes had retained their closed state for an undefined and vaguely irrelevant amount of minutes now, and a rosy cheek pressed tight against a devoted mother’s moving chest. A young boy, whose appearance was a perfect duplicate of his father's during the time when his innocence had not yet abandoned him in the long night. The black sheep and self-proclaimed reaper of arbitrary souls in the late of night, when the glooming dark had once cloaked the spectral surroundings of a city at relentless war, in an unyielding grip.

Another soft kiss was placed against full cheeks in the faint tinge of red hue, her smile only noticeable if one's eyes were to evade from the dreamlike landscape of the vast ocean, capricious and unpredictable in its wayward moods and erratic changes, ever so keen on staying in sync with the winds blowing down from the north, to steal a glance of soft tresses dancing in the salty breeze. The fair features of a pretty face carried a sense of pure equanimity, easily surpassing the borders of natural contentment and happiness, whenever bright azure eyes fell upon the image of her small family. And for once, uncertainty was not enjoying fright's companionship. For once the looming dread of death and its bony, ice-cold clutch, had slid into the far off distance, where their sight could barely distinguish it as much more than an awful memory of the merciless past. 

Sandcastles were gradually torn down, constructions whisked away with the tender breeze, eliciting a laugh and tooth-bearing smile. She shook her head, her pallid eyes continuing to capture vivid images of father and daughter in piece, with the melody of giggles and laughter more than white noise in the summer air. A family of four, beating hearts and warm smiles, the hurry and fear of past days long pushed into the deep waters of simple oblivion, their focus was now set ahead on the promising view on their future.

It stripped away pieces of his being to see her like this, watch her being pulled down and not being able to fight against the force that made limbs so heavy. The moment of relief when he was finally done was only there for a few seconds, replaced by the next worry, and the one after that. Their lives could have taken so many turns. If she had never left to South-Korea, they could have been parents of ten year olds, living the life in some town where the kids would complain about nothing ever happening. If he had found her in South-Korea, he would have been there when she woke up, he would have helped her get her life back on the rails and they could have started their life away from the rest of the world if they so wished. But God was unforgiving. He must have seen the things he would do in his life and let him pay the price long before it happened, or rather said – he let her pay the price of his actions. It had been baby steps of them getting their life together back as it should, engaging, getting married, having a child – though not in that order. She had left the Revelations and he knew that he had to if he wanted her and Amanda to have the best life away from war, hurt and corruption. But he was in a trap, there was no way out and she had to live with the consequences. They had to live with the consequences. “Careful.” the word came out in a breeze, while hands gently closed around unharmed skin, while feet were busy on taking off the shoes he was wearing by stepping on the back. After a process of him taking off his socks and shirt, turning off the faucet to leave the tub half filled with steaming water, Raphael stepped in, so that he could lift her in, without either of them possibly slipping. “Slowly.” tongue curved at the pronunciation of the word, before he slowly lowered himself along with her, making sure she wouldn’t fall except for against him – a soft surface to protect her from any other hurt except for the hot water against cold skin. Water darkened and made the denim heavier, which he seemed to care little about. He wasn’t planning on letting her go, to take one step away from her. He would provide her with extra warmth when the water no longer couldn’t after time would pass.