We measure it by increments—the infinite wheel of the cosmos—eons and ages. The languid traverse of shadow on a sundial. Days spool into memory—weeks into months, months into years. We had all the time in the world… until the blink of an eye and you were gone.

Nick Young is a retired award-winning CBS News Correspondent. In addition to 50-Word Stories, his writing has appeared in dozens of reviews, journals and anthologies. His first novel, “Deadline,” was published in September. He lives outside Chicago.