They met on the sand, slow waltzing to wavesong under a rainbow of stars and deciding love should last beyond forever.

Now he whispers those memories and her smile smooths the wrinkles of their pain.

He catches her last breath with a gossamer lasso and ties it to his heartbeat.

A.J. lives in Australia and wouldn’t mind being reincarnated as a kookaburra. She’s on Twitter at @manicol1.