A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

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"Oh, I don't know. I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately, about life and death and what it means." "Hey, that's heavy."

She looked at him and grinned."Too heavy for such a lovely day. I think I'm going for a swim." "Be careful out there.Lots of riptides today."

"I will. Thanks for the Coke."

He took the can from her hand. "Can I see you later tonight?" "I'm not sure. Call me?"

"Will do."

Impulsively, she kissed him on the cheek,then scrambled down the ladder.

She was already barefooted. Clad in shorts and a T-shirt, she waded out into the ocean and began to swim. The water was cool, invigorating. She swam for a while, then turned onto her back and floated. Overhead, the sky was a bright, clear blue, as deep and wide as all eternity.

Refusing to think of anything beyond the pleasure of the moment, she let herself drift in the arms of the sea. But, in spite of her determination, troublesome thoughts crept into her mind.

She would never be able to swim on a summer day if she accepted the Dark Gift. Dominic had not seen the sun in over two thousand years.

He would never be a father. He would never hold a precious new life in his arms, hear his child's laughter, or dry its tears.

And neither would she, if she accepted the Dark Gift.

Pushing such disturbing thoughts from her mind, she struck out for shore.

On the beach, she shook the water from her hair. She waved toBryan ,then trotted toward the steps that led toward home.

Dominic rose before the setting of the sun. Here, deep within the earth, he could rise before night spread her cloak over the land, though until the sun set, his powers were weak. Still, it afforded him an extra hour or two of awareness, of life. Even after all these years, he dreaded the approach of the Dark Sleep, hated the sudden lethargy that engulfed him, knowing he would be trapped in oblivion until sunset. And yet, since he had foundTracy , his sleep was not completely dreamless. He often dreamed of her, sometimes seeing her as she had been in ages long past, sometimes seeing her as she was now, and sometimes, best of all, dreaming that she had accepted the DarkGift, that she shared the endless night with him.

He sensed her now in the house above, knew she was preparing her evening meal. It had been so long