It was a dark night, yes, but not stormy. The weather, though, argued that it could turn that way at any second. The wind howled fiercely down the valley, creating what could only be described as an eerie atmosphere. Shadows of swaying branches tousled under the dim street lamps, causing what little light there was to flicker and change from moment to moment. A loose gate banged occasionally against its latch and, even though I knew what it was, I jumped every time.
My dog seemed unimpressed with our chilling surroundings. He ran and jumped yards ahead of me, quite happy to chase dead leaves down the lane. I followed at a much more leisurely pace, taking in the late October night. The rustle of leaves, the bite in the night air, the calm that always precedes the first snow of the year. The Sun King was fighting his last battle, I knew, but Bruno had little knowledge of such things. The life of a Labrador was much simpler than that of a struggling witch in a new land. He didn't have to worry about visas or work or health insurance, the most pressing issue he faced was whether to sleep, eat or lick his own butt. I envied him that sometimes.
It wasn't that I regretted my choice to move to Wales. Never that. Moving from the United States to live with a man that I met on the internet was a daunting decision, certainly, but the best one I ever made. Sometimes, though, when a brooding mood struck me, I wondered how I'd ever survive. It wasn't as if I ever wanted for anything. My boyfriend was incredibly receptive to my needs and couldn't be more loving. Even so, I sometimes suffered with an acute sense of helplessness. My boyfriend had credit problems and fought a constant financial battle. Being an American tourist, according to the British government, I was in no position to help him, no matter how badly I wanted to. And, of course, there was the matter of being four thousand odd miles from everything I had ever known.
Frustration haunted me as Bruno and I made our way down the lane. The despondent autumn night seemed to complement my mood perfectly. The Sun King was dying before my eyes and, like everything else in my life, I was helpless to stop it. The wind played Him a funeral dirge. It rolled off the slate roofs and whistled through the loose shutters of nearby houses. I let the slow trudging melody guide my feet while fears and unanswered questions drifted through my brain.
Lost in thought, I came upon the old Trinity Church without realising it. The lonely brick structure rose two hundred years out of the past, its crumbling graveyard out front paying homage to all that it had seen come and go in its time. I never liked to walk that far on my own but that night it was as though I was drawn there by a force outside myself. I lifted the latch and pushed the rusted gate open. I earned a sharp creak from the springs that drew itself across my spine like a tightly strung bow. I thought briefly that creaking gates were always a bad sign but found myself drawn forward regardless.
I stumbled through the graveyard without any real direction or purpose. The headstones rose up in front of me in all shapes and stages of decay. New stones stood proudly next to ones that looked like they were being held together with cobwebs. Without the moon out to cast a bit of light on the graves, a dull grey surrounded me, making the cemetery feel even more lifeless. I thought absurdly that if I stayed too long, the colour would seep out of me as well and I would become a living tombstone, trapped forever in a washed out shell of a body. I could barely leash the panic that swept through me at the thought. I turned quickly to leave but lost my footing and fell face first onto a grave.
The stone before me, though obviously touched by age, was surprisingly well kept. Its bed was clear of weeds unlike many of its counterparts and a spray of dead flowers adorned its base. Lifting myself to my knees, I glanced at the headstone. The words I saw etched into the marble made me stop dead. "Rita Alderson: 1913-1986. Loving wife, mother and grandmother" it read. "She came a stranger to our land but left no stranger to our hearts." I took in the tender words, the loving care that someone had shown the grave and the flowers, left by some devoted hand years after her death and I felt a huge swelling of emotion rise in my chest.
The story of a woman, not unlike myself, played in my mind's eye. I imagined a frightened young woman, coming to a new land with only her love to guide her. Fighting alongside her adoring young husband to make a place for themselves. Years of hardship and struggle. Countless times they thought there was nothing left but to give up. Leaning on each other when times got toughest and somehow making it through. I could picture them in their old age, smiling proudly at the family they raised and knowing that every moment they suffered was worth it a million times over. I rested my head against Rita Alderson's headstone and found that even though I had never known her, even though she'd been dead seventeen years, I had found a kindred spirit.
A deep bark drew me out of my revere. In all my inner turmoil, I had forgotten about Bruno. I hurried into the lane to see what mischief he had gotten into in my absence and came up against a hard chest. A familiar scent filled my nostrils even before my boyfriend's arms came around me. He had come home to find Bruno bounding up and down the lane while I sat daydreaming in the graveyard. Looking up into the eyes of the man I loved, the man who was my world, no matter where in the world I was, I thought of Rita.
Suddenly, I could see our lives spreading out before us. We had our share of hardships now but there was everything to look forward to: our wedding, our first house, our children, our grand children and, gods willing, our golden anniversary. I thought of all of the beautiful things our future held and I felt ridiculous for letting something as petty as bills and immigration laws bring me down. We would struggle for a time but in the end we would persevere and hopefully, like Rita, build memories to touch the future. The Sun King would die and we would struggle for a time but The Holly King wouldn't rule forever.