Her body was not a pretty thing, cold, hard, and twisted. The breath of life had long left her, but from the man's memories, he knew she was beautiful. Who was anyone to say they could bury someone so beautiful and so pure a place where such beauty would dissolve entirely by the end of summer? But it was nearing the end of autumn, and cold had kept much of what he remembered of her intact, but that same cold would become Immovable prison by winter. If he did not act, now she may forever be lost to him in the form he saw in his memories.

"Not long till you're back where you belong…." Dale brushed the earthen soil and aster curtain from the woman's face.

Hoisting the rigid body from the deep grave, Dale laid it upon a bed of homespun cloth and twine he had placed beforehand. Pulled himself out with haste. He could feel fear creep down his entire spine. The night would not last much longer, and to be seen in such an obscene position now that would spell certain death for him. But Dale had already committed himself. Stopping at any point after the first strike of the spade to soil would be a crime to himself and, most of all, the woman Dale loved. Still, as he committed the act, it was hard to believe he was the one doing it, that Dale Miller was now a grave robber.

He did not have to travel far to arrive at the cemetery. It seemed in his luck that he could walk the distance on foot. It would have complicated things to have to leave a car or bike behind for someone to find, and without a doubt, he would have to leave it behind. But more than that, they made too much noise and drew too much attention. He could wrap and sling all the tools he needed together and carry them on his back effortlessly. After avoiding any working street lights and taking lesser-used streets, he was sure that no one saw him arrive.

What would everyone back in town think of me now? He thought. He knew how everyone looked at him, especially the girls. How they would whisper and smile as he passed them.

When morning came, he was sure everyone would know what he was.

Will, they still smile and laugh when they know what I've done?... A twisted smile comes over his face.

Clouds blanketed the midnight sky, shielding most of the forest clearing from its light. A beam of moonlight that seemed to focus only on where Dale stood was able to peer through. He hurriedly wrapped the woman's corpse tight with the homespun cloth and twine. Placing his newly retrieved burden like a yoke atop his neck, he made his escape to the tree line.

He hoped the brush of forest canopy would shroud him from the concealing light of the moon that seemed to follow him as to move. It seemed a boon for when he needed to be sure not to strike his loved one's body as he dug. But now, it only seemed to give him away to all that may come into sight.

He knew the path well enough to traverse it without the assistance of light, but he still feared he may give himself away even now. It was the hobby of many residents in his town to clear fallen foliage in the forest. But the trees had just recently dispensed much of their leaves to dry in the crisp air, leaving a new obstacle to his stealthy escape.

Closing his eyes, Dale took three long breaths and pushed ahead. In his mind, he had no time for fear anymore; he already knew compared to most, he had nothing to fear. Dale had hunted and killed every beast of the wood at least twice over now. Once he was in the forest, no man or beast could do him harm. Dale took one hand from his macabre cargo and thumbed the blade affixed to his waist. He would let nothing stand in his way. 

He had made his way east in the opposite direction of town he had always called home. After trudging for what seemed to be hours, he found the terrain no match for his resolve. Only twice had he felt like he would fall from hooking his foot on a fallen tree branch or stubbing his toe on tree roots in his path. Finding a fallen tree, Dale gently laid the woman's corpse beside himself. He sank slowly, putting his back against the tree trunk, and closed his eyes.