The Scrivener gathered his notes and the old letters from their cubbyhole in his writing desk. He laid them out on the polished wooden tabletop, changed the order a few times and read over parts of some of the longer letters again. Then, reaching up to the shelf above the desk, he took down a small book.

The little book’s formerly-white cover was plain and graying and only bore the words My Diary. This, he laid down reverently and carefully opened to a page that had been marked with a bit of purple ribbon. He let his eyes rest on the page for a moment and sighed. “I’m ready. It’s time.”

With both hands he took a large volume down from the shelf and laid it carefully down. He traced with his fingers the painted embossing on the cover. A fearsome beast of a dragon lay in a clearing in a dark green forest with its eyes closed. Against its side rested a small human, with hands folded, fast asleep. He opened the book and turned pages until he found a blank page.

Next, he uncapped the inkwell set into the tabletop and selected a new pen from among several that rested in an old beer stein. He examined the nib, found it satisfactory, and dipped the pen into the ink. Smoothing the blank page with his left hand, he began to write.

~~~

It had taken her hours, most of the day, marching here and there, backtracking in case her quarry slipped home behind her, but June found Ember at last.

Ember had departed hurriedly the day before, saying her Knight was ill and had called for her. How Ember could hear a call from him so far away was a mystery June intended to investigate some day. Hendrick the midwife, returning early from the Wainwright place said she’d seen Ember just before sunrise but she didn’t respond to her hail and hadn’t been seen in the village since.

Ember was finally discovered sitting in one of June’s favorite places, the place that overlooked the village and beyond. Perhaps you will recall it. It’s the place where June shared her secret dream. That was three years ago.

When June first glimpsed her through the woods that capped the little hill, Ember was sitting, legs folded tailor-fashion, with her entire body bowed forward and her face to the ground. In such a folded-up, low profile and seen only from behind, June had nearly missed seeing her there. June almost called out but something about the unusual and motionless posture frightened her to silence.

At length, June saw a small motion of the body that informed her Ember was breathing. So, June approached Ember from behind, quietly. When she was nearer, she said softly, “I’ve been looking for you.”

Without moving, Ember replied, “I wanted to be alone. This seemed a good place.”

“Should I leave you…”

“No. I don’t want to be alone so much, now.”

“Is he…”

“Gone. He’s gone. He was in pain and he wanted me to help him. So...I released him from his body. June… I killed him.”

“Ember… that’s not the same. You know that, don’t you?”

“I tell myself so. But still, he’s gone and I made it happen. June… I’d killed humans before but they were my foes. They fought me. It was necessary. But he was my friend. My first human friend. I killed my friend.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say…”

“Say nothing. Only listen. I need someone to listen. You’re my best friend, now.”

June stepped forward until she was almost right behind Ember. “I’m listening.”

“He changed me, June. He made me want to be different. But that’s not the end of what he did. The villages. It was all his idea. To save me. To save all the dragons who’d ever fought humans. Killed them. Eaten them. And now, it’s all changed. We never knew humans could love us. We… I… never knew I could love a human. I owe him so much. And now he’s gone and I killed him and I don’t want to see tomorrow.”

“Ember… you wouldn’t. Would you? I mean, die…”

“How else can I escape this hurt and the memory of what I did to him?”

“He wanted you to!”

“But I saw it. The life… the love went out of his eyes. While he was telling me… I was beautiful.”

“Ember. You said you owe him much. Do you mean it?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then you mustn’t run from your feelings for him, now. Or let them destroy you. Would he want you to end the life he worked to save? Would he?? Or would he wish for you to grieve his loss but go on? You know that answer. Don’t dishonor his gift to you Ember. Don’t. Please, don’t. And don’t hurt me, too.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, June.”

“It’s not just me, now, either. How could I tell all those little ones in the village? The ones that run circles around you when they see you? How could I tell them you’d forgotten them and gone away? They love you, Ember.”

“You’re telling me that my life is not my own.”

“It’s not. Not anymore. Not since the day you realized you could love him. And it’s even more so now that you’re one of us. We’re family. Aren’t we? Or… are we not?”

“…We are.”

“Then come back with me. Let the little ones run and laugh and help you to forget. No… ‘forget’ isn’t the right word. You’ll never forget. I know that. But… Ember, there’s something I wrote in my diary, about people I’ve lost. Can I tell it to you?”

“You needn’t ask. I’m listening.”

“The moving finger writes… that’s borrowed from a very old poem about how we can’t undo the past. The moving finger writes, and nothing can undo its words, but time can fade them softly, so they no longer hurt to look upon.”

“That’s beautiful, June. You’re talented.”

“Thanks but… I wanted you to hear that because you’ll never forget him or the things you did together but one day you’ll be able to remember it all without wanting to not live anymore. And one day, maybe you can even love it all for having been once... and not be so sad that it couldn’t last forever.”

“hmmm…”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I think so. Thank you for listening. And for changing my mind.”

“Will you come down with me now?”

“Not yet.”

“The Wainwright’s baby came this morning. There’s a celebration tonight, to announce its name. Please come. It’ll help you to think about tomorrows.”

Ember sat up at last, staring out into the distance. “You go ahead. I’ll be there before sundown.”

“Promise me?”

“I do. I promise.”

June began walking back into the woods. She paused and said, “I love you, Ember.”

“I know, June. And I know another thing, now… I loved him. And I love you, too.”