Having Never Been Old

They were lying in the sand behind the dunes, out of sight of the sea and the blast of its cold breath. The last rays of the sun pricked and painted the clouds overhead.

"Couldn't we just stay here forever?" said Vladis.

"Your nose would get cold," Ingunn said, leaning over and planting a kiss there. "Soon it would start to run and you would need a handkerchief."

"I have a handkerchief."

"And would it not become disgusting?"

Vladis sighed. "Yes, I guess so."

They lay there. To help them to lie there a little bit longer, they sipped fiery brennivín from a bone flask. After several sips, Vladis felt giddy. "A bone flask!" she said, giggling. "A bone flask!"

Back in the car, they drove quietly while their faces thawed out.

"Must we have supper?" Vladis said when her mouth would form the words. "Why not go straightaway to bed?"

"You're so indulgent," Ingun replied, as she drove them around a red bus that was slowing to turn, its signal bright in the gathering dark.

They were young. They skipped supper and went straightaway to bed. They had never been old. They weren't anxious to know how it felt.

12 December 2022
Texas Jim
Southern Shore, Iceland
www.granitecoast.ca