Seasons on a swing

"SEASONS ON A SWING" - George Wilhite

Death claimed Esther on a dreary winter

morning. Henry sighed with deep relief when he found her. So fitting her last breath expired on the porch swing. Gazing for hours at the borders of their property and into the woods beyond, Esther observed the changes each season brought as she persevered through her final years.

* * *

Near dusk on a midsummer evening, Henry encountered Esther’s shade on that same swing, now a haunted place of memory and sorrow. The scent of lavender filled the air and the feel of cold skin brushed against his cheek. Gooseflesh covered his arms though it was nearly a hundred degrees outside. His spine jerked.

He heard his name resonate in the stillness of the porch, his secret nickname only she knew.

“How much longer?” Those were the only words he spoke barely louder than a whisper to nobody in particular, the sky, the woods.

* * *

Her phantom traversed a strong autumn wind and she found her way back once more. She whispered to her beloved from within the forest, just one word: “Enough.” Discerning the meaning of this new haunting, his spirit cast aside all grief and corporeality and before another winter fell, they were reunited.


BIO:George Wilhite is the author of the short fiction collection 'On the Verge of Madness'. His work has also appeared in numerous print publications and online at 'Yesteryear Fiction', 'MicroHorror', 'Eschatology Journal' and 'The Fringe'.