the ultimate romantic encounter i am alone on the slopes of some lone mountain in europe writing in a small book bound in black leather. at my side is another book of somewhat the same description save the words "John Donne" inscribed in gold on the cover and my right hand, slightly numb from the cold reaches for it slowly, my mind already leafing through the ancient pages proclaiming words of love and devotion. before me is a limitless valley drenched in snow, the air is crisp and dry, my body warm and secure as i think about absolutely nothing... i can see the village below me, short billows of smoke steaming from the chimneys of various families and i wish that i didn't feel so alone. suddenly, there is a sound behind me and i am given no warning before i am capsized by a young woman out of control on her skis. we both come to our feet slowly, exchanging inquiries as to the welfare of the other but we know that we are both undamaged. then a strange thing happens, the young woman, who is babbling, still slightly shaken with her recent collision stops breathing altogether and just stares into my eyes... into my soul. a power i cannot understand pulls at my strings and i am paralyzed for a duration i would not care to attempt to measure. this woman is ... there are no words. motivated by some other force, fear perhaps, the two of us almost simultaneously shake our heads, as if coming out of a trance, each of us spitting out some mortal words at the other, finding some excuse to leave the scene. my perfect peace is interrupted, if only briefly by something truly remarkable. not until later that evening, do i have the fortune to behold the girl again. it then occurs to me that i don't even know her name. we are in a crowded lobby, filled with a variety of people, ranging from mountain men who plan to brave the alps in the morning to women much like this walking deity i see before me. she has donned a black dress that wraps around the back of her neck, leaving her smooth back exposed, the remnants of the gown hanging from her waist sprawled along the tile floor. our eyes meet and we walk towards each other. the first words we speak are inquiries concerning our names. we exchange mortal labels and she invites me to dine with her in the italian restaurant in the east wing of the castle-like hotel. without hesitation, i consent, my heart racing as she smiles at me... the green of her eyes is so hypnotic... i could die right now having only wished that i could see them once more. a middle sized man dressed also in black seats us at a little table near the centre of the room, the mahogany wood is shaped to form a perfect circle, and over the beautiful piece of furniture is draped a red, plaid cloth... typical of quiet night clubs towards the early hours of the morning. but this is not a night club, it is an italian restaurant, and this restaurant has a hardwood dance floor. there is a group of three men standing away from the stage, spanish guitars in each of their hands as they begin to play a rendition of michael kamen's "love at first sight" and we dance for what seems to be hours. i don't know how to dance, i was never taught, but we dance flawlessly across the floor, our eyes closed. there are some fifty people in the room, but only she and i are there. we return to our table and order a pair of small, irrelevant meals neither of us concerned about food. then we start to talk... everything of importance passes between us in those few hours. my love of poetry, her love of life. each of us probe deep into the persona of the other pulling out parts of our being we'd buried decades before. she has a twisted, morbid, and almost frightening side to her, but she maintains a balance in her passion for living, experiencing... to simply "be" is all that she asks for in life. her mind is complex, yet... to me it seems simple, i understand her, her strength and independence are very present in her outward appearance, but i see deeper... underneath the hard outer shell and she pry's through my hard plastic casing finding emotions underneath. we coexist in our own world much like that found in donne's poem "the sunning". the hour of the sun's rebirth upon the dead earth draws ever closer as the patrons of the business gradually filter out of the building and return to their rooms. soon everyone, save a lone bartender has disappeared and we are left to our own devices, devouring slowly a small cheesecake placed at the centre of the table drenched in strawberries. she reaches her hand across the table gently touches mine. fingers intertwined tightly, i am lost in her eyes again, no single thought plaguing my sanity. the world is silent, if only for a moment. then the bartender returns to the table and informs us that he must now escort us out of the area, as he must prepare for the coming patrons in the morning. we thank the kind man pay and leave. she walks me to my room and i invite her in where we sit by the fire talking more about what it's like to be alive and what we want to do before we leave this world forever. the fire dies... against our will, only the cold embers are left to warm our toes. physical heat is irrelevant now however, we are so filled with the emotion humans call love that we have no need for material warmth. the eastern mountains on the other side of the valley begin to glow red, flooding my stain wood living room through the bay windows and she rises to her feet to leave. i walk her to my door and she turns to me and says nothing... she simply places both her hands on my chest and presses her lips to mine. i am tossed, like driftwood into a maelstrom of emotions, my own private infinity where none exist but she and i... forever. she pulls away so gradually that it feels as if our lips never part and we simultaneously exhale. her breath, so sweet against my skin! her eyes gaze into mine fire and innocence made one... i search for words to say but none are present. she perceives my struggle and touches her index finger to my mouth. "shhhhhh..." she whispers softly, as she turns, opens the door, and strolls silently barefoot down the hall. she'll be back... she left her shoes here. "there is but one happiness in this world to love and be loved" - george sand SAUCE00The Ultimate Romantic Encounter Ice Hallucigenia P