Short Story

Muted Moments

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Muse On Monday,
where the theme is ‘lost in a fog’.
Also for Sadje’s “What Do You See?” –
#284 and the two corresponding photo
prompts shown below. This is my story.

© Joseph Cori @ Unsplash
© Marko Blazevic @ Unsplash 

The fog hung thick and heavy, a velvet curtain drawn across the world. Anna shivered, pulling her coat tighter as she waited beneath the flickering gas lamp. The pier creaked a lonely song, swallowed by the grey expanse. Then he appeared … a figure emerging from the mist … and she knew it was him. She willed him to come and now he was here … for her. It was Jack, her sister Emily’s fiancé.

“Anna”, he breathed, his voice a warm rumble in the damp air. He reached for her hand, his touch sending a jolt through her. They stood in silence, the fog a co-conspirator in their illicit meeting. The rest of the world was muted, softened by the pale glow of the full moon; it was just them and the muffled lapping of the waves.

He pulled her closer, the subtle scent of wool and musky cherrywood enveloping them. “I had to see you”, he whispered against her hair.

She buried her face in his coat, deeply breathing in the fragrance of his pipe tobacco. Her heart hammered wildly. “I know”, she replied.

He lifted her chin, his eyes, usually bright and mischievous, now serious and tender. The fog seemed to swirl around them, isolating them in a bubble of stolen moments. He leaned down, his lips brushing hers, a tentative promise in the moonlight. Their kiss deepened, a desperate, yearning exchange in the heart of the fog-shrouded night. It was a reckless, beautiful secret, whispered only to the sea.

Then, as quickly as it began, it was over. He pulled back. “I should go”, he murmured, regret etched on his face. Anna nodded, the taste of him lingering on her lips. He disappeared into the fog, leaving her alone with the warm memory of his kiss.

She heard a quiet rustling, and from the corner of her eye saw the last bit of a lilac shawl melt into the mist. She’d recognize that wrap anywhere; it belonged to her sister Emily.

So now Emily knew. And a small, cold smile creased Anna’s lips.

NAR©2025

This is “Moon Song” by America

Muse on Monday – April 14, 2025
What do you see # 284- 14 April, 2025

All text and graphics are copyright for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️🎶, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, The Rhythm Section, et al., and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

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