The Impasse

Ashley turned her back and looked out over the water. “Just shut up, Ely. I’m done.”

“Fine.”

Clouds had gathered over the lake, casting storm shadows across its surface.

Ashley waited for him to say whatever was going to come next, but evidently he really was going to shut the hell up. The fight had been going on all day. Why did they even come up here to this remote cabin if it was going to turn out this way?

Ely was sweeping fallen leaves from the deck. His movements were slow, desultory, the actions of a person carrying a crushing weight. He had wanted to go to the nearby town where there was to be a fish fry event, live music and people to talk to. But she wanted a week of isolation and peace, without interruption. They were at an impasse.

“I’m sorry, Ely.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

She had won, at last. Why didn’t she feel victorious?

Ely stopped sweeping and came to stand next to her. As they looked out over the water, the storm clouds dissipated and the sun broke through.

He reached out, as if he could touch the rays of sun that cut through fissures in the clouds. “I know we don’t practice religion. But do you ever think…?”

“Yes. Sometimes. I think there must be something greater than ourselves.”

“Unanswerable mysteries.”

She leaned into him. “Like the reason I have a sudden desire for a cold beer, fish and chips and some dancing.”

Thank you for reading my 250-word micro-fiction story. In this story, I wanted to explore how macro and micro views of our lives intersect. Your comments are welcome!

I wrote this story when I ran a weekly micro-fiction writing contest, and I would also often contribute my own piece, just for fun. This story was my piece for the prompt, “cloud.”