By: Jeannie Chiasson

      It was a lovely spring day as Caroline and Ronald walked hand in hand down the river bank. The wind was blowing fiercely and Caroline�s hat refused to stay on her head without her constantly holding on to it, which left her no hand to prevent her long skirts from being caught in the tall grass. Giving in to the elements, she finally took off her hat, hoping Ronald didn�t find it offensive. He just smiled and thought how lovely she was, and how lucky he was. Without her hat, Caroline�s hair soon gave in to the strong winds, frequent in that part of the countryside. She was now walking without a hat, her long black hair flying loose, hand in hand with Ronald Currie, praying to God that no one saw them. They�d think it was absolutely scandalous!
      They came to a small grassy hill with a small grove of trees that sheltered them from the wind. They sat down together as they had often done as children. Caroline looked into Ronald�s eyes with a look of love that was returned as they sat by the river, thinking about their future together. Caroline�s father, Captain McKinnon, had promised a splendid wedding. It had been a good year, so they had enough money to give their eldest daughter a day to remember forever.
      �We�d better go before someone wonders where we are,� said Caroline, casting her eyes downward in a sudden fit of shyness.
      �Let them wonder,� he replied, lifting her face gently, �Don�t deny me the privilege of looking into those beautiful dark eyes of yours.�
      She smiled sweetly and half laughed, �My, how things have changed so much between us in one day.�
      �Yes, but change can be good,� he paused, choosing his words carefully, �I�ve always felt this way towards you Caroline, I just could never open my mouth to say it, until yesterday�
      "What made yesterday so special?�
      �I just couldn�t stand being near you any longer without telling you how I feel. It was driving me mad.�
      �I�m glad you did get the courage up. I was hoping you�d ask, but I thought I was silly for hoping.�
      �Never darling. You�re never silly for wanting something,� he drew her closer, and realized her pulse was beating as fast as his own.
      He really and truly loved this small, beautiful woman that had once been the girl he rememberd from his childhood. They had grown up together as friends, and their parents were friends. They very much approved of this match, and had cultivated it from a very early age. Not that it mattered to them. For Ronald, it seemed a lucky twist of fate.
      �We really should be going, the sun is nearly set, and they�ll be worried,� said Caroline, suddenly overwhelmed by this sudden wave of emotion.
      She had always thought that her feelings for Ronald were completely one sided. She had never dreamed that he would feel the same, so she convinced herself that it would never be so. Now that it was, she was confused and wanted time to herself to sort it all out.
      They stood up and brushed themselves off. Caroline�s engagement ring became entangled in the lace of her dress. With some difficulty, and help from Ronald, they managed to finally free it. It was a very splendid looking ring, plain but still beautiful. It was a simple gold band with the word Forever engraved on the inside. Caroline smiled at it, and then at Ronald. This was definitely going to be a good year.
      They continued down the river bank. Caroline tried to put some semblance of order back into her hair, but the wind was persistent. Eventually, after rounding a bend, the wind died down a little, and Caroline returned her hat to it�s rightful spot atop her head.
      �Remember how we used to go swimming in this river?� asked Ronald suddenly.
      �Yes of course. It wasn�t all that long ago.�
      �Let�s go swimming now,� he said with his mind set on it.
      �We can�t go swimming now! We have to get home! I haven�t got anything to swim in. I�d catch pneumonia walking home in a wet shift,� Caroline was surprised that he�d even suggest such a thing, but then again, he seemed full of surprises in the past few days.
      �So what? Now are you going to jump in, or do I have to push you,� said Ronald with a twinkle of mischief in his eye.
      �Ronald Currie you wouldn�t dare!�
      �Oh wouldn�t I?� he said as he gave her a slight nudge.
      Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Ronald, Caroline was already off balance, and that little nudge sent her sprawling backwards into the river with a screech.
      �I�ll get you for this!� she yelled up when she got her head above water.
      She splashed him as hard as she could until he was nearly as wet as she was.
      �You are something else Ron, you know that? One minute you�re declaring your love for me, the next you�re throwing me into a river. Help me out would you?�
      He reached down to grab for her hand, but as she took a step forward, the strong currant caught her legs and knocked her off her feet, and ducking her head under water.
      �Help!� she screamed before once again being pulled under, �Ronald, help me!�
      She was pulled under once more. Ronald jumped in after her, but he could not see her. He swam frantically, searching for Caroline, but he could not find her. She never resurfaced.
      They searched for days, but all they found of Caroline, was her gold engagement ring.

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