First Write or Die!

The dew had just begun to settle on the soft petals of the lilacs as Astrid floated back down to Earth.  This journey had not been as difficult as others.  Each return home left her feeling refreshed, renewed.
She made her way cautiously back to the path.  TO be spotted now had the potential to destroy all that she had worked so hard to attain.
The fates were never kind in these situations.  They do not bend; only break. 
Astrid was strongly aware of how little time she had left to right the impending wrong.  It would not be a lie to tell herself that the fate of the world rested in her hands.  Certainly, she was the Savior.
She made it back to her car just as the sky began to take on the slightest gray tinge - those fleeting moments before the sun would wash the heavens in pink and orange, heralding a new day.

Miles away, Matthew stirred in his sleep, his arm aware of the chill on the side of the bed where she should be.  He sat up, looked at the clock, and sighed.  Plopping back down on his pillow, he plotted his next attempt to get her to stay.  This time, it had been strawberries, champagne, and a pile of first edition comics (these are lovely - wash your hands!, she had demanded).  He fell asleep with her nestled against his chest, but some time in the night, she disappeared, just as she always did.