The Key

The beach swept away in the distance,

The tide as far out as could be,

A couple were laughing and playing there,

She’d cuffed him, in fun, to a tree,

‘Now that isn’t fair, Isabella,’

He’d laughed, as she danced in the sand,

‘You’re going to be mine, Richard Andrew Devine

Or forever be tied to the land.’

 

She taunted and teased and annoyed him,

He said, ‘I just want to be free!’

She spun on the sand and she held out her hand

And she laughed as she dangled the key.

‘You can stay ‘til I hear your proposal,

It’s like squeezing out blood from a stone,

If you fail to propose, this relationship’s closed

And I’ll leave you out here on your own.’

 

‘We’ve talked about this, Isabella,

And you know it can’t possibly be,

I’m already wed, when you came to my bed…

For God’s sake, just throw me the key!’

‘You know that you’ve never been happy,

With her, or with all of her friends,

It’s time you got rid of the lot of them,

It’s time you were making amends.’

 

‘I said at the start, Isabella,

That a fling was the most it could be,’

A shadow passed over his worried brow

As he looked at the incoming sea.

‘That might have been in the beginning,

But you know it’s gone further than that,

I’m having your child, did you know, in a while

And I’ll not have you leaving me flat.’

 

The sweat had burst out on his fevered brow

As the water encroached on the sand,

‘Did you know we’re beneath the high water mark,

In an hour or so, I’ll be drowned!’

‘The choice becomes yours, you must get a divorce

Or I’ll just walk away and be free.

There’s no going back, I’m determined in that,

I’ll be walking away with the key.’

 

The sea was beginning to lap at his feet,

And she to retreat as it came,

Then suddenly she was beginning to sink

While crying that he was to blame.

In seconds she’d sunk in the sand to her waist

In terror she cried, ‘Rescue me!’

But he was restrained by a half inch of chain,

‘For God’s sake, just throw me the key!’

 

‘How do I know that you won’t walk away

And just leave me to sink in the sand?’

‘I wouldn’t do that, just throw me the key

Or we’ll both become part of the land!’

She’d sunk to her shoulders at this point in time

And she struggled to pull out her arm,

Then raised it on high and she let the key fly

As they both held their breath, in alarm.

 

‘I’ve told her I want a divorce,’ he cried,

As the key fell just short of his reach,

‘And I lost the baby a week ago,’

She cried, to her neck in the beach.

They stared at each other as she sank from sight

Then the water rose over his head,

As a little gold key, was swept by the sea

To a hand that was already dead.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[TL Boehm]

Such a sad tale - I have to concur with Sarah - the deeper meanings in this piece regarding our selfishness - the things we throw away - how we kill ourselves and the ones we love.
As a little gold key, was swept by the sea
To a hand that was already dead.
that's wrenching.

[Marie]

Oh dear, what a tragedy. He should have told her from the start that he ws gong to get a divorce and marry her. I lie is surely justified in this case.

The poor, silly people. Perhaps they got what they deserved.

[Jazique]

Oh, so sad. That was a wonderful story and never thought that at the end they would all just die. At least in the end the truth was able to be free allowing them both to feel the love that was always there. They had both played with each other playing the denial game only to realize they were trapping each other that brought them to an early grave. Well done and wonderful flow as I must always read your writings outloud as they always leave me in a trance.

[Tate Morgan]

Oh man this was surreal. Truth is stranger than fiction. Perhaps it was the fates taking possession of the situation. One tends to get what one puts out.

[Keith]

Brilliant, love the plot we just keep reading faster to see how it turns out. The interaction between the couple so believable we get to know them some. I had laid odds on it being a lesson in deceit rather than a happy ever after.

[quinfinn]

when first we practice to deceive....oh, what a tangled web we weave. an excellent lesson on being forthright and honest, told in a way only you could tell it. excellent write!

[Angi]

Ahhh! I was shouting for her to unlock him! Then the sea swept the key right into his hand. Geez, David. You are giving me ulcers! Ha! Loved this one, too. Awesome work as usual. Angi~

[SyberRose]

I could feel a lot of emotion and frustration in this one...and a sad ending with lovers dying together.Sometimes there is that fatal attraction but do not know it until too late...Enjoyed David...Rose:)

[Sheila Kline]

OMG, I just couldn't read this fast enough to discover what was going to happen!! You are indeed the story tellers of all story tellers my friend!! Poor Darlings, both gone in a game of cat and mouse, but this time the players were trapped by sand and water!
I wanted to scream, "Oh, please just give him the key", and let honor have its way, but this was not to be! Death was the victor in this game!