Papillon
Just as fleeting as our glance was of her, so was our time of peace. In the instant our eyes locked, silence was evoked and all that was to come was left unspoken. Without thought, every man's arm extended, as if to catch her in cupped hands. The action was futile, like children chasing butterflies. With a smile she was gone, with a gesture she bid farewell, and each of the travelers turned back to the labor of the trail. Feeling the choke in their throats, no man dared speak of her, knowing they had seen beauty for the last time, and nothing but their own oblivion remained.
