Thirty seconds can be very long sometimes. Long enough to work a miracle or a revolution. In thirty seconds life changed wholly for Barney and Valancy Snaith.

Today was one of those days that Barney had secretly hoped might never end, until this moment. Since Valancy Stirling Snaith had become his closest friend and wife in marriage, these days were becoming more frequent until almost every blessed, amusing, revealing, trying and wonderful day and night ran together for him.

Valancy had accompanied him that afternoon on their motorized boat across the lake to where a stream inlet took them deeper into the woods. Barney cast-out a fishing line in the creek while Valancy told him stories from the book that she had brought along. She spoke very softly so as not to scare the fish in the stream. He liked the way that her voice carried as lightly as the wind around them. After an hour or so, they tied their boat up to an oak and began walking toward Port Lawrence.

"Oh, dear!"

Valancy paused behind him.

"Be careful, there are little pine cone devils afoot in these woods, Moonlight. They love for ladies with pretty ankles who wear high heel city shoes to go walking in their lair." he teased.

"These were my favorite shoes, it was the first frivolous purchase that I had ever made on my own." She did not share in his lighthearted amusement.

"They are attractive at home yet I must say, they're ridiculous in these back woods. I honestly don't know how you can keep up with me in those heels sometimes."

"The heel of this shoe has broken-in." Valancy explained.

"Can you walk like that?" Barney took hold of her hand.

"Yes, although not for very long."

"I'll get you a new pair of shoes that are more suitable for this ground while we're at the Port."

"Are you sure that you can afford to get them now?"

His laughter had a sarcastic edge.

"You're not to worry about it. Can you make do without your favorite hiking heels from now on?" He joked as he led her on through the woods.

They came out of the forest and crossed the tracks near the train depot and walked-on for several minutes before reaching Port Lawrence. They ate a late lunch al fresco on the sidewalk of a cafe. Barney left her at the shoe store and went to fetch a few needed items at the general store. By the time he had returned, she had selected a pair of shoes that were attractive to look at although no more practical than the others. They were high laced boots with a narrow heel. She adored them.

"My girl, you've gone and found another brilliant selection for the modern outdoors woman." He laughed even though he did admire the look of them on her.

"I think they are perfect boots. My ankles that you have an affinity for should be well protected in them."

"That they will." he agreed.

They made their way together back towards the woods. Valancy had told him that she could keep up with these new boots on although she stopped often to collect wildflowers as they crossed an open field. The sun had turned a vibrant orange on the horizon in the west. There was only the abandoned depot to pass before reentering the woods beyond. Barney was several yards ahead of Valancy. He crossed the tracks at the empty station. It reminded him of the first time that he had come to Deerwood by train so many years ago. It was late then, there was a full moon, only a couple other people were there at the station then.

The sun was still setting now. Its fiery orange glow hit a plume of smoke over the trees in the distance. He looked back to see Valancy stepping over the first rail of the tracks. She had plenty of time yet to follow him. The whistle blared and the rumble of the wheels on the rails echoed against the tree line of the forest.

"Barney—Barney!" Valancy called out with a strange unfamiliar cry in her voice.

He looked back. She had dropped her flowers and parcels on the tracks. He started to yell to her to leave them. That's when he realized what had happened. The train was bearing down on her at full speed. With the station closed, there would be no stopping. Oh, his heart sank. Her boot heel was caught between the rail and the switch mechanism. He dropped everything that he carried. He joined her on his knees at the tracks. He pulled at the boot. It would not break free. The ground vibrated and shook beneath them. The screams of the wheels against the rails combined with the sound of her sorrowful cries.

"Go—go—quick—you'll be killed, Barney!" shrieked Valancy, trying to push him away.

Barney grabbed for his pocket knife and violently cut at the laces of the boot. He could hardly rip them loose with his fingers trembling. Valancy pushed him back hard in an attempt to get him safely away from the tracks.

"Barney—go-go—for God's sake—go!"

"Never!" Barney uttered from somewhere deep within his being.

The wretched laces gave way. Barney took a hold of Valancy with an incredible amount of strength coursing through his arms. He hit the ground hard on his back with Valancy clutched to his chest. The shadow and wind from the passing train left them on the cold ground. Valancy rest her head in the crook between his shoulder and collar bone. He let his head fall back and his eyes rolled inward as he held her so tight they could have appeared as one in the dark shadows.

"Thank God!" he breathed.

He held her for what seemed like so much longer than the fleeting few seconds of reality that it was. He looked away as he helped her back up to her feet. The train continued to barrel its way past the station. Once back on their feet, Barney struggled to catch his breath. He looked at his wife now knowing that she mattered more to him than everything that he had ever known, ever experienced, would ever be united to in spirit, mind and body. He had almost lost her. Every since they had been together, he was losing her. He loved her desperately, there was no more denying it to himself. When her heart ceases, he knew now that so would his. She was staring at him with wild frightened eyes. He knew that his own eyes must be a mirror of that expression.

The train neared its end as they walked together on shaky legs to the station's bench. Barney collapsed there and let his face fall into his hands. That terrifying scene in his mind intermingled with so many precious memories they had shared over the past year. I can't lose her now, his mind reeled over and over. She was so silent next to him. He was speechless and motionless as his mind tried to catch-up with what had occurred ever since she became a part of his life.

When he had the strength again, he rose up and fixed his eyes on the only remnant left of the boot, a jagged scrap of the heel still jammed in the rail. He couldn't take his eyes away from it.

"I suppose we'd better be hiking back. Sun's getting low. Are you good for the rest of the road?"

"I think so." Her voice echoed in his ears.

He picked-up the packages that he had dropped. Among them, was another pair of shoes. He took them out of the box and gave them to her to wear. He stared into the darkness of the trees as she took off the left boot and put on the other shoes.

Together, they walked in silence back to the boat. Barney was stunned and speechless as the realization of everything that Valancy meant to him took over. She was quiet too. She need not feel embarrassed about her shoe selection or predicament. Barney wanted to reach out to her although so many barriers that he had built up were being shattered around him. The worst was knowing that he was running out of time with her fast. It had been well over a year already since she had shared her sorrowful news with that letter from the doctor.

The lake was beautiful at night with the lights of homes and campfires on the water's edge. How they had shared so many peaceful times here. Only a few nights before, her eyes had sparkled by those same lights and when he confessed to her that he thought she was "too nice to be real" and that she was like a dream to him. How happy she had looked in that moment. Now, her eyes were fixed on the surface of the water, she looked very tired.

At the landing of the Blue Castle cabin, Barney took her hand to help her out of the boat. He watched her walk into the dark cabin alone. After getting the rest of the packages, he followed her inside. She had collapsed at the nearest chair. She stared straight out into the night. Barney couldn't approach her yet. If he did, he might lose his composure and overwhelm her with a flood of passionate confessions all at once. He did take command of his voice long enough to ask how she was.

"Are you feeling weak? Can I get you anything?"

"No."

Her voice was so small. The blood was coursing through his veins he couldn't keep calm being so near to her. He had to get away to give her time to rest.

Barney left their cabin and crossed the yard to the lean-to that she had creatively named 'Bluebeard's Chamber'. He shut the door with tremendous force and lit a small lamp. He had to release this energy somehow.

"I can't lose her now." He said only once aloud yet that thought in his mind stayed on a repeating reel.

He paced back and forth. Thoughts of trying to survive after having her in his life intermingled with memories, looks, quotes from his own writing, laughter and sweet intimate moments. He was forced to realize how deeply he had fallen for this woodland spirit in the form of his wife. He had never thought that he could feel this kind of passion for anyone in his life.