The two walked along the lonely road, hand in hand.

It had been a long time since they’d seen another soul. The journey that began ages ago in the foothills of the mountains was just beginning.

A chill wind belied their comfort and they huddled close together. Few words were spoken, only those of gentle inquiry and murmured response.

On occasion a relic of bygone eras would skip across their path, helped along by the breeze. It would occasion a casual glance, but no more.

Their attention was captured by an object in the air behind some bare trees. They slowed their pace and angled to the side for a closer look. As they rounded a small forlorn grove, a sign appeared over a rundown building.

The man sighed, glancing down once again at the grubby Exxon card he clutched in his free hand. Silently they resumed their course, leaving the BP Station behind. His companion tightened her grip on the empty gas can.

Their beginnings best forgotten, their ending uncertain, they continued down the road.