In the Cool of the Evening

Published by JMS Books.

This short story began with a dream I had, which forms the central romantic event of the story. This encounter is set within an experience the narrator, who is traveling through Europe after graduating from college.

The frame of the story is an homage to a friend of mine, who was used to model the wise old man narrating the romance. The romance is seen through his eyes, and viewed through a soft light, as of sunlight passing through sheer curtains.

The title was taken from Genesis: “And [Adam and Eve] heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” — in which I replaced “day” with “evening,” combining the word choices from two separate translations.

The phrase, “In the cool of the evening", represents not only the peaceful wisdom of my friend, but also reflects a pleasant philosophy about life and love, and one that I have always found reassuring and quite beautiful.