Oh, he was going.
‘It’s the... thisness...’
Face pale as pillow...
‘Dad, I don’t understand,’ I said.
He struggled for breath. ‘Beauty... beauty of the valleys...’ – gaze drifting towards the window – ‘Out there – it’s… forever... now...’
‘Yes, Dad.’
‘Promise me—’
He breathed his last.
His request remains forever present.