I Hope

The wind whistled through the trees as Dick stood with his back against his car. The sky was grey and yet oddly bright, almost as if the sun was desperately trying to peer through the clouds. It was October and the trees were almost bare, leaving the haunting skeletons behind with simple flecks of colour here and there from the leaves that were just clinging on.

"So cold..."

Dick shivered, his breath clearly visible with every word, as if his voice was a physical presence. The atmosphere was so thin, his words echoed through the valley below.

"I can't believe I actually agreed to a date." He smiled slightly, the brim of his hat just high enough to show it. "It's not like me is it? Who'd have thought ol' Dick Dastardly would ever go on a date." It did puzzle him how he got into such a situation. He normally couldn't care less about anyone, let alone women. He had never really had a romantic attachment before and everything seemed so new and exciting. New, exciting... And scary.

What had this woman done to him? Had this purple-haired siren charmed his soul leading him on a path to destruction? He couldn't even cheat anymore without an attack of conscience. He was ruined, he was a shadow of his former self and yet, oddly, he didn't care one bit. All he cared about was her.

A shiver ran up his spine as silence fell. Only the faint echo of the valley below and the rustling of the leaves on the ground could be heard and yet it was almost deafening. Nerves, it seemed, could even get the better of the famous Dick Dastardly.

"Do you think I chose the right spot for our date? I'm sure I have." He turned to Muttley, his loyal companion, with whom he had been talking blindly to for the past few minutes. "I don't think she's the sort of person to complain anyway. And I think I heard her say she likes views like this." He turned back round to the view before him, staring at every inch of it as if to settle his nagging mind.

A beautiful valley. Tall, bare trees with faint smudges of colour from the ones that had not dropped their leaves yet painted the horizon. Hills covered in scrub and what looked like heather was dotted around. A small village below, the lights of the houses just turning on as darkness fell. It seemed perfect.

"Do you think she's coming?"

He turned to face Muttley again. The hound looked confused for a moment, before giving his nervous master an open mouthed smile, his tongue hanging out like a wet sock.

"I hope she does," whispered Dick as he huddled into his big, blue coat in an attempt to block out the icy breeze trying to force its way down his neck. "I really hope she does."