It was noon when they rode into the valley; the black ribs of the cliffs glistened like glass in the sun’s blistering downward rays.  They stopped the burros by a cluster of boulders at the edge of the sloping meadows.  The man got down first, and reached up to help the woman off.  She leaned forward, putting her hands on his face, and for a long moment they kissed.  Then he lifted her to the ground…