| He watched the heavy sea stretch to the edge of the earth without fail.
|
| Its ever-present body was frightening, yet its freedom beautiful.
|
| Above the horizon, nothing remained but a moon and sky stained by smoke.
|
| Beneath it, abandoned ships rocked back and forth, half sunken and eaten by
|
| decay. |
| For endless miles of empty waters, waves swayed in unison as if they
|
| were mourning. |
| The earth knew and the boy did, too
|
| It was the beginning of a merciless winter and the end was nowhere in sight.
|
| A young boy, having lost track of time, hurried through the woods towards an
|
| empty patch by the river. |
| With every step he grew uneasy as he could not see
|
| her small figure waiting there. |
| Out of breath, he dropped to his knees and
|
| prayed in fear
|
| The sky had cast a dreary blanket upon the earth, draping over every last
|
| creature. |
| A stench of smoke clouds and distant eruptions confined people in
|
| their homes. |
| Their world was now a ghost town where the sound of children’s
|
| laughter was drowned by hunger cries. |
| Even the village dogs had gone mad and
|
| roamed the streets aimlessly. |
| What was once a simple life was now a battle to
|
| survive each passing day. |
| Perhaps, the earth was preparing to cleanse,
|
| for it was the end of time, a rebirth of time
|
| A pair of small hands covered his eyes and he turned to find a young girl with
|
| soot streaked across her face. |
| He embraced her closely as his panic melted,
|
| and unable to let go for a single moment they warmed each other until night
|
| fell. |
| They inhaled the air around them, ripe with the scent of burnt pine and
|
| evening frost, a familiar smell of the place they once called home.
|
| Their families had perished, and all that was left for them was a will to stay
|
| together. |
| Day by day, they watched themselves surrender to the inevitable fate
|
| of the earth
|
| There it stood in the back of a deserted shed. |
| The boy had found it leaning in
|
| a pot as if it was waiting for him, young, green, and alive. |
| That morning he
|
| had awoken with a mission. |
| It was time to offer a gift to their woods,
|
| something that could grow, something that would survive. |
| Upon searching a row
|
| of farms, he had caught a glimpse of the young tree left alone to wither.
|
| The edges of the leaves had faded into brown, the dirt was dry,
|
| but it was alive nonetheless
|
| Pleased with himself, he could not help but laugh aloud while carrying his new
|
| treasure. |
| But as he ran to meet her, he heard heavier footsteps trailing behind
|
| him. |
| Before he could glance, a heavy figure thrust him to the ground,
|
| sending the tree flying ahead. |
| Having seen him rummage through his shed,
|
| a man began to kick the boy as if he was nothing but a stump in the ground.
|
| The boy heard himself cry out, but as his own voice faded away,
|
| he could only hear the sound of his flesh against the man’s fists and feet.
|
| For a moment, he ignored the man’s brute strength and watched him stare
|
| straight ahead blankly. |
| They look in his eyes was emptier than the village they
|
| stood in
|
| Alone at last after what seemed like hours, the boy awoke in agony.
|
| But surrounded by pieces of the shattered pot, the tree remained unharmed,
|
| now with its healthy roots bare. |
| Strengthened by the sight of it,
|
| he ignored the pain in his body and stood up
|
| When the girl saw him limping towards her in the woods, she took him into her
|
| arms and cleaned him with her torn white clothes without questioning what had
|
| happened. |
| Cupping his face, she wept for him as he tried to hide his wounds in
|
| shame. |
| They sat in silence together, listening to the wind passing overhead and
|
| imaging its destination to be a better place that where they remained
|
| He brought forth the tree and placed it between. |
| Her pale face appeared fragile,
|
| yet hopeful somehow. |
| It had not changed in the years he had known her.
|
| When his eyes closed, she still appeared before him
|
| «This tree is stronger than us now. |
| When we are no longer on this earth,
|
| it will continue to grow
|
| We can leave our memory with this tree,» he spoke
|
| «Someday, the earth will be beautiful again?» |
| she asked, arranging a dry leaf
|
| into his hair
|
| «Yes. |
| We will find each other here then,» he said
|
| That evening they planted the tree into the earth and entrusted it with a part
|
| of their memory and vow. |
| They collected white stones from the river and placed
|
| a visible ring in the ground around the tree, leaving room for the trunk to
|
| grow. |
| Together they said a prayer to the sky, asking for the tree to survive
|
| the cruel winter and he guarded safely until they could return someday
|
| As they prayed on their knees, snow fell like tears onto the ground-the first
|
| snow of winter
|
| Two frail bodies teetered along the highest cliff by the sea that night.
|
| Three steps from the edge, she wondered what waited on the other side of the
|
| black waters. |
| Two steps away, he studied her face, vowing to remember.
|
| On their last step, their eyes locked, a silent reminder of their promise.
|
| Leaving behind any fears, hand in hand they jumped, a leap of faith into the
|
| cold unwelcome waves below |