The last year is upon us. The world is ending, but you already knew that; everyone does. Spring has come, and the flowers have bloomed here in this small town with no name. Thousands of different colours now paint the field that had been coloured by frost alone just yesterday. The townsfolk have gathered by the field to celebrate the beginning of the last spring with so many smiling faces. Tears too. I can’t help but wonder whether the flowers will bloom again before the sky falls upon us. Others must be thinking the same. There are moments when the smiles fade and their eyes glaze over as they realize just how near to the end we are. They forget it again in moments. They make themselves forget. The children aren’t like that, though. They don’t seem to understand, or they’ve come to accept it in a way that their parents just can’t manage to. This one boy actually asked me why I was sad. I had to wonder whether he was actually aware that the world is ending, but it seemed wrong to mention it. I ended up just telling him that I was waiting for someone, and he scampered off, wearing a silly smile. I can’t help but feel jealous of him.   The beginning of next spring; the day that the world ends. It seems so far away, yet so close. Wherever you are now, I have to ask, how are you spending your last spring? Did you get to see the flowers bloom? Did you smile? Did you cry?