And then,... when I opened my eyes.

My heart told me, that the world before me was again... beautiful. Once again I trudged slowly through the narrow gravel path, which led to my house.

“It’s been a while”, I muttered. No, “it has been a long, long time”, I corrected myself in a whisper.

Everything’s the same huh, a tiny goblet of serenity, frozen amidst the blind torrent of time. The big paned windows with patterned glass, on which shone the crimson rays of the receding afternoon.

The lonely path, beside the house, which snaked to an abandoned orchard. A place still guarding treasures, in form of precious childhood memories.

Slowly walking, I turned my gaze towards the empty veranda with white railings,... a place where I used to play with my friends, as I watched her as she would tend to the plants in the garden, with a blissful smile on her lovely face.

I stopped walking, as suddenly a sorrow which seem to stem from my soul itself, slowly seeped within my chest, causing a stuffy feeling. When was the last time that I felt this way? Perhaps, it was when I realized that she was no longer with me. But it was already too late. Or was it? Is it? I don’t know.

That smile, you know... I could do anything to see it again. Anything. She had always been by my side, and had always supported my foolish decisions. I still remember how her gentle eyes would search anxiously to see my returning visage, while standing quietly at a corner of the veranda.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

But how... just how did I become so foolish, that I forgot the most important person who was always there for me? How did I become so selfish, that I stopped caring about her? Was it because she was always there for me?

A deep sigh escaped my lips, as I looked at the empty dark corner of the veranda... What!!?... who’s standing there? Is that a mirage? That face, I could never forget that face! It’s her...

I slowly moved towards the house, the world before me is now only a dusky blur. All that I see before me now are those pair of eyes, that seem to be shining like a beacon to a desperate sinking ship. One step... two step, I felt the soft quiver of my hands causing a ripple in the frozen air, and each of my step seem to cast aside the haze, which separated her from me.

“I’m back”, I muttered. She... smiled, and at that moment, all my sorrows, all my pent up worries seemed to have vanished. But just a single teardrop slowly slid down my cheeks. A very unsightly sight for a man, but I couldn’t care less now.

“Welcome back, young master”. She said gently.

But that world seemed to echo through the entire frozen world, like a desolate gust of wind.

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Huh? I raised my head in an instant, and was greeted with a throbbing pain from my temples. My vision which still had not adjusted to my surroundings, gave me the vision of blurred world before me.

Suddenly I heard her voice again coming from some distance, which seemed to instantly quieten my restless heart, “Young master,... young master!”, “Where... where are you!?”, I said in a hurry. Caw..... caw..... caw..... a deep raven cry echoed from somewhere far above me.

I sat up in a daze, negligent of my surroundings. So it was all a dream, after all. And as I realized that, a sudden emptiness assailed me, as if a part of my soul was chipped away. I subconsciously raised my hand, and saw that it had a very nasty bruise on it.

I’m hurt, but... how? And then I slowly took notice of my surroundings. Where am I? It was at this moment that I took a proper look at my surroundings, and the first thing which I noticed were the figures that were sprawled around me in a very unbecoming manner. One, two,... four were females, and the other four were males.

As I further looked around the place, I realized that it seemed to be some kind of a clearing within a forest. I can see the circular clear sky overhead, and all around it is a canopy of trees. Huge trees, heavens! Just how tall are these trees?