Fernweh (noun): an ache for distant places; a longing for travel

Countless splashes of white clouds drifted lazily across a seemingly painted sky. The cerulean lake below, as steady as a mirror, held a perfect reflection of that sky and of the angelic sunlight flowing from it.

A bird swooped down and touched the water’s surface.

Ripples. A blossom of them. Dancing and rumbling across the glass-like lake, they shattered the mirrored image of blue heavens and viridescent forests, breaking the trance that once held the reflection captive.

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The wind surged in harmony with the bird’s wings, dappling the lake’s waters and sending the waves crashing, crashing, crashing into the sandy shores.

Before long, the tranquil balance of nature returned, and the sky remained blue, the lake surface silent, and the wind unmoving.

Everything dissipated as the old man pulled back the reigns of his imagination. He knew full well that the bedsheets would never be as pure as the clouds, the lamp never as bright as the sun, the ceiling fan never as relieving as the wind.

But even though he couldn’t take a single step beyond the hospital bed, he still dreamed a moon-shot dream.