Hope

'You can open your eyes now!'
Slowly, at first squinting I try to take in the sight. Glaring sunlight floods my eyes. The wide beach spreading as far as I can see, and the rushing waves of the sea beyond it. The calm hush of the waves is like a whisper opposed to the rush and the racket of people on the hot sand.
'C'mon, drop those, and let's go!'
She tugs on my hand, so I do as she said. I drop my backpack to the ground, and follow her lead as she undresses down to her bathing suit. Getting rid of all the cloth, as fast as I can, trying to keep up with her... Blinded by taking off my t-shirt, for a second I lose sight of her. I search for her silhouette in the crowd... There! There she is, running towards the water! I follow suite, running to catch up to her.
'Come, lazy-bones, come and catch me!' She yells as she splashes the first steps into the water. A few paces behind, I take a deep breath, run past her and dive in, splashing the salty cool water all over her. Coming up for air, I can hear her giggling behind me, and before I turn, she jumps on my back, taking me back down into the water.
'It's been a long time, hasn't it? One year... too long for you to be away from the sea.' I nod silently, and after some pondering reply: 'You know, it's our fifth year here... Summer wouldn't make sense without this.'

Above & Beyond – Hope

Just a Dream

A story almost at an end... That which has been my life for more than three years now... It just remains to be seen if there is anything left to be written.

You've gone away from me, leaving only the bitter promise of friendship behind. It was not over... Not for me it wasn't. I promised myself I wouldn't stop fighting. But I realized that, at some point it became too much. Too little was left to be done, too little to be saved. So we broke off, and took each our own path. The road we'd traveled together for so long, was now split apart like a tree struck by lightning. Without warning, without a way to mend the hurt. You would just let me drop. And all because I skipped a brief few events... You'd changed; that's what you said. I wasn't there... Why weren't you here? Why weren't we together? But most importantly, why didn't you tell me you needed me?

It's over now. All that's left are the memories. And all my feelings cut off and bleeding. They all told me it had to happen sometime. They all said I would suffer, and that in time it would get better. Perhaps. But that won't be soon. I know... Because I feel you still with me. Because I still long for your touch. Because every time the door opens I startle thinking you've come back. Time and again I'd rush to see if that was you, passing shadow at the corner of my eye. But you're not there. It's just my mind not wanting to adjust to a new reality. The new reality you've shaped out for me when you left. What's there left for me now, since you were all there was to me for so long? Everything reminds me of you. Because there is nothing left from before. I made you a part of everything I had. You'd become a part of me. And now, here I stand cut in half,... alone and naked of the love you wrapped me in not so long ago.

In time, I'll believe it was just an illusion...
In time, I'll believe it was only a dream...
Till then, I will breathe you in from the ocean,
And walk with the waves rolling under my feet...

I hope with all my heart that this is not what will be written about us. I hope that this ending is still far off, and there is still some more of our story for us to live out. I hope in time we'll both look back at these times and be glad they're over, having only strengthened us. I hope this is not how you want to write our ending. I hope we can still believe there will be no ending to this fairy tale we've been living.

Delerium – Just a Dream