The Journey

She was sitting in a train by the window, surrounded by the noise of the passengers boarding the train. She could've read a book, check her phone, or even listen to the music while waiting for the train to depart. She chose not to. She chose to be an observer, silently immersing herself in her surrounding. Watching people drift through the window of the train, hearing people walking down the aisle while looking for their seats.

Despite how hard she tried to focus on her surrounding, the memory of her last day with her friend managed to resurface. She could remember clearly that only a few months ago in the bright mid-summer, she drove past the blossoming sunflower fields toward an abandoned parking lot. She could remember them talking as the day turned to night, and the meteor shower appeared. And she could remember her friend's wish.

"When I'm gone..... I want you to explore, immerse in the unknown, and find yourself through the journey," she said

It was just a wish. Not a demand, nor a promise. It was made clear as her best friend stated it as her wish. And by that, she could decide not to do it. But she did, and she was right there sitting in the train waiting for it to depart; marking the beginning of her journey.

The sound of someone taking a seat directly next to her pulled her back to reality. Without glancing at that person, she knew who the person was. It was him. And sure enough, her green eyes met the same golden eyes that greeted her that night at the rooftop. They didn't speak to each other, there was no need of that. They only shared a look before they did their own thing. And hers was diving back into the reason why he was there by her side.

"You're leaving...," he whispered. She didn't give him a direct answer. Instead, she told him of her best friend's wish. She knew she didn't have to leave everything behind, but she wanted to explore. She wanted to see how it would affect her. She wanted to feel what it felt like to go out and be free. And more than anything, she wanted to know where she would end up.

"I want to go with you," he said. The way he said it was a statement the she couldn't argue for, because he said that instead of asking her permission to go with her. She exhaled her frustration since she planned to go on her own. But then an idea popped up in her head. "You can come with me, but we have to split up once the season changes," she said. He was confused as to why she said it. But after she explained that she needed to travel by herself at some point, he finally understood.

So there they were, travelling together as the train finally departed from the station. The leaves had turned orange, and some of them were easily flown by the wind.

They travelled from places to places, always together wherever they went. Connecting with the locals, finding hidden gems, and just immersing themselves with the variety of cultures they experienced. To her, it felt amazing to be free and explore. To him, however, it felt amazing to be with her.

One day, the first snowflake had appeared; marking the changing season. Their time together was up, and they must part per her condition.

Once again, she found herself in a train; waiting for it to depart. The scenery was very familiar, and he once again sat next to her. They didn't talk, nor did they look at each other. At some point, the train finally departed from the station.

The train driver had announced the first stop. He finally looked at her, and her eyes remained at the milky white snow covering the ground. He took a rectangular box from his bag and placed it on her lap. Her eyes moved from the window to the box before finally landing it to that pair of golden eyes. Once again, they didn't speak at all. As if they were handing their fate to The Universe.

After the train came to a stop, he stood and grabbed his duffle bag. He could've walked out from the station to the unknown that awaited his exploration. But he couldn't. He wanted, needed, to look at her one more time; if not for one last time. As if she could feel the intensity that radiated from the golden eyes, she looked out to the window and found him standing there looking at her with his duffle bag slung across his shoulder. And then, they finally parted as the train resumed its journey.

Her hands were still glued at the unopened box he had given her, and her eyes were still glued to the winter scenery along the journey. After passing a lone tree, she finally moved her eyes to the box and slowly opened the lid. It was a platinum bracelet. But what moved her the most was the flowers that decorated it: forget me not. A single tear escaped her right eye as she lifted it from it's nest. She found it both silly and perhaps touching. Silly, because she could never forget him no matter where she went and for how long they parted. But it was touching for him to give something to remind her of their bond.

She was sitting in a secluded forest. Her thick coat and layers of clothing protected her from the cold winter night. The bracelet clung onto the skin of her left wrist, covered by the coat's sleeve. The Northern Lights were dancing up at the sky, and The Milky Way remained as the backdrop. The Aurora continued to move until it touched a faint star, and the star immediately retained it's glow. The Aurora continued it's movement, but her eyes remained at that one star. "It's you," she whispered as the nostalgic feeling rushed over her soul. The same feeling when she met her best friend at the parking lot, the same feeling when she saw that one last star at the rooftop. She knew the star, and now that she realized the star had been watching over her throughout the journey, even if she couldn't see it during the day.

Goodbye

In the state I was in, nothing mattered. In the state I was in, time didn't matter. In the state I was in, nothing existed. In the state I was in, no one mattered. In the state I was in, no one existed. No one but me.

As if watching a movie in the theater, a rectangular shaped light flickered before me. Soon, I was watching my entire life. But instead of forward, it was moving backward.

I saw myself rushed backward on a hospital bed. I saw myself flipping the paged of my favorite book backward. I saw myself walking backward down the street, and all the vehicles & people were also moving backward. I saw myself returning the water into the glass from my mouth. I saw my younger self running backward along with my brother.

By then, I remembered something. When you saw flashes of your life rewinding, it meant that you were about to die.

The memory kept on playing even if I came to realize what was happening. I was not afraid. I fully understood that those who lived would eventually died. So I stayed there to watch all my rewinding memory until the very last end. I was calm, knowing that my life had come to an end. And when the film had come to an end, a white light blinded my sight.

When the intensity of the light decreased, I was lying in a closed wooden space. The wood seemed young as the color was light. It felt soft and comfortable. Then I noticed my attire. I was wearing a soft white dress which reached my knees. The dress, too, was comfortable.

I closed my eyes and let my smile blossomed, soaking in the atmosphere in the closed space. "Finally," I thought to myself before I felt another intense white light binding my sight.

It was dark and raining. I couldn't feel the rain at all even though I didn't have an umbrella. I was standing before a grave, my own grave. After awhile, I whispered softly, "Goodbye, my old self." I walked away without looking back.

Golden Trees and Fallen Fruits

She woke up in an unknown yet comfortable place. She took a moment to adjust to her surroundings, then she realized that she was finally on a trip with her best friend. She rose from her bed and exited the room to freshen up.

Knowing that her best friend tend to wake up later, she decided to fix a breakfast for both of them. She finished her breakfast and took a shower. When she had exited her room, already dressed up and freshly showered, she saw her best friend standing before the table with a hint of sleepiness in her eyes. She told her best friend that she would take a walk in the nearby park for awhile, and she had cooked breakfast for them. She exited the apartment with her beige trench coat to keep her warm.

Fallen autumn leaves were scattering across the park. The trees themselves had orange and yellow tinted leaves. Some people were running, cycling, having a picnic, and simply did the same activity as her. She kept on walking deeper into the park until she saw a group of oddly mesmerizing tree. The trees were tall and had golden leaves, almost identical to the hue of the precious metal. They also had several round fruits with the same color as the leaves. Suddenly, all of the fruits fell from the tree within the exact same time. She didn’t realize there were other people nearby, until she heard rustling and murmurs. She witnessed people gathering the golden fruits. Some of them ate it and had a smile on their faces.

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A woman approached her and offered her the fruit. The confusion must be obvious on her face, so the woman told her everything she knew about the trees. The autumn scenery provided a perfect camouflage, while the other seasons made them stood out since the color of the leaves didn’t change. The trees only produced ripened fruits on autumn, and those who tasted it would taste happiness. At that, her expression turned grim as she knew that happiness would never last. But before the woman before her could reply, she heard her best friend called her name. She turned around, and there she stood a couple of feet from her. The women gave her another fruit and told her to enjoy it while it last, then she walked away. 

She approached her best friend who stood there next to a bench. The people around them were still gathering and eating the fruit. She gave one of the fruits from the mysterious woman to her best friend and sat down on the bench. Just like those who were eating it, her best friend’s features radiated happiness after she took a bite of the golden fruit. She was curious, so she asked her best friend about the taste. Her best friend told her that she never encountered a taste like that, but it strangely made her happy. She internally sighed, thinking whether or not she deserved happiness while storing the fruit in her sling bag. She masked her true emotion with a smile so natural that her best friend seemed convinced that she already sampled the fruit.

Shooting Souls

The night had finally came, and now she was at a small party with a group of friends. They were not celebrating any major things, nor were they partying that often. They simply made a promise to each other at that particular place if they managed to hold on to dear life. And that was what they were doing at that time. They also let their emotions flow. The joy of seeing each other again, the relief of grasping freedom once again, the sadness of losing others. But eventually, the joy and relief overwhelmed them so much that they didn't feel much sadness. What mattered to them was that exact moment which would craft their future.

They made a toast for their survival and their future. Clink. They drank their own glasses of champagne. Bit by bit, their lips blossomed into joyful smiles. Each one of them told their stories during such a difficult time, and they always ended up in a good way since they made it. Soon, they began turning up the music. Some of them started dancing. Some others refilled the glasses. And the rest began chatting about various topics. She was listening to the chatting, until she felt the buzz hit her head.

She excused herself from the chatting group and went out to the rooftop to grab some fresh air. There were fairy lights dangling above her, but they were off since the light pollution had decreased significantly. It was perfect since she could see The Milky Way above her. She gazed at the beautiful sky in appreciation, until she shivered lightly. She didn't think that it would get breezy, so she left her leather jacket at the hanger in there. "It's so pretty, isn't it? It's good that we can finally see the magical night sky," a man said as he draped her jacket over her shivering shoulders. Her eyes fluttered open at his voice and she felt more relaxed. She wasn't sure if it was the champagne, the atmosphere, his voice, or the combination of them. But she couldn't find a way to care about the reason. All that mattered was that moment. For a moment, her green eyes were staring at the glorious golden eyes that stared back at her with the exact same amount of intensity.

A light suddenly passed at the sky, making both of them looked away from each other. "Wow, shooting stars!" he exclaimed. He stared at them lovingly. She, on the other hand, felt mixed feelings about the current sky. It was magnificent indeed, but it felt different from the one she had witnessed at the deserted parking lot. They were moving quickly, and there were lots of them. They were also moving in different directions instead of 'falling' with the gravity. Soon, she had an urge to take a picture of the sky. She ran inside and grabbed her phone from the table. The stars were still moving to different directions and somehow never clashed with one another. Her phone managed to capture the sky with the abstract white strikes.

"Is it so beautiful that you need to take a picture to make it more memorable?" he asked. "That's not the only reason." He frowned at her answer. "I saw them when I was at a parking lot this evening after sunset. They were moving toward the same direction in a slower motion. They were like a greeting from the universe. This one, however, is different. There are more of them now than what I saw at the parking lot. And they're moving in different directions. Something tells me that they're souls, not stars." He stared at her for a moment; letting her words sunk in deeply. Feeling his stare, she looked back at him.

Gradually, she felt the lights decreased. She turned her gaze back at the sky and found one lingering star blinking once at her before taking off to the upper right. And then it disappeared. Could that star just gave her a sign that her assumption was correct? Maybe. But what did it matter to her? Some things would always meant to stay as a mystery.

After The Milky Way reappeared and the night grew colder, they went back inside. They saw the chatting group dancing, making the entire eight people in front of them doing the exact same thing. They danced to the beat with a smile on each of their faces. It was the perfect atmosphere to relax before they faced the reality of tomorrow. For now, they would like to release the pent up stress they felt before it was over. Both of them joined the rest as they moved their bodies in sync with the music.

Suddenly, her thoughts drifted back to the last star which blinked at her. What's more strange was the immediate thought of that toward her best friend. "I don't think I can come with you though." "Why?" she asked her. "I have to go, it's something important." "Oh, okay." They parted toward their own paths afterward. Could it be her? Could it be her best friend blinking at her before leaving elsewhere? She moved to the chair and called her. When she noticed that she wasn't picking up her call, she immediately knew the answer. Sighing, she hung up and put her phone down. "Let's meet again if we have another life," she thought to herself before rejoining the others on the dance floor.

Sunflowers and Meteor Showers

Finally. Finally everything went back normal, at least for the earth. During that sunny day, she felt like driving. She grabbed her sunglasses and went to her convertible. She let the wind blew her hair as she drove on the long and straight road. Some times after that, she saw a bunch of sunflowers at the right side of the road. The road was empty, save for her own car, so she drove while gazing at the beautiful sunflower fields. They were tall and fully bloomed. They were all facing her as if they said hello to her. After the field ended, she turned her gaze back toward the road.

Soon she arrived at the city and found a wide and empty parking lot. The sun was setting, and she gazed at it lovingly. "Hey, I'm so glad that you come," a woman's voice said. She looked up and saw her best friend. Of course she came. It was the promise that they made. They simply promised to come to that spot after the bad thing ended. She felt the sunset was ending, and the sky went slightly darker. The sky was a deep blue hue, but something caught her eye. A twinkle that passed through the sky. "Oh, look! It's a meteor shower!" her friend said. She then began to comprehend that what she saw was a shooting star. Other identical meteors passed, and soon the sky was filled with plenty of them. Shooting stars, sometimes also called as meteor showers. "So pretty," she said, mesmerized at them. It was like the earth was happy again. And the earth would like her to know about happiness too, by showing her the sunflower field and meteor showers.

Angelic

I was walking on a castle's rooftop, staring at the starry sky with thin haze. The sky was so magical, it amazed me. Then suddenly,  2 people approached me. The royal couple. They wore medieval royal clothing. We had a conversation, though I forget what it was about.
Suddenly, I asked them how can I get back to the ground. I remembered that I got to the top by a thin circular cloud which could float upward. The man said,"Don't use the cloud. Use your wings instead."
I was confused. There's no way that I have wings. I mean, I'm human!
But then, I saw the woman smiled at me when both of them slowly grew their wings. Then, they flew. Moments after that, I felt something on my back. My wings. I took a leap before I flew. Then I woke up.
What a dream...
It's not a recent dream after all but, that's an unforgettable dream.