Author: Ciara, Posted: Wed Jul 1, 2020 12:08 PM, Post Subject: Je t'aimais [O]

There is a hill in the City of Heavens with a single gravestone. The stone has been there for five years, shining in the sun every morning. A single woman with beautiful blue hair and a deep blue gown walked up the hill with a basket of golden lantana blooms. She came every year and the locals had started referring to her as the blue lady. Ciara pretended not to notice these comments as she made her way to the top. Once there, she knelt in front of the grave and began to surround it in the yellow blooms. The wind would come and comb through the flowers and would slowly send the petals into the air. For now the air was still and she removed the incense from her basket and lit them with her magic. 

The name carved in the grave read Darryl. He was a clever Vilpamolan man with the imagination that rivaled the greatest creators in the universe. Ciara still held onto his paintings and the lessons he'd taught her. She could almost feel his warm touch and his voice whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Pressing her forehead against the cold stone as she silently wished to see him, one more time. A sad smile remained on her face as nostalgia of the past ran through her mind, weaving bittersweet thoughts. A single tear fell from her eyes and hit the fresh grass. 

"Je t’aime comme un homme qui se noie aime l’air. Et ça me détruirait de t’avoir un peu." She said softly. 

Her love for him was a sweet apple with bruises all over. Still sweet, but not as fresh. Darryl had died on that floating island, trying to capture its beauty. It was a stormy night when he perished, hail was falling from the sky and struck him hard on the head. Ciara had been away, as her work required travel as much as her love did. When she heard the news, it was too late. His eyes had closed and his breath had left him long ago. The chance to say goodbye was as lost to Ciara as he. It was strange how delicate life seemed when it was dead. Pulling away from the grave, she sat there in silence. 

The wind had picked up and was starting to blow the yellow blooms into the air. To any stranger, the view would have been spectacular. Golden petals flying through the air as sunlight sparkled over the city. But for her, it was another reminder of time. No matter what she did or how she behaved, time would always destroy the most beautiful things in the world. Still, she dared not complain and simply waited with a bitter smile and teary eyes.