The sky opens vast before my eyes as I exit the dark cave. The stars shine bright like many life fires waiting to be born. A cool breeze causes me to shiver; it is winter. The snow blankets the valley in a glossy white sheen. I start to walk away from the mouth of the cave. It is over. Though I wish it wasn’t. All those years, all those people; I’ll miss them.
The sound of a creek babbled its way to my ears. A pleasant sound, calming. As I come to the crest of a hill, I see the lights of my home. I wonder how long it’s been for them. I wonder if they missed me. I start down the hill; the snow crunches under my heavy boots. The sky is so clear, I find myself looking at it more than the town ahead. I wonder if I can go back.
I find myself wishing to return to the place I came from; the place I love. But I know I can’t; I know I shouldn’t. I don’t belong there; I don’t belong here. I stare are the town with a look of sorrowful contempt. It’s my home, I should be happy.
I pass through the edge of the town; it is quiet, dark. No one is about, few lanterns are lit. Not exactly the scene I imagined. As I reach the center of the town, I see that the fountain is still running. A young girl sits on its edge. She looks up at me when she hears my footsteps, “Good evening.” She greets me with a warm smile.
I bow and greet her back.
“I haven’t seen you around here before.” The girl pats a spot next to her, “I know I’m not much of a welcoming committee but please accept my welcome all the same.”
I smile and sit.
The girl turns to look at me. Her pale face reflects the moon light and her deep blue eyes look somewhat sad, “Though I do find it strange for a traveler to be wandering around at this time of night.” Her voice sounds light and curious.
“I used to live here.” I answer gently.
“How long ago?”
I look around the square, it looks the same as when I left, “I’ve forgotten.”
“I see.” The girl looks down at her lap.
Time passes and we sit in silence. Who is this girl? As I look at her, I get a feeling I know her. I notice that her hands are fidgeting and that she is blushing; though that could be from the cold. “Have we met before? In the past that is.” I ask as nonchalantly as the mood allows.
The girl seems to be jostled from deep thought at the sound of my voice. She looks back at me and then back at the ground, “I don’t believe so.”
I look of in the direction I had come from, “Have you ever been to the cave in the east mountain?”
The girl shook her head, “I’ve seen it from the pass but I never went in.”
“I just came from there.” I say as I stare up at the sea of stars.
“What was there?”
I close my eyes, “A place I wish to return to.”
The girl looks at me, confused, “Then why did you leave?”
I sigh woefully, “It was my time. My reason for being has been fulfilled.”
The girl turns to me again and takes my hand, “Then that mean you will stay here for a while?”
This reaction surprises me, but I keep my composure, “At least till I find my reason for being in the place.”
The girl smiles brightly, “I’ve missed you, big sister.” She embraces me tightly.
A rush of memories return to my mind. Of my birth, of my childhood. Then of the birth of my younger sister. I was sixteen years older at the time. I didn’t know her long before I left for the other place. Maybe a year at most. I had spent so many years in the other place. All that time I still grew older. All that time my past memories were disappearing. I knew I had a home, I knew that time flowed different there. But I didn’t expect this.
The girl soon let go and held me at arms length to get a better look at me. She was so much older than when I left. She looks to be the same age as me. Looking closer, she looks much like grandma did when she was our age.
I smile and reach out to her, lightly running my hand down her cheek, “I’m sorry I was gone for so long. But as you can see, it wasn’t as long for me.”
Tears fall from my sister’s eyes, “It doesn’t matter anymore.” She takes my hand, “We still have much time together.” I start to cry as well.
I miss that place; the place that is now long forgotten in my memory. I want to return there still. But I cannot, I should not. I will not. For while I love that place, I love even more my sister and this home in which I now live.
