The Fountain

“Where am I? Why am I here? Am I dreaming? the road was slippery. The morning mist descended upon me like raindrops during a tropical storm. The air was silent, not a sound was heard. I found myself walking on a road with mounds of snow on either side. As I walked, the snow in front of me shifted as if making way for me. Tap went my shoe against the glassy floor. My dress bellowed against me as I walked, swishing around my knees like waves on Paradise Beach. The air was cold, still and unnerving. I wore a cashmere coat, a coat that I did not own. There was no light, yet I could see everything. The land was barren and covered with snow. I reached a flight of stairs that led to nowhere and I climbed. I climbed and climbed and climbed until I could climb no more. The fog shifted and I found myself in a courtyard. The coat was gone and it was spring again. A fountain stood before me. A fountain made of gold. I finally knew where I was.”

Early next morning, they opened the newspaper to find that a young girl had died in a car crash. The road had been slippery, as it had snowed that day. The car was hit by another car driven by drunken teenagers. Only the girl died, of internal injuries. “It is a great loss!” said the Mayor’s spokesman. They mourned her loss for a few days until it was forgotten. No one noticed the fresh bouquet of Liliums that were kept at her grave early each morning. No one cared. He sat in the bus station wondering where she was.

“I find myself wondering where he is everyday. What is he doing? I think about him when I eat, when I walk in the gardens and everyday before I go to sleep, I keep fresh Liliums on my bedside table wondering if he is doing the same”