Cherry Blossom

My eyes shot wide open. I lay in foreignness, in an empty hospital ward. No-one was near, not even Tai, my fiancée. An inhuman chill arose and I cradled myself, drawing my knees straight up to my shivering chest.

A cloudy haze fogged my memories like a smoke screen and confusion caused my forehead to violently throb. I rubbed my temples roughly, attempting to kindle something, anything. Despite the desperate efforts, scattered shards of never reminiscing cherry blossom was all that remained.

Daring to whisper a pale foot from beneath the pearly white bed sheets, I grimaced at my decision as the frozen floor screamed icy waves all over, acquainting a tremble throughout my spine.

Wholly exposed now, fear grew as I turned a corner to see no one. A silence of nonexistent wind and nowhere breathing shrouding the area ahead and I felt like I had awoken inside a nightmare.

Light fixtures flashed capriciously as I travelled deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of medical smells and whitewashed everything. Approaching a desk for some sense of direction, I spied a newspaper and leaned tentatively, clarifying the words.

May 25th 2014

Waterfalls of remembrance cascaded in my mind, and I felt myself begin to remember.

May 25th, our anniversary; Tai had wanted us to have a romantic evening together. He always did want to do special things to surprise me.

I sat in a traffic jam, my car blanketed by the relentless rain crashing down. Horns echoed with annoyance and flashing lights of emergency vehicles struggled through thick, black smog. At that moment, I felt incredibly thankful that I wasn't the poor woman who'd lost control and collided with a stern tree trunk.

Sometime later, the road returned nonchalant. I felt it hard to believe that such a devastating event could take place, then, moments later, everything could return back to casualness.

Trying to think of other things, I accelerated across the narrow lane of slippery tarmac. A high jet of water reflected a red tint from my car and leaned back down, bloody ripples bursting at the seams.

Swaying one hand from the wheel, I clutched the gearstick, readying movement. Blinding lights from behind cars dazzled me slightly as I struggled to see through the endless thudding of bleeding rainclouds.

The gearstick stubbornly refused to budge. I took a glance toward it and the car began to swerve. Already out of my control, I tried desperately to stop the erratic actions. A screeching of tyres and an airbag failing to explode later, more horns of annoyance and flashing lights appeared.

I recall, one of the policemen mentioned the date:

25th May 2010.

Coldly returning to today, I almost fainted as realisation attacked me. Four years? Four years? Had I been in a coma? Still wearing the same clothes I wore that very night, my suspicions took frightningly physical form.

My mind churned with bafflement as I emotionlessly noted the exit's directions which were laid out on the desk.

Home was my only thought.

Though ridged stones pained my bare feet, I carried on along the usual route home. Once my house was in plain view, I hurried toward the front porch. Surprised, I took a step back as I noticed the door lay completely open.

Apprehensively edging closer, I walked through the darkening space. Golden moonlight infiltrated through the many windows positioned around, almost entirely achieving a shiny hue.

Tai was not to be found.

Seemingly titanic ticks escaped a clock held firmly upon the kitchen wall with a single hook, I turned my face and we, if only for a second, exchanged a gaze and saw something in each other neither one of us liked.

A cracked picture frame reached out to me and I examined it. The picture stood right in front, the picture of me and Tai in our youth, perched together, resting by the base of a grand oak tree; the tree itself was based upon a high, shoreline Cliffside and was positioned not far from here.

Intuition overcoming me, I figured Tai would be there. Unable to describe the feeling that grew inside me like an inferno, I placed the frame back tenderly and raced through the still wide open front door.

I felt a warm smile grow on my lips. Tai sat near the tree and seemed awaiting of me. Calling his name multiple times, I breathed exasperatedly and threw my hands onto my thighs once next to him. He stood and moved past me, ignoring everything I did. Frowning, I shifted to his side and shot a curious look at his peripherals.

Growingly afraid, I watched as Tai placed both his feet on the edge of the Cliffside. Even from where I stood, I could hear the petrifying thrash of saltwater on sharp, unwavering rocks pointing out from every orifice.

"Tai, what's wrong with you?" I found myself crying now, sorrow stinging the tears from my eyes.

That unchangingly blank face remained still and he took a deep breath, staring up into the black threading the sky included. Plummeting turquoise eyes, Tai sparingly released the air in his lungs and opened his mouth to speak.

"Our anniversary; it's been four years since I lost you, but I will see you again, my love"

Tai leaned forward. I reached out a hand. As if invisible, my hand glided through him.

I blinked hard and wished to never see again as I heard the once peaceful, night wind split open and rip apart with the sound of falling and that deafening impact of soft flesh on hard rock.

Quivering boundlessly, I placed my hand against my chest and began screaming into the shroud. Not a beat. Not a beat.

It just swept right through – he's dead.

I'm dead.

A holy, white light ascended from where Tai had fallen and engulfed me entirely. I felt a strange, electric power strike me, then; nothing.

My eyes separated slowly and I immediately scanned the area. My bedroom, just as I'd left it. In impossible hope, I spread my palm open and placed it over my heart. Liquid gathering below my pupils, I sobbed into my bed sheets at my not wanted answer, feeling foolish for believing in hope at all.

Tai always used to hold me tight and whisper in my ear. He'd whisper:

"Do you want to know why you have cherry blossom all over your porch, although there's no logical explanation for it? It's your relatives, the ones who've passed way; they come to you, even in May, to keep you company and look after you. Always remember that, Matt"

He always used to call me Matt.

Wakening me from my reflection of memories were slight tapping sounds emitting from the window. I curiously floated toward and unsheathed the carefully shaped glass. My feet fell immediately from under me.

There, right there. He stood expectantly, awaiting permission. Tai looked toward me, just like he always used to.

The littlest gap in the window spread wide with a friendly, soothing gush of wind. Tai neared, tugging some mousy brown hair from his eyes. I didn't hesitate in climbing out through the recently invented space, and into the pleasant, starry night.

Reaching out my same hand, I caressed his face and nuzzled into his shoulder – holding him as if he might break.

Turquoise met amber and two pairs of lips touched, merging into each other. We became the wind, we became the rain. We became the glowingly pink tints which decorated our porch. We became each other.

We became cherry blossom.