Chapter Twenty

As our hands made contact with the flattened land that signified the top, we both stood and looked at the scene before us. The hill descended into a wide, shallow pit, surrounded by the black figures we saw before. The pit itself, however, was free of those statues. In their place, was a collection of soft-looking dirt, untouched by anything except for the strongest gusts of wind. And in the center of the dirt was a small circle, bright enough to cast shadows among the dark figures. A ray of light pierced through the purple clouds, forming the only break I’ve seen in the wall above us. It was a bright, white, with hints of a yellow glow floating around it. It was the unmistakable light of the sun. I looked at the figures surrounding the pit and saw how many of them reached out for it. I caught my right hand moving without me noticing it, making the same motion as they did. Nina stared at it, motionless. I watched through her eyes as her brain tried to process something that was a part of her, despite never seeing it in person.

I held her hand and motioned her to follow me. She wanted to take the lead, but she was still locked in her trance. I stepped forwards as we walked together, maneuvering the hill so as not to trip and roll into the pit. As we reached the bottom, the ground became soft and flat, making it easier to walk. We stepped closer and closer to the edge of the pit until we were only a step away from entering. I could make out a few shapes at the bottom of the pillar of light. They were hidden from a distance, but they became clearer, little by little. I turned to Nina, waiting for her to be ready. She turned to me and nodded, and we both entered, one step at a time.

The moment we walked it, the pillar of light became translucent, but kept its strength. I still couldn’t make out what was under there, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before we found out. After taking our second step, I looked down and focused on the ground around us. It was a similar color to the black dirt above the pit, but something about it looked different. It looked moisturized, and somehow, full of life. I crouched and lowered my hand into it, being careful not to move too fast. I picked up some of it and held it up to my face. Its scent reached me before I could smell it. My voiced pieced the silence that surrounded us.

“Soil,” I said as I felt my heart beating. Nina turned around to me in one quick motion.

“Soil, as in?” Nina said, trying to finish her thought. When it arranged in her head, she fell to her knees and copied my movements. I could see the tears forming in her eyes, despite her hand hiding the rest of her face. “It smells…so wonderful. I can feel the life contained in here. It’s nothing like the dirt up there. It might as well be a different thing entirely!” I couldn’t contain my smile as I turned to her.

“Soil helps growing,” I said. “What grows?” Nina caught on without a doubt in her mind. Her face lit up with the same intensity as the pillar of light. She stood up and pulled me alongside her, not realizing that only my head went with her. She ran towards the pillar of light, her smile present in her gasps. She fell a few times, not remembering that her legs were still spent. But every time she stood up, she moved faster. My body followed us with hesitance, not wanting to leave the refreshing sensation of soil on its skin. When we reached the foot of the pillar, we were greeted with a small collection of yellow daffodils. They stood straight, showing off their bloom to the light that gave them life. There were a few that faced us, unbothered by our presence. The breeze Nina made caught up to us, moving the daffodils with a gentle, loving motion. We looked at each other, watching the tears roll down our eyes and over our smiles.

I turned back towards the flowers in front of me and reached for one. I put my hand into the pillar of light and felt the warmth of the sun hitting me back. I looked up, but I couldn’t see anything more than white light. But I was okay with that. Sunlight was unmistakable. I touched the petals of one of the daffodils with a finger, trying to be as gentle as possible with it. It was as warm as the light, and a softness to match it. I made little circles around it, trying to memorize its smoothness. I placed my thumb on the other side and felt the small resistance, a reminder of the moisture running through it. I stared at the center, as if I was looking into the eyes of someone else. I didn’t want to let go. I wanted to hold every single flower in my arms, carrying them around me everywhere I went. It wasn’t until Nina shook my shoulder that I returned to her.

“Looks like you’re back,” Nina said, smiling. “But I can’t blame you. Just being the presence of this fills me with happiness. But what makes me the happiest, is seeing you doing something you love.” Those words painted my face red. I turned to her, trying to confirm what she said. “You look like the young woman in the picture. No, you look even happier than her. The words under her said that she loved her flowers. I still don’t know what love feels like exactly, but I know that I’m seeing it in front of me.” Tears fell down my face again.

“You understand,” I said. “You understand.”

“Someday I will,” she said looking at the flowers. “And I can’t wait to share that with you.” Nina’s breathing was quick, matching her heartbeat. She shook her head and turned back to face me. “But let’s not worry about that now. We found flowers!” She stood up and jumped, not remembering the lack of strength in her legs. She fell down with a laugh. “I can’t believe it. This world isn’t supposed to have something like this. It’s too stunning to have something like this. But it’s right in front of us.” She looked towards the flowers and stopped her hand before it touched the pillar.

“Good feeling,” I said, looking ahead. “No fear.” Nina looked at me before returning her gaze towards the flowers. With a slow and steady motion, she saw her hand shine with the light of the sun. The gasp that escaped her smile told me she felt exactly what I did.

“It’s warm, but unlike anything I’ve ever felt,” she said. “It’s like someone is holding my hand, telling me that everything will be alright.

“Felt every day,” I said, putting my hand back into the pillar. “Sometimes, taken for granted.”

“It always like that, isn’t it? Not knowing what’s great until you don’t have it. But we have it now. And considering the black statues around us, we can take as long as we can to enjoy it.” Nina stared at her hand, following the movements of the light as it bounced off it. I made sure to stay quiet. It was a part of every living person. It was a part of every living thing. I wanted her to know what it felt like, so she could remember it for the rest of her life. After some time, she turned to me. “And what about these flowers? What are they like?”

“Find out,” I said, holding another flower petal in between my fingers. “Hard to explain.” Nina smiled at those words as she turned back to face the daffodils. She held the bell in her hand and stayed there, looking at it.

“Seeing something that’s not a person, but still alive, is beautiful,” she said. “I want to protect it from everything else in this world.”

“Protect living things,” I said with a hidden smile. “Not me.” Nina studied my expression before offering a wry smile.

“When did you get so good at teasing me?” she said as she held my arm within hers. I watched her hold the flower in her hands again, staring at it in the same manner I did. I looked up, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun around me.