Future

51 Years Later

Water washed over the lush grass the sprinklers prepared it for the nightly dew. The sun had fallen behind the mountains, leaving the skies orange, pink, and purple. The clear smells of tulips and roses carried across the gentle breeze to John’s nose as he settled down slowly on his favorite bench.

He set his cane across his lap and stared up at the sky, remembering the names of those on the monument before him. Those of friends. Those of love. They were gone now, of course. Had been for fifty years.

He sighed.

“This is a nice spot,” a young woman’s voice said beside him, startling him.

She was in a white spring dress, a straw hat tied around her neck, floating gently in the wind as it blew past them. He smiled, then turned to look out across the city.

Long gone were the fires and destruction of all those years ago. Instead, shining and bright, stood a new society. One that had been tested, tried, and changed. A stronger one. A happier one.

“Did I do well?” he asked.

The girl smiled and rose from the bench, extending her hand. “I think it’s time for a well-earned rest,” she replied.

He stared at her hand for a moment, smiled, and took it.