Red Dahlias

It was a lonely winter night, cold and wet, with the wind blowing strong. The dry autumn leaves were plucked by the wind and strewn on the street. The wooden bench by the pavement was old and moist, with pearls of water dripping down from it. The street was deserted and silent; even the night owls had left in search of happier homes. He stood in silence, taking in, the solitude and melancholy surrounding the place he grew up in. Scenes of life, colorful and bright, at the very same street replayed in his mind. Nostalgia took over his mind, and flooded his thoughts. He saw her there, sitting on the bench, dressed in a floral-patterned summer dress and wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Her eyes were like diamonds on her face, brightened by the sun's rays. She turned to look at him and smiled. Her smile made him feel weightless, excited and happy, all at the same time. He lived a life with her as a dream. Dreams gave him those small pleasures of being with her. But he knew the reality; she could never belong to him, she was beyond his grasp. The brush of the cold wind brought him back to the present day, to the empty bench. He walked forward, placed the red dahlias and the Merlot on the bench. He turned and walked away in silence, completing the ritual he had been doing every week for the most part of his youth.

Life lessons after alcohol : The only precious gem mined from inside of me using 3 vodka martinis and a tequila :D

To the optimist, the moon is a bride, awaiting a bright life ahead.
To the pessimist, the moon is a widow, mourning the sorrow of her past.

Time

She was waiting, her mind calm, just like the ocean by which she was standing. The cold water from the sea was touching her feet, sending a slight shiver through her body. She had no more expectations, she knew what was coming. It was the grand finale of her life, the king of all those small defeats. She had lost all hope, prepared herself for the end. Little did she know that life could turn around, so fast and so sharp. Clouded by the sadness of the past, her mind failed to notice the ship sailing in from afar, the ship that was going to rescue her from that stranded island, and carry her to greener pastures. Maybe it was karma or fate, that saved her soul from leaving this world forever and gave her the strength to live on.
When she woke up, she was no longer on that island, but surrounded by cheerful faces, scented candles, bright flowers and warm blankets. The world on the other side was nothing like her past life. It was the opposite of everything that she detested and feared. A perfect world, created just for her.
The ship was the turning point of her life. Had the ship been a few minutes late, or had she been a few minutes early, all her endurance and patience would have been for nothing. Time, every second and every minute counts dearly when the stakes are high. Life is a widely branched tree, with time deciding the branch taken. Every path has a different ending, only one can be ours, and we never know all the different endings. Time is the essence of life.