Danelyn stood in front of the open gate to the old graveyard as a gentle spring breeze rustled the leaves at her feet. As she felt the chilling breeze whispered through her moon shadow-black hair, her crescent-shaped eyebrows dipped a little and she smiled as cold and lovely as frost on a windowpane. Her basket of hyacinths filled the graveyard with an exquisite perfume and brought back a bitter-sweet recollection of something that ought to have been completely sweet.
Danelyn soaked in silence. The oldest tree in the cemetery's center stood as magnificent giants and kept a watchful eye on anyone who might be passing by. The foliage was riding the airwaves with assured ease like lovely boats. It slides off her head and into her beautiful hair. She strolled with a harrowing sense of melancholy as her vintage outfit served as a prison for her wounded heart. Danelyn knelt in front of the grave, whose name was obscured by the ages, the wind began to play an elegy and the tall grass dolefully stared at the dark clouds. The horizon was caressed by the final rays of sunlight.
She heaved profoundly and wiped the foliage off the tombstone. Her cheeks were burnt by the unceasing torrent of tears from her eyes. She lit the candle she brought, then carefully placed the Hyacinth on top of the tombstone. However, the wind swept the candle flames away. When she relit the candle with her last match, the wind started to blow again. She stood up as her neck was pinched by disappointment. She turned to face the strange man when she heard footsteps suddenly. She shut her mouth and was as silent as her heart that had stopped beating when the man questioned her in his mellifluous voice.
The man grinned, and his soft, Irish eyes sparkled brightly, like two sapphires submerged in milky pools. They were filled with joy. She can't help but stare at the man's shining goatee, which matched his prominent cheekbones to his aquiline nose.
He cast a glance down at the grave and rays of glee break through his overcast heart. He gave her a lighter and made an indication with his lips that she should light the candle.
“Thanks!” Her parched lips developed a melancholy smile.
The man nodded in response. Despite her best efforts, the wind always blows as she tries to light the candle. She gave up in the end. When she mentioned that she need to head home the man offered that he'll join her. Danelyn couldn’t refuse him because she could sense his benevolence casting moonlight in their path. He softly touched her waist from behind as she led her through a muddy path. A drizzle began to fall. He drew Danelyn close to his body.
She found comfort in his embrace. Danelyn suddenly remembered all the moments she had together from the moment she first met the man she loved whose name was concealed in the air that was now beneath the elms. The man stop, and he looked at her for a brief moment, smiling, and she fell in love with him instantly. It was love at first sight.
Why did she, however, feel as though it had already happened? a sense of déjà vu. Her heart leaps in her chest every time she felt his breath. Like a magic spell, their connection seems profound. On a bench beside a Cassia Fistula tree, he softly asked her if they might take a break. Danelyn's heart burst with excitement as he led her to the bench. That night she was consumed by the desire to be with that stranger that she forgot to ask his name, consumed by the desire to talk to him, to kiss and dance with him.
He praised her and said, "You're gorgeous. He continued in his dulcet voice that gave Danelyn butterflies, "I was so excited to endure falling in love again, and then I met you.
"I appreciate the compliments.” She gushed.
He gave a smile. "It was not a compliment. Even if we don't unintentionally bump into each other, I hope we can cross paths again.
Danelyn's bright cheeks shone, and her plump lips curled. A natural smile forms on hers lips as a result of her appealing, compassionate, and alluring smile.
“Can I kiss you?” He asked benignantly. When he received no response, he inclined his face towards her and then gently claimed her lips. She felt as though she had melted under his gentle kiss. She pressed close against him as he kissed her deeply, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving into full-fledged ecstasy. She was adrift in the sea of emotions. When he released her lips, she looked that stranger man square in the eyes. There's now a sense of familiarity with the man who just kissed him. Danelyn parted her lips to ask a question however words couldn't leave her lovely lips.
He cried. "My heart has been yearning for you for so long. Do you still remember me, Sweety? To cross paths with you again, I've been through many storms."
Her thoughts were unclear to her. She experienced episodes of vertigo. As she slowly closed her eyes, a familiar scent piqued her senses. The familiarity, the tactfulness of the touch, the sweet voice, and the whiff she caught swamped her senses as the cricket chirps gradually turned into a void that resembled the midst of nothing. Was that the precise moment she experienced the nadir of her emotions as she thought back on her relationship with that man? Or perhaps it was the pinnacle of her dream, and when she woke up, she will understand that it was nothing more than a nightmare of her memories of the man.
She opened her eyes again and stared into his eyes, as if by magic she recalled suddenly everything because he was the one who had given her hope for the future. His austere shoulder, which exuded power, serves as a reminder that the man was Alaric, who died during the Marawi siege while she battled ischemic heart disease. The grave she visited a while ago belonged to Alaric. Her eyes started to fill with glimmering tears. She fixed her gaze on her ring finger, on her diamond engagement ring which symbolized their enduring love and it flickered their once-sweet love story but death was the end. Yet when she looked at him again, he was no longer there.
She ran back to Alaric's grave at the cemetery as tears incessantly streamed down her face. She was shocked to see him there, kissing the grave and hugging her portrait. He cried bitterly, heavily breathing. Alaric grits his fist and screamed tearing the air. Alaric clenched his hand and screams loudly. She was weeping behind him, but when she reached out to stroke his back, she discovered that she couldn't. She looked at the name engraved on the grave.
In loving memory of Danelyn.
It was she who lost the battle against ischemic heart disease while Alaric battled in the Marawi Siege. The ring she wore, was placed by Alaric on her ring finger before they lowered her corpse six feet below the ground. It was her grave. The graveyard was her waiting place, waiting for Alaric to visit him again. Alaric lived his life in pain and sorrow. Alaric will constantly be present in her heart as she waits there in her grave for all of eternity. The critter was slowly greeted by the sun, and Danelyn vanished into thin air. Alaric stayed put, motionless in Danelyn's grave.