Far away from the bustling city, in a lonely and secluded place, lay an enormous cemetery. Yet, despite its desolation, it was strangely beautiful. Every headstone was adorned with heaps of fresh flowers, placed by those who came every day to meet their loved ones who had long departed this world.
Today was no different. Many broken souls, with bodies still breathing but spirits shattered, had come once again to see the ones they had lost. Among them was Yim, carrying a bundle of flowers in her hands.
One by one, she placed flowers on each grave with tender care before finally sitting down beside her mother's headstone. As she always did, she began speaking to her.....telling her everything about her day, every little thing she had done, as though her mother was still there, listening.
But as the words flowed, her voice began to quiver, her throat tightened, and eventually, she broke down completely. Tears streamed down her face as soft sobs escaped her lips. Her grief was so deep, so raw, that it felt as if it wasn't her mother lying in that grave...but Yim herself. Her tears fell upon the freshly laid flowers, like the very first drops of rain kissing the earth.
After a while, her heart felt just a little lighter...only for a moment. She looked up at the sky. The sun was already setting, painting the horizon in hues of gold and crimson. It was time. She had to visit Talotkan's house and check on the goats.
With a heavy sigh, she rose to her feet and walked away.
Whenever Yim came here, she didn't just feel sorrow. There was something else.....a strange sense of peace, like a quiet embrace of the soul.
She climbed into her car and steered it toward Talotkan's home.
The journey was long. Talotkan lived far away.....not just from the city, but even from the nearest villages. The road stretched through scenic paths lined with towering trees. Vibrant birds flew across the twilight sky. The fading sun cast a golden glow over lush green fields, making them look like a paradise untouched by time. The air was damp, heavy with the scent of rain. The sky was darkening, clouds gathering thick and low. It seemed like the first drops of the monsoon were about to fall.
---
Some time later…
Yim finally arrived at Talotkan's house. Every time she came here, the place gave her the same feeling...a sense of ancient warmth, like stepping into an old memory.
Talotkan's grandmother had already spotted Yim's car from afar. They greeted each other, exchanged a few words, and then the old woman led Yim toward the goats.
The goats weren't seriously ill.....just a little under the weather because of the changing season. Yim gave them a quick check-up, suggested some simple home remedies, and handed over a few medicines.
She was about to leave when she heard the grandmother's voice calling her from behind...soft, warm, filled with so much affection that it struck Yim like a lightning bolt of memory. That voice… it sounded just like her mother calling her name.
Instantly, her eyes welled up. Her chest tightened. She wanted to turn back. She wanted to run into those arms. But she didn't. She kept walking because she didn't want the old woman to see her tears.
But there was little one could hide from a heart that had lived a lifetime. The grandmother had noticed Yim's swollen eyes and her reddened face the very moment she arrived.
---
A little later…
Yim sat with the grandmother. Her head rested in the old woman's lap as she wept.....uncontrollably, helplessly. It was the kind of crying that comes when a child, lost in a noisy crowd all day, finally finds their mother and breaks down in her arms.
For the first time in seven long years, someone stroked Yim's hair.....gently, lovingly. And that single touch shattered her completely… yet healed her too.
The grandmother listened silently as Yim poured out everything...the fire, the horror, the unbearable guilt.
It had been Yim's birthday. A simple candle had turned into a nightmare. While everyone was outside, laughing, celebrating, Yim had been trapped inside. The flames spread like a living beast. Then came the blast.....she didn't even know what caused it. And just like that… her entire family was gone.
Because of her. At least, that's what she believed. That was the burden she had carried for all these years...that their deaths were her fault.
When her words faded into sobs, the grandmother finally spoke, her voice soft but firm, like a mother's:
"No, Yim…
It wasn't your fault. Not even for a moment.
This… was destiny's decision. Not yours.
Sometimes fate makes choices that we cannot understand, choices that may seem cruel but serve a purpose beyond our knowing.
You… you were never to blame, my child.
Stop crying now.
Think.....if your mother could see you right now, would she want this? Would she want to see you broken, drowning in tears?
No… she wouldn't.
Yim, you must move forward.
The past… is a chain.
And the only key to break it… is to let it go."
Those words… they didn't just comfort her. They opened something inside her....like a locked door she never knew existed. And through that door spilled light, like finding the key to a long-lost treasure.
As they talked and laughed a little through tears, time slipped away unnoticed. Outside, the monsoon had arrived. The rain was no longer a drizzle.....it had been pouring for a while now. The puddles outside were deep, rippling under the relentless downpour.
But Yim and the grandmother were not alone.
Someone else… was listening.