Ruth certainly had her fair share of disconcerting thoughts questioning her identity and values. But at least, she could head straight home for solace and comfort. Syndesi was still struggling to understand Ruth. She could only stare blankly at the empty box of cookies in a nearby park.

“If I go back now, I would only make Mom worry.”

That line of thought brought her to a park that felt eerily familiar even though it was the first time she’s ever been here.

Swaying trees with leaves rustling as the wind caressed the branches. Metal chains of the playground swings reflecting the passing of time with shades of rust. A pale yellow slide with a pile of brownish-orange leaves stacked at the end of the slide. It was as though reality played out like a movie of memories she had seen through the eyes of another.

Déjà vu.

That was the only logical explanation for this phenomenon.

As though a loose string had tightened vertically to maximise its tenacity, something clicked within her.

She sat on one of the swings and felt an immediate sense of tranquility radiating across her entire being. The repeated back-and-forth motion generated creaks that reverberated through the silent park.

Peace and distant sorrow.

With every second passing in the lingering serenity, the reassuring wind gently wiped the tears from her eyelids until it was comfortably dry.

She observed flashing images of a young little boy sitting at the swing beside hers. Like a superimposed picture, this figure overlapped with her reality. Yet she felt strangely connected to the figment of her imagination.

But this disheartened boy was not born of her fantasy. No. They were memories.

Not of her own but of another.

She witnessed the memories of this young boy as if a film tape began rolling.

Syndesi should have been puzzled. It was only natural to be confused! But she wasn’t. On the contrary, she felt peace amidst unabating sorrow.