Author Note: The woman is NOT his mother!!!!!

Arran found himself in a glade, a garden of Eden. As old as Adam and Eve, the glade was steeped in plushness and vitality. The exquisiteness of the dusk’s light fading in the distance.

The stars glinted like silver dust, luminous and bright while a pearly moon hung quietly. Silent in its beauty, regal in its splendour, it looked down upon the glade.

A sprawling oak stood magnificent in the centre, a watchful guardian, a silent sentinel. Huge roots spreading out from it’s trunk, twisting like the mythical sea serpents of old.

A songbird erupted in a symphony of song, as if beckoning the world to match it’s beauty.

A voice, haunting and beautiful, dwarfed the songbird’s melody.

It was a gentle autumn rain.

It was a raging tempest.

It was a requiem.

A deep, haunting ballad, it called out to Arran.

Do not stand at my grave and weep…. for I do not sleep…

Arran looked around. He couldn't see anyone else in the glade. He recognised that voice..

A gentle caress, my love

is all it takes for me to brim with joy

The glade vanished.

He was in a stable now, one that contained many memories, of joy and sorrow, of love and warmth, of him and her.

She was sitting in front of him, looking lovelier than she had ever been, prettier than she had ever been in life.

Happier than she had ever been in life.

She was looking at him, her sea green eyes radiating warmth that enveloped his very soul.

It had always been this way, her eyes full of warmth and love, no matter how bad the situation was.

He trembled under it, his meagre defences crumbling under a wave of love. One that moves mountains and sunders nations.

Lost forever in the sands of time.

“A gentle caress, my love

is all it takes for me to brim with joy”

She reached out, gently caressing his cheek. Her smile dazzling, her joy palpable, her love immeasurable.

A sweet smile, my love

is all it takes for me to find bliss profound

The ballad continued, tearing at his soul, crumbling his emotions..He no longer knew if he could stay sane.

The pain. It was no longer emotional, it was physical. He couldn’t take it anymore, this pain….he crouched down, curling around himself even as the scene changed once again.

They were by the stream. The sunlight providing a gentle warmth, the wind caressing them with a surreal touch.

He was still curled up, with his head on her lap. She stroked his hair gently, humming contentedly. He could not hold back his tears anymore. It was too much. Why was this happening? It had taken him all he could muster to lock away these memories…Why? Why was this happening?

He looked up at her through his tears, she was looking down at him, smiling that divine smile of hers. She wiped away his tears

“A sweet smile, my love

is all it takes for me to find bliss profound”

the ballad continued…

He had been helpless as he watched her die. He could do nothing to help her. Even in her final moments, she looked back at him with that surreal warmth in her eyes and smiled at him. She did it so that his last memory of hers would be one of warmth and love. It tore him apart, her love…her warmth.

He would at least do this for her. He smiled at her then, through all his pain, through all his loss….just as she had done for him…a lifetime ago….

Her face lit up again as she saw him smile.

Gently I sway; in lullaby

With you in my arms, the love of my life

They reappeared in the glade. She was sitting on one of the roots, his head placed in her lap as he cried, as he let it all out, for the first time in years

The psalm of sorrow still breathing it’s ephemeral tunes.

“Gently I sway in lullaby, with you in my arms, the love of my life” she said, speaking for the first time since this nightmare began. Her voice soothed his torrent of pain, stemming it…only stemming it…his pain was impossible to completely subdue.

She gently got up, pulling him to his feet. Her movements carrying a surreal grace and beauty. She looked into his eyes for a long while, filling him with a sense of dread. She was acting like this heaven, this nightmare was going to end…She had a sense of solemnity in her gaze.

She kissed him on the cheek while caressing the other, one last time….before she turned back towards the tree.

She walked towards it, slowly, gracefully. Her form beginning to vanish into the night…She looked back at him one last time, as a single tear rolled down her cheek,

“I will see you someday in the future not so near,

Until then my love, I will love you from here”

The ballad stopped. It’s solemn departure rending the world of beauty, It rent his soul away, carrying it in its haunting melodies as it drifted off towards a better place, a happier place.

Do not stand at my grave and weep…. for I do not sleep…

He heard her voice once more before everything disappeared.

Hello there!

I just wanted to give a brief glimpse of our protagonist's story. I know that this is still far from it but I hope this chapter was well worth it. Any input is greatly appreciated

Thank You!

PS: I got my first review today and i would have to leave it out there that it could take a while for the plot to progress. I don't mean to say that I would be writing fillers. It's just that life does not have a plot. It meanders back and forth like a river. This is the story of a man, just like any of us. Although there is an underlying plot and motivation in my mind, I would like to develop this gradually and not rush it. But I do promise you that it will not get boring.

PPS: I initially wrote this chapter intending to display the bond between Arran and his mother. The chapter however, ended up being too filled up with emotion. So i changed the woman's role in this. The woman in this chapter is NOT his mother. This chapter is meant to be a foreshadowing of the future. Special thanks to AnarchyDev for his input.