White roses

Darkness

It was a sunny afternoon in Tokyo. Noisy crowds were making their way through the streets, while the emissions and fumes from the countless cars filled up the air with dust.

Dilara sat on a bench and gazed at the sky. She couldn't even remember how much time had already passed. The sun on her skin and the sultry air had turned the soundscape into a distant murmur that gave her the feeling of being far away from the commotion. And that's exactly how she felt - she didn't feel like she belonged here, like reality was just an imagination while her real life was taking place in her head.

A voice caught her attention and made her avert her gaze from the smog-covered skyscrapers. She looked down at her sneakers, the laces of which she had loosely tied around her ankles.

It took her a moment to gather her thoughts and realize where she was. Out of the horde of people, she could make out a pair of hands desperately trying to make their way through the incessant flow. She caught sight of Larissa, who was almost histerically fighting her way through the people to finally reach the sidewalk. While sprinting in Dilara's direction, she bumped into a man who was slowly strolling through the area.

Visibly jolted out of his thoughts, he looked up from under his white hood and caught sight of the shocked faces of the two women. Both were waiting for a harsh comment, but - to their astonishment - nothing of this sort happened. Instead, he took one hand out of the pockets of his jacket, brushed away a long blond strand of hair, waved briefly at the two with a slightly amused expression, and then continued his stroll.

Confused, Larissa dropped down on the bench next to Dilara - gasping for air.
The two looked at each other briefly and bursted out laughing.

Two friends who preferred to spend their days secluded and quiet were, ironically, in one of the busiest cities in the world.

"Now THAT was an unusual reaction!" Dilara said with a smirk on her face.

Now it was the two of them, sitting on the rusty bench while daydreaming, their thoughts floating far away above the buildings of the city.

But the inner peace didn't last long as glowing orbs made the already sun-drenched sky shine even brighter. They almost looked like fireworks silently making their way through the clouds.

The flood of a thousand heads slowly came to a standstill and turned to face to the extraordinary events. Within a couple of seconds countless cell phones were pointed at the sparkling sky and the loud conversations turned into tense whispers.

Right as Dilara tried to open her mouth to say something, it was as if someone had switched off the lights.

Her eyes were open all the way, but she could see nothing but darkness. But that was nothing - nothing in comparison to the silence suddenly surrounding her. A silence so impenetrable that Dilara could even hear the blood coursing through her veins.