Faded Memories

Faded Memories Intro

Under the beautiful blue sky, beneath the various shapes of white clouds, at the top of a mountain, a very beautiful girl was singing a song peacefully among the soothing breezes of spring with little birds chirping happily among the branches of an old cherry tree.

"Hey Sophia, I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing here? I've been searching for you the whole day!" Jake's voice interrupted Sophia, who stopped singing and, with a slight smile, said, "Oh, Jake, I was just bored and came up to this mountain to relax. What's the matter? Why have you been looking for me?"

Jake replied, "I'm frustrated too. I came to you because I accidentally misplaced the bracelet that we bought together during our last temple visit with mom."

Hearing this, Sophia scowled and tugged at Jake's ear, saying, "You always misplace our memorable items. That's it! No more buying things together."

Jake, though not in pain, pretended to wince and said with a smile, "Don't be mad. I'll be more careful next time."

"Alright, just make sure you take good care of our things," Sophia replied.

The beginning of their story goes back to when Jake moved from Spain to Myanmar at the age of ten. His only friend was Sophia, who had moved from the UK and was the same age as Jake. They had been close friends for over twenty years now.

"Sophia, we'll be heading back home to Yangon in two days. I don't even want to leave this place," Sophia sighed.

"Sophia, we have to go back. We came here for a break, and we can't stay forever, especially since your Dad came along."

"If only dad hadn't come, I would have stayed here under this tree for a long time."

"True, but look at this place. It's so beautiful. From the top of this mountain, you can see the whole range, and the cherry blossoms are so lovely. I'd stay here forever if I could..."

As Jake spoke, he found himself lost in Sophia's beauty. Her lovely eyes, soft hair flowing in the wind, red lips, and fair skin made her a picture-perfect scene under the old cherry tree.

Jake had always secretly loved Sophia since they were kids. Even though Sophia had always been by his side, he had never expressed his feelings.

"Hey, Jake! Why did you stop talking? Anyway, let's go see my dad now," Sophia said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Alright, alright."

Sophia suddenly screamed, "Ahh!" and fell to the ground.

"Sophia, are you okay? What happened?" Jake quickly ran to her, worried. She had stepped on a branch, slipped, and fell.

"You always need to be more careful," Jake scolded gently as he helped her up.

Sophia's tears welled up as she cried out in pain, "It wasn't my fault! I didn't see the branch there."

Jake, feeling guilty, said, "Come on, don't cry. Your leg is hurt. Let me carry you."

"No, I can walk," Sophia protested, but Jake ignored her and carried her down the mountain.

When they reached the base, Sophia's tears were still streaming down her face. A local elder, noticing them, called out, "Hey, John! Look, isn't that your daughter with that boy? What happened to her?"

John, seeing them, ran over, "What happened this time?"

"Uncle John, Sophia fell and hurt her leg. I need to get her to the hospital."

John replied, "Alright, Jake. Thank you for helping her. Let's get her inside."

They took Sophia inside, where John called a doctor to examine her. Afterward, Jake went to his room and lay down on his bed, feeling exhausted. He glanced at the clock; it was 9:10 PM. Suddenly, he received a text message.