At somewhere in the middle of no man's land, two soldiers-friends-fought fearlessly against the advancing enemy forces. Their country had failed to hold the line as the enemy army relentlessly pushed forward, forcing them to retreat. In the chaos, one soldier was struck down, killed instantly. Just moments ago, he had been standing by his friend's side. Now, he laying down lifeless on the ground.
Time seemed to blur as the remaining soldier was lost in thought. He realized that their lives had been nothing more than pawns in the hands of those in power-people who sought to gain wealth and dominance,no matter what it took them to do it. The soldier looked down at his hands,only to witness blood and death,the same hands with which he once believed he would bring freedom and safety to his homeland.
But now, he understood that those hands had only brought suffering, making children homeless and families mourn.The weight of the war, the senselessness of the violence, became clear to him. He could no longer fight for a cause that had lost all meaning. With a desperate urge to escape the madness, he threw down his gun and began to run.
Boom! A missile struck, obliterating everything in its path. The battlefield was engulfed in smoke, leaving behind only craters and lifeless ground, a bleak testament to the devastation of war.
At somewhere in the town of Radcliffe ,Manchester
In the early morning of Radcliffe, Lily, a 19-year-old young woman, lies asleep in her cozy room. Soft morning light filters gently through her curtains, casting a warm glow across her room. Outside, the streets are crowded with the shouting of a town crier and the anxious murmurs of the townspeople. A man, dressed in plain simple clothes, stands in the center of the street, beating a drum as he announces, "All men aged 15 and older are required to report to the frontline immediately. Those who attempt to evade their duty will be branded as traitors to the nation."
He keeps marching forward, repeating the announcement over and over, the somber message echoing all over through the town, stirring fear and resignation among the people gathered around him.People showed sign of disapproval yet they are left with no choice since just a week earlier men above 20 were called to the frontline.
As these news is spreading through each nook and corner of the town we witness Lily dreaming herself of standing in a sea shore,the waves come back and forth creating a wondering melody,tiny forceless waves reaches her feet with hidden feelings that really don't convey any proper meaning to anyone thats when she hears someone whispering with a gentle voice "Poppy graces your lotus only once,embraced by Cypress".
These words keep repeating as her dream vanishes, collapse and the dream twindles and flickers as she wakes from the crier shouting all over the corner of her street.Lily gets up with a headache from her bed and as everyone,she gets ready to face her regular endless day.Her hectic morning starts with an errand to her grandmother to deliver fresh bread and bring back beautiful flowers from her grandmother's garden.
She hops up in her bicycle.On her way to her grandmother house,she pedals slowly and slowly running across the half the town,getting distracted by various events that are about to move the town into a modern city. She witnesses the regular busy working paper factories of radcliffe.A steam train puffed along the narrow track below a curved pedestrian bridge, its green engine shining in the morning sun.
The train's black chimney puffed out thick clouds of smoke,announcing its departure with a gentle but persistent chug-chug-chug that echoed throughout the town.Everyone crowded around the narrow bridge, blocking Lily's path, eager to witness the steam train ,the last one bound for Liverpool's sea harbor.
Lily finds herself caught in the throng of people on the bridge.Compiled with letters,goods and love ,helping to ease soldiers pain of separation from their family.
The town itself was a delightful blend of history and charm.Half-timbered houses lined the cobblestone streets,their steeply pitched roofs.Each house has its own unique character,with plaster and brick facades painted in warm,inviting hues.When she crosses the river,she stops her cycle and looks at herself from the stream that flows in the river,thats when she remembers about someone.
Someone who may be important to her or not.She remembers about her childhood friend Owen and the things that happened between them in this place.This is the last time he had spoken to her in this very place before leaving to the frontline.A few days ago, Owen met Lily on a bridge. Unlike other kids, Owen,a 20 years old boy,who was an orphan who does not know his parents since his birth.
He was solely raised by the father in the church.As a boy who had lost his parents,he often enjoys spending his time worshipping god,always immersed in reading books and playing the cittern,along with his brothers and sisters to love, endlessly curious about the horizon that lies outside his boundaries,always true to what he believes. They meet on the bridge, they sit at its edge, engaging in light-hearted conversation.
In that serene moment, Owen doesn't hesitate to wait a second and immediately grabs Lily's hands and, with heartfelt sincerity,said the things which he had been holding up inside him for a long time as a shooting star glazes upon their eyes.He confesses
"ON this night,we see a falling star,I wish for both of us to fall in love with each other.If my wish comes true,It is really wonderful.The thoughts of having such happiness possibly exist,that makes me happy.I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want that rest of your life to start as soon as possible,That's right Lily.I love you"
Lily, taken aback by the depth of Owen's words, feels her heart swell with emotion. She looks into his honest eyes and the love that reflects back from his tiny little eyes.Confused,panicking,she doesn't have an answer ,she ran away from that place so cowardly and never looked back at Owen.Silent hours turned into days and before she knew it ,Owen had already left to serve the country ,to fight in the frontline.As the flashback fades away yet her thoughts remain uncertain.She reaches her grandmother's house.
YOU ARE READING
Lily's Letter
RomanceThe story is set in the Victorian era, where we witness a 19-year-old, Lily, fall in love with a boy named Owen and the emotional journey she goes through before sending her love letter to Owen, who is at war.
