Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 130275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
We were stronger that way. Beating in unison.
And I was sure they were more beautiful than they had ever been on their own.
Blossom Flowers and Old Friends
Savannah,
I know many people wonder why I love cherry blossom trees so much. I always have. We were raised among them. Their colors, their fragility were just something I was fascinated by. Most children counted down until Christmas. I counted down the days until it was cherry blossom season.
As I sit here now, they have bloomed. The blossom grove is full of pink and white petals. It is alive, so alive. The sweet floral fragrance, the stunning beauty that has bloomed, takes my breath away each time I am taken there.
I can no longer walk. I use a wheelchair now. But I don’t mind. As long as I get to see my blossom grove in all its beauty, one more time, I am content. Especially with my Rune by my side. We can sit for hours there. I am safe in his arms beneath those trees. Every breath I take is cherished. Every kiss Rune gives me is a gift I didn’t think I would have again.
I have taken none of it for granted.
But this year’s bloom is bittersweet, as I know it will be my last on this Earth. I know that soon, when the first petal falls, my breaths will become numbered. My heartbeats will be finite. I grow tired, Savannah. Even now, simply holding the pen and writing to you exhausts me. But I feel no fear. I want you to know that. Like the cherry blossom flower, I may have had a short life, but it has been vibrant and full, and so very sweet.
Sweetest when I am with the ones I love. The sweetest when I am with you and Ida. With my Rune.
God knew my life would be short, Savannah. That is why He gave me my love of cherry blossoms. So that I would understand what it was to live a limited but full life. I was born in Blossom Grove to live among the trees my life was so inspired by. I believe that. Nothing is permanent in this life, Savannah. So, embrace its beauty while you can.
When you read this, know that I am in heaven, safe among cherry blossoms that no longer die. And I will be so happy to sit beneath them, thinking of my family, thriving in their lives until they return to me and, like the heavenly cherry blossom trees I wait beneath, stay forever by my side.
Until that day,
Poppy
* * *
Savannah
Kyoto, Japan
It was too much to absorb. Everywhere I turned was a blanket of pink and white. Trees lining every pathway, parks full to the brim of blossom trees. The floral scent was infusing every fraction of air, and all I saw, wherever I turned, was Poppy. I was happy that I was seeing Kyoto now, at the end of the journey. Because if I had seen this months ago, when this trip had only just begun, I wouldn’t have been able to stand it.
Now, I could gaze at these trees, full of temporary life, and admire them with the respect that they deserved. And I could see Poppy at every turn and not be felled by it. But be strengthened. I smiled, though my chest rose up and down with soft cries as tears dropped from my eyes. They fell to the ground, leaving a piece of me forever in this place—a sister’s tribute. Cael held my left hand, just drinking in this wondrous sight with me. I held out my right hand, the breeze weaving between my fingers. And, in my mind’s eye, I saw Poppy beside me, holding me tight. She would be gazing upon the trees she loved so much with nothing but love and gratitude in her heart.
“Incredible,” Dylan whispered behind us. I opened my eyes and saw birds circling up ahead as if they were breath taken by the sight too. “Is it like the blossom grove, Sav?” Dylan asked. I’d told him all about it.
I thought of home and felt the sharp pang of homesickness. As magnificent as this sight was, nothing could take the place of our small blossom grove. Especially now that my sister rested there. It was a magical place, serene and blessed.
I opened my mouth to reply when a voice beside Dylan said, “Nothing could ever replace our blossom grove.”
Shock rendered me immobile for a few seconds. Because I knew that voice. Had missed that voice. I released Cael’s hand and stepped around Dylan. And there was Rune Kristiansen in the flesh, beside us in this stunning Kyoto park.
“Rune …” I said, and fresh tears sprung to my eyes. I ran to him and wrapped my arms tightly around him. Rune held me close, and I felt his long, blond hair on my cheeks as he did. This was all so surreal. Being here, among so many blossom trees, now with Poppy’s Rune at my side.