She ran beneath the stars, fuelled with energy and drive. Her life — she saw the meaning in it now. She clearly saw her role in the universe.
Fireworks of adrenaline shot through her veins, each burst setting a new goal.
And she bonded with her passion, her purpose, her ikigai.
A beautiful word, she thought, running faster.
The colorful flowers around her became a vibrant blur in the night air. She smiled, liking it.
She walked beneath the stars, lost and dead within.
She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t sad. She wasn’t regretful. She wasn’t crying.
She was broken.
Ikigai . . . a word born out of desperation. That’s all everyone was now — desperate, needing a purpose that didn’t exist. But people went to the lengths of living fake lives to comfort themselves, right?
Not her. She was going to face the truth, and just let her existence sway her along like a dead leaf in the wind.
The cold numbed her, cutting into the core of her bones.
Why? she thought, not even fully conscious.
She walked beneath the stripped branches of trees, lost and dead within —
It was dark pink, like a glass goblet of pink wine. Five silky petals lay in a motionless dance, the pollen like the pricks of a needle. The scent, sweet and strong, sent a sudden wave of dizziness through her. 
But it was winter — a dead time when the cold was a stalker. No flower — no flower could have bloomed at this time, but there they were — plum blossoms in bloom. 
A sensation bolted through her veins, and suddenly she felt it. A small blossom, crushed, withering.
But alive.
In her soul.
She closed her eyes and pushed toward it, bringing it forward. The petals were torn, but they were there. They were alive.
She stood there, reunited with her purpose, her ikigai. She felt it, let it wash over her. Her misty breaths lingered in the air, like everlasting dreams. The plum blossoms held all her dreams.
She’d never expected this. Never.
Why not? she thought.
Reunited.
    5 1 vote
    Post Rating
    3 Comments
    Oldest
    Newest Most Voted
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    Carrie OLeary
    Carrie OLeary(@carrie-oleary)
    2 years ago

    Wow, Tejal, another beautiful story. I’m stunned by the quality of your work for your age. Your story leaves you with a sense of hope and purpose, which we all really need right now.

    Katerina Bizirtsaki
    Katerina Bizirtsaki(@katerina-bizirtsaki)
    2 years ago

    From the choice of words to the detailed descriptions, you managed to even make me feel the cold of the story. An amazing story!

    Lotchie Carmelo
    Lotchie Carmelo(@lotchie-carmelo)
    2 years ago

    I love it. Wow. The word description is very amazing, especially “Ikigai”. Having a direction or purpose in life. It leaves learning and also some questions for myself. I wish my ikigai will blossom sweet and fragrant as well, even of the pains that serve as a thorn that I will go through. 

    Recent Comments

    3
    0
    Selected Authors may submit comments (5 Credits)x
    ()
    x
    Scroll to Top

    Sharing a Post

    Why do my friends need to SignIn to read the post I shared?

    Actually, this is a voting security feature. During public voting, only club members can read posts submitted for that contest. Since anyone reading the story is able to vote (click the Like button), we reserve these capabilities to members who SignIn. Before we implemented this security feature, people were voting multiple times and making the public voting process unfair and out of balance. To fix this, our staff finally decided to allow only members who SignIn to read the stories. Membership is free and easy, and ensures our club is safe, secure, and family-friendly!