Falling

• Lena Truong, Grade 12
• Short Story
• 2012

Have you heard about the pace at which cherry blossoms fall?
They fall at 5 centimetres per second.
--
The event was just the same as last year's.
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling? Falling……………………..lost.
When I tried to track the progress of a single blossom, it became lost among the other pink masses. Once again, I gave up on trying to count the speed of the of blossom’s descent.
Then I saw her.
The lights seemed to illuminate only her, bathing her in a serene glow. The passersby with their happy smiles hardly mattered, became a mix of undefined colours. Only the pink of the cherry blossoms...her - they became my entire focus.
She stood alone…but with a smile on her face as she gazed at the same dance of cherry blossoms with the ends of her dress dancing with cherry blossoms.
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling? Falling.
My brisk walking slowed as I approached her.
She turned and noticed me asked,
‘Have you heard about the pace at which cherry blossoms fall?’
‘Five centimetres per second right? That can’t be true though, no one would be able to measure accurately enough the speed.’
‘You just have to imagine the ruler and count quickly in your head. The blossom do travel at a constant speed,’ she finished with confidence.
She was quite strange. Looking at the fall of the cherry blossoms once again,
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling? Falling……………………..lost
It’s impossible.
She continued, ‘You should watch the cherry blossoms with me.’
I turned my head away to hide the fact that my face was as pink as the cherry blossoms around us.
I sat with her, my earlier purpose forgotten. The moment is made sweeter by my companion next to me.
Even though this was the same event as last year. Something feels different. The colours of the cherry blossoms seemed much brighter than last year.
Still, throughout it all, the cherry blossoms kept…
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling? Falling
I no longer felt resentment at the happy passersby; I closed my eyes and instead inhaled the crisp fragrance that rejuvenated me.
--
‘You know, even though, the blossoms travel at a constant speed, they don’t actually travel in the same direction.’
Confused, I asked, ‘What do you mean?’
‘That’s what makes each and every cherry blossom so unique. However, in the one in a million chances that they will meet another cherry blossom, happiness will bloom but sadness will also sprout as five seconds later, the cherry blossoms will continue on their way.'
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Nothing,’ she smiled.
--
The next day, she never came back to our spot. I stood waiting there like a fool.
The cherry blossoms continued
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling? Falling……and that was the last one.
I smiled.
I was honoured to be able to witness the final graceful dance of the cherry blossoms.
Five centimetres per second is the speed at which the cherry blossoms fall.
I could count it now.