Indelible memories

©Roger Bultot

It was one of those misty, hazy, winter days, filled with drizzle that turned into thunderstorms before allowing a rainbow to later briefly appear. It reflected her inexplicable mood.

But that wasn’t why she remembered that day.

It was because of him. 

Because regardless of it all, he took her around the city she hadn’t seen. Round the hidden corners, to the fragrant teahouses, the unique little shops, the monumental squares, the tourist attractions, and the unbeknown gems.

He made it special by creating an indelible memory; by imbuing the thrill of discovering something new together. And of feeling loved.

Also part of Friday Fictioneers

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Phantom Moments

There are moments in life that seem like illusions. They come and go as quickly as flashes of lightning and you are left wondering if they ever truly existed. They are phantom moments.

Moments that are so intense for however long they last, but once they are over they come round again after long periods of time, if ever.

Violeta knew those moments well. This was what her life was like. Full of phantom moments. Moments when she would experience the greatest rush of her life and then days, weeks and months full of boredom and the memory of what that exhilarating feeling felt like. Moments filled with love, excitement and adrenaline. That would make her scream with happiness, only to be left in longer periods of time dreaming of what a continuation of the phantom moments would be like. What would it really be like if those moments were more than just a phantom. If those moments were life itself.

She soon realized that time passes by quicker than memories. But memories are not something you can forever hold on to.

She figured it out when enlightenment struck her in the midst of an Eat, Pray, Love-style journey of self-discovery. It was where she became aware how hung on to those moments she was. How she spent each day waiting for the next one to arrive. And in the end, this waiting, the anticipation, the expectation of something that may never happen was killing her from the inside. So she decided to seek help to get rid of this “bug”, this phantom-withdrawal-syndrome she had apparently developed.

A guru in Thailand gave her an advice she would never forget. And it was one that would truly change her perspective on life:

“Always have a plan B, because plan A almost never works and even if it does, it won’t last. Phantom moments never do. Search deep in your heart and find what it is you truly seek, where you want to be, how you want to live. If you find that, then you will be the one to make the phantom moments last a lifetime”.