"Meet me at the crossroads, just after the sun dips below the ridge. It seems a lifetime since I walked those paths..."
They never met again, but the words lingered long after, etched into the memory like footprints fading into the dust.
"The train leaves at midnight, and the stars are bright tonight. Don't forget your map, it's the only guide you'll ever need."
He wondered what map she meant, for there were no landmarks known to him, only shadows between stations.
"In another life, perhaps we would have stopped to watch the rain. Here, there are only echoes of a softer world."
The rain had a way of washing over the past, blurring details until everything became a serene apparition.