Paradise Found

He held his hand out to her, palm facing the shadowy sky, prompting her to hold it. Unwillingly, apprehensively, she linked her fingers through his. "Let me show you", he whispered.

And, oh, the beauty of the place. Rays of sunlight bounced back and forth, blinding her eyes in the most comforting manner. Each long stalk of grass glistened where it caught the light, with big, round dew drops peacefully resting on the tips. She looked up at the sky, vast, clear, and panoramic; a boundless blue canvas, seeming to end only where it met the ground, forming a spectacular horizon. A bed of bright red poppies could be seen not far off, embedded between rows of pink tulips, the colours of love and life intertwined, pulsating a feeling unlike any other. She could almost feel the happiness vibrating from each petal, large clusters of joy emanating from the buzzing of the bees, replacing what could have been a melancholy silence.

This was so unlike the war torn world she had left behind. She made no attempt to blink away the tears that brimmed her eyes. To think she had once felt that she would go all her life without seeing this sort of beauty. Now, after taking all of it in, she wondered how she could have possibly stayed so long without viewing the true colours of the world, the vibrancy only heard of, never seen or felt in so many, many years.

This, she realised, was true bliss. Ecstasy. Paradise. The true meaning of life.