The sky looks down at McMinn Hillside Park and frowns at the silence and stillness of the trees. Then a wind blows, bringing life back into the world that has forgotten that it is still alive. A branch shakes, and a leaf, startled by the sudden movement, falls down. It is picked up by that wind and taken across the park. Suddenly, the wind stops, and the leaf starts falling down, slowly, towards another still object, just to startle her too and, maybe, bring life back.
There, in the middle of the empty park, sits a beautiful woman, holding a small leaf in her hand. First, she remembers some moments from her childhood, and she smiles. Then, she remembers her school and her friends, and the smile grows wider. Then she remembers her husband, her wedding, her first child, and she cries. She remembers her children, her house, and the tears dry on her face. She remembers the goodbyes and the tears, and the smile grows softer. She remembers her life.
"Hello Ruth," a familiar voice comes from nearby.
Her eyes tell him that she knows him, that she remembers. He helps her up, and for a moment, he forgets that it will never last.
They have dinner. They watch the news. It is late and sky is dark. Then she says, like always, "Excuse me, sir... You are not assuming you can spend the night here, are you?" Her voice is assertive and filled with pride.
He wants to... but what does it matter what he wants to do? He knows it will not help, nor will he have the courage to confront the monster that has captured her memory. "Of course not," he says softly, standing up. He looks at her with a loving smile and then bows his head. He takes his coat and leaves the house. He enters through the back door and heads downstairs into the basement. He sits on his bed and cries. He always cries, even though he tells himself not to.
Meanwhile, upstairs, sits a beautiful woman with an empty glaze in her eyes. Like a withered rose, she is breathtaking in her beauty and heartbreaking in the sorrow surrounding her.
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