I was wandering the place, not aiming for any specific direction. I was unaware of the time, the date, or even the concept of time itself. I felt something deep inside me shift, something that calmed and settled… a profound feeling of tranquility gently slipped into my heart at that moment.

  My moments of wandering carried a complex blend of emotions, dominated by a strange clarity and peace I had never known before.

  It felt as though I were a bird that had been confined in its cage for a long time, then suddenly freed to spread its wings and scatter its music and melodies in our vast space.

  I walked without feet, folding the earth beneath me, covering distances in seconds. It was an extraordinary and surreal experience by all measures—moving lightly from here to there, from below to above, in the blink of an eye, without anyone noticing… it was beyond imagination!

  After a few minutes, I found a small corner in the same place, which appeared desert-like, to be my refuge, to rest for a while, and to stay away from the eyes of people who might see me!

  But wait, who would see me!?

  No one can see me!

  I hurriedly remembered my new reality, the one I had become a part of, and began to closely examine all the faces around me, the faces that kept increasing with the passing time!

  Everyone here seemed affected, and there was a void!

  Everyone here stood in silence, a heavy silence etched on their faces. Some whispered, others lowered their heads in respect… or perhaps out of shame for death!

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  Death has a strange effect on people's lives! At all times! I could say that the ceremony of burying my remains was very ordinary, no different from any other burial!

  I got closer and closer, inspecting the faces one by one, searching for her face… yes, who else! Who else is worth the effort of searching for!?

  It wasn’t long before I found her.

  My dear, my love, Lili. I love you so much… my heart nearly breaks from the separation… how I miss you, my companion!

  Rofaa, my little one, who was seventy years old, clung to her mother’s leg, in innocence and lightness, unaware of what had happened, or how it had happened!

  Unconsciously, I stretched out my hand and gently stroked her silky hair, though I knew this would bring me trouble later on… but in the end, I did it!

  My little one? Don’t be sad, for I am with you always…

  The pain of loss is deep, my friends, truly deep.

  For a moment, my little one looked up and, with her small hands, touched her silky hair, thinking that the cool breeze had caressed it.

  Then, Lili hugged my little one after the latter seemed a little confused… I felt at that moment that perhaps my time had come, perhaps I should leave.

  I thought deeply, where should I go? Should I ascend to where I belong and love? Or should I descend, to the wonders of technology deep within the oceans?

  Well, this time, I decided to rise.

  As the cold, icy breeze slid over my face, I pierced through that heavy air, rushing upward with force.

  Quick flashes of my life passed through my memory: my youth, my marriage, my athletic pursuits, and then the sudden moment of my death.

  Even painful memories of the past still carry a beautiful, inspiring fragrance.

  My grandfather warned me decades ago: “Beware of getting stuck in the past, for you’ll only escape it by a miracle.”

  Though I’ve spent much time in the future, I still long for those historical periods, those eras on this dear Earth, to which I feel deeply connected!

  1107 - 1234 - 1612 - 1715 - 1880 - 1920 - 2011 - 2034 - 2066 - 1301

  How I love those dates! With all their details, events, and witnesses!

  "I left the world behind, rushing upward… to a different fate that resembled nothing I had known before."

  To be continued...