𝕻𝖗𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖊
"Afternoons were the most beautiful. She smiled brightly, and I cherished every smile as though it were the first ever given to me whenever I saw her so happy. Her smile became a balm for every attempt to heal me, and never once did that pink jewel make me cry. That girl was the light within the black storms of my existence, a life long abandoned by the gods."
——
Spring morning rose with a different kind of brilliance that day. The sky, a crystalline blue, was speckled with only a few clouds that seemed almost hand-painted, drawn by some mischievous and radiant child. Perhaps that was the only way to explain the clouds shaped into such creative forms, from bears to choirs of angels.
The sweet fragrance of newly opened flowers lingered in the air, while the trees swayed gently in the warm breeze, as if greeting the arrival of something grand. The towering trees covered the smaller crowns below, yet they shone just as brightly as the grass itself, a crystalline green bathing the earth in a soft, radiant carpet still jeweled with drops of morning dew. The surrounding fields were painted in vivid shades of yellow, lilac, and white, as though nature itself had come to celebrate the news that had already been announced.
Ylihiam held her mother's hand tightly as they walked along the trail surrounded by wildflowers. At seven years old, she seemed to overflow with energy, every step hurried as if she could not wait even another second. Her eyes gleamed like sunlight reflecting in her golden hair, and she could not hide the smile blooming across her face, as genuine as a flower opening in that very season.
—Mom, does she already know about me? Is she coming back with us?—
I will not lie, my chest burned with anticipation. My hand was damp with sweat while Mom tried to calm me. But how was it possible? She was finally returning to where she never should have been taken from, torn from our arms and our care.
—Yes, my love, of course she knows! You're her big sister. Besides, she's excited to spend the days ahead with us! Forever! No one and nothing will ever separate us again, my love, I promise. It will be you, me, and your sister against the trials and cruelties of the world. Together, Ylihiam, we can overcome anything, no matter what it is. With faith and determination, everything can be conquered.
—Mom… God gave us our little sister back, so He doesn't hate us…
Cristhal smiled as she gently caressed the face of the sweet almond-eyed girl.
—No, my love, God does not hate us. On the contrary, He loves us so much that He allows us to live each day with the free will of our own lives. We are able to choose what to do when faced with hardship or a dark moment. He loves us, dear. God never hurts His children, and He does not like to see them sad. Never doubt the pure and singular love the Father holds for us.
—Right, Mom. God is good, and we're together again. So He wants our family to be happy too.
The mother of Ylihiam and Rhafhaelly was a beautiful, elegant, and strong woman. Her eyes were a deep cyan blue, her skin a light bronze tone, and her black hair resembled the veil of night, a sky without a moon yet always filled with stars. Her lips were red, full, and intense. She stood tall at 5'11", her figure graceful at 165 pounds. She looked lovely that day in a dark-washed denim jumpsuit with a pale pink flannel shirt and mid-heeled shoes, her slow steps failed attempts to calm her own anxiety. Her delicate hands held her eldest daughter's with affection.
"God has reunited us, my beautiful daughter. He has reunited us for a new beginning. Be certain of that."
The woman thought, her eyes crystallizing with restrained tears.
Cristhal walked beside her daughter with an emotional yet hesitant gaze. There was a mixture of anxiety and hope in her eyes, as if every step challenged the racing heart inside her chest. Her fingers squeezed Ylihiam's with affection, as though seeking reassurance in that long-awaited moment.
She loved her daughter more than herself, even if such love would not be shown for much longer.
And then, in the distance, they saw her.
Blonde hair almost translucent, eyes the color of deep ivory, lips like the purest ruby. Skin pale as winter clouds. Her contagious and refreshing smile was a cloak of pure calm.
"It's her… my sister."
The small figure sat beneath the shade of a cherry tree, playing with petals scattered across the ground. Her hair, as bright as Ylihiam's, danced in the breeze, and her laughter, though distant, was clear and pure, like the song of a brook on a quiet morning.
—Our star, Ylihiam… your little sister…
Ylihiam stopped for a moment. The world around her vanished.
It was her.
Her sister.
The person she had dreamed of embracing for so many years.
Her heart seemed ready to burst with joy and emotion, and before she could stop herself, she released her mother's hand and ran toward the girl.
—Rhafhaely!— she cried, her voice brimming with happiness, as though those words had waited an eternity to be spoken.
The little girl, surprised, lifted her eyes and saw Ylihiam running toward her. For a moment confusion crossed her face, but soon it gave way to a smile so wide and radiant that it seemed to light everything around them.
—Sister.— Her murmur was as warm as it was grateful.
When they met, Ylihiam hugged her so tightly she nearly lost her balance. The touch was warm, real, filled with a pure and gentle mutual love that seemed to transcend any barrier of time or distance. Rhafhaely, still small and fragile, wrapped her arms around her older sister and buried her face in her shoulder, laughing and crying at the same time.
A collapse of pain, of years spent apart, deprived of growing up together.
But also a delicate cascade flowing with the sweet taste of reuniting with the one she had always dreamed of seeing and knowing, the one with whom she had imagined a life and a long friendship blooming and flourishing.
—Are you really my sister?— Rhafhaely asked with a sweet and curious voice, still clinging to the embrace.
—Yes, I'm your sister! I always have been!— Ylihiam replied, tears streaming down her face, yet never stopping her smile. —And now we will never be separated again, I promise! Never again.
Watching the scene, their mother placed a hand over her chest, trying to contain the wave of emotion that struck her. She approached slowly, tears already marking her skin in a gentle path of crystalline drops, sweet and unrestrained.
When she reached them, she knelt beside her daughters and pulled them both into a shared embrace. It was as if time, pain, and all the missed moments had finally dissolved in that instant.
—My beautiful girls, my precious jewels, my divine blessings… my greatest treasures in this world!
The wind blew softly, carrying petals through the air, scattering them across the earth as silent witnesses to the laughter and tears of the three women entwined.
The long-awaited reunion was not merely a moment, but a promise: that the wounds of the past could be healed, and that the future, uncertain though it might be, would be walked together, as a family.
For hours they remained there, playing beneath the trees, telling stories and dreaming about the days yet to come. And on that beautiful spring day, the world seemed to be reborn along with them.