The End

I look down at the little glowing orb nestled in the palms of my hand.  It is light as air, and as I draw it close it begins to shine brightly. It is the happiest sight I have ever seen and in my heart I feel light and happy. There is nothing more beautiful and true.

I can feel his eyes on my back. I lift my gaze and see the ruins of my city, but with the sky so blue and the sun so bright. Amidst the air I can smell the ash, but taste the ocean, and feel the life. I know now that everything will be okay. The light becomes stronger yet.

I turn to face him, in the place where it all began. He stands a few feet away from me and meets my eyes with a smile in his. A light wind tossles my hair in my face and I quickly sweep it out of my eyes. I don't want anything to ever blind my view in the slightest.

Cradling the light against my chest with one hand, I step forward to close the gap between us. I pause midway and he closes the rest of the way. I reach up and touch his cheek and lose myself in his eyes.

"I love you." I tell him. He pulls me close and places his hand around the light in mine locking it in our embrace.

"I love you too." He says, his breath tickling my ear.

The light shines so bright then, so bright that there is nothing else to see. The city surrenders itself to light. We fade to white.

...

I open my eyes. He is seated beside me in the booth of a cheap family restaurant. How we are here, I do not know. Outside, it is raining. In my hand, I'm holding a Polaroid. His arms are around my waist and we are both looking at the picture. To someone else, it would appear to me a blank white nothing, but we know better.

"Did I imagine it all?" I ask in wonder.

"Would it make it any less true?"

"No, it wouldn't." We smile. We know.

Thunder rumbles outside. We slide out from the booth and make our way towards the door, hand in hand. I slip the Polaroid into my pocket – our little piece of a world in which we belong.