Nostalgic land

(Baonghean) - April has come! In that faraway place, do you see, along the old street we used to walk around, the lilies are hesitantly blooming? The pure white color seems to touch the depths of memories, touch the emotions that cannot be named... More than ever, at this moment, I secretly wish, if only I could return to the past...

We fell in love in April of that year – when the lily season began to bloom pure white, on the shoulder poles of hard-working women wandering around the long, bustling streets… I still remember clearly, the first gift you gave me since we met was a lily still glistening with morning dew. The tall, five-petaled lily flowers were as soft as my small, pretty fingers. And when you compared me to the most beautiful lily in your heart, I could only shyly lean my head on your shoulder and smile softly.

Illustration: internet

Then, on an April day filled with white lilies, you suddenly left after a fateful trip, leaving me alone here. At that time, for me, the whole world seemed to collapse. The lilies at the end of the season were withered and desolate. Where could I find the caring and tender gestures, the warm love every day? And the most beautiful lily seasons in my life were only left as painful, broken memories. You now belong to another world - a world without me!

I sadly returned to my own little attic, wiped away my tears and told myself not to be weak. Many nights, smelling the soft, gentle scent of lilies wafting through the small window, unable to soothe the longing that was rising in my little heart, I cried again. The cramped, tiny room was so empty and vast! Or was it because I was so lonely? The wooden table also became lonely. The lonely vase of flowers lacked the lily color. The simple joys of the past were now a thing of the past, a beautiful past that seemed so close but was so far away...

The lily seasons never fail, and every April they return as if to remind me of a pain. Sometimes, seeing the lily by the window tilting in the wind, I wonder, is it you coming back? And then, since the days without you, I have learned to stand up after the loss, bitterness, and sentimentality. Although life is full of twists and turns, I will always be me – a pure, small lily but always proud and full of desire. In the sun, in the mist, in the rain, in the wind, I will still rise up following the call of faith…

Another lily season has returned amidst the nostalgic bustle of April. This morning, stepping out of the gate, I bought myself a radiant first lily of the season. Holding the buds still wet with morning dew in my arms, I feel the new day is so fresh and peaceful! A familiar wind carrying the sweet scent of flowers gently brushed through my hair and whispered: Today, I turn nineteen! Right now, I realize that you are so close to me...

Phan Duc Loc

Class B2 – D39, People's Police Academy