The virtual wall came crashing down, leaving me exposed and vulnerable. For the first time in my life, I felt naked and exposed. Initially, I was blinded by the glow and brightness of the world, but as my eyes adapted to the new openings, I noticed that no one was actually looking at me. Everyone was fighting their own war, and I was standing in the midst of a crowd, yet still feeling alone. Then, amidst the thick fog of human faces, she appeared and smiled at me. She took my hand and navigated me through the crowd to a meadow where waterfalls from heaven painted rainbows on every surrounding peak. She whispered in my ear, "Don't be so afraid of the world around you. No one is going to kill you or hurt you as long as I am standing by your side." A strange wave of emotions traveled across my body, and I held her near, close enough to feel her heartbeat. Our hearts were beating at different frequencies, but after a while, they found a rhythm and started beating in sync, as if a single heart was pounding in our two chests. We were the pilgrims on the boulevard of broken dreams.

© Shafat_Ibne_Ali