Ruins

A flash fiction about infidelity

It has been quite a while since you stepped into these lands. Its mantle of green grass covering the dampness of the earth found beneath was long gone. The smoke from the warm cottages were replaced with the scent of burning as if life itself was bereft of living. The flowers were gone too, even the trees had paled. The sprouts sprouting had been cut off without being given a chance—or even just the consideration—to grow and chase the sun. A bountiful, progressing earth that used to be found was now a sight filled with nothing but barren land.

You sighed, dejected and disappointed, as you realized you could not cultivate this place anymore. Nothing can be done to save this piece of ruined treasure.

"I'm sorry, I didn't stop the lies where they should've ended. I'm sorry I didn't do anything when the king and queen fought. I'm sorry," you said to the pile of ashen earth atop a small hill mimicking a burial ground.

You wiped your tears and fixed your disheveled appearance. And just when you were about to leave, the ground shook, and the rain fell. The barren land sang a trembling song and whispered like a lost child, "Don't... Don't blame yourself about my situation. It's not your fault that Papa had a mistress, Ate."

...

A Young Pilipinas Flash Fiction