embrace

He stood there with that small package in his hand, his mind hurriedly revising the lines he had planned, the expression he wanted to wear for the countless responses he had considered.

She walked towards him with grace and cheer. She shrieked in a sharp tone of happiness as she took the package in her hand realizing what it enclosed. Looking at him with stars in her eyes, she moved closer to him into a soft embrace. The entire world was celebrating, the universe in its bounty yearning for a part.

It felt to him that he would never be able to let go, his mind lit up leaving far behind the darkness that had plagued him since ever. As he let go he was thanking everything and everybody for the moment that had passed him.

Many a night passed with him thanking the almighty for his beautiful life, but the light slowly faded into the shadow that he had carried with him. A distant star, though, continued to shine, an anchor, a hope, a shoulder for him.