Memento

The girl wipes the sweat from her forehead. She inhales deeply and lets out a long breath. There's a feeling of nostalgia as she takes a look at the vastness of the place.

She hasn't been in here for a while now. If she would count it, it was exactly one thousand and ninety-six days since she last set foot there. Three long years and yet it seems like it only happened yesterday. And his voice still lingers to her ears as if he was just behind her, guiding her trek like usual. Giving her pats of encouragement whenever she would struggle to climb.

She had never been alone in this place before, he's always been with her. She smiles at the horizon as the sun sets down. It's beautiful, the scene that they've been looking forward to until that tragic event.

The place would usually give her a feeling of euphoria but now it only induced emptiness. Something is missing and she knew exactly what it was. It's the absence of the man she had loved most in the world. Though no amount of wallowing could bring him back. He is already gone.

She questioned herself more than once, why she hadn't thought of checking their gears before their climb like she normally does. Why it has to be that day? She blamed herself for his sudden demise along with his entire family.

It was after endless therapy that she found the courage to set foot in this place again. And for a promise that she must keep.

When the rope gave out, her mind blanked out. She met him at the bottom with only a single word to utter. He didn't even say goodbye nor did she.

"Tree."

It slipped out her mind for so long until recently. And now here she is finally able to go back.

They had a major fight before the accident. The trek was his way of saying sorry; Francis had a big ego. He never said sorry to her and she accepted it. The guy's actions always made up with it.

She walks to the tree he was referring to. She knew that tree very well, it's the witness when he asked her to be his girlfriend. The listener to their cherished moments and the bearer of their hearts. She palms the small engraving of a heart from their first climb. A smile forms on her lips as she palms the inside of the small hole in the middle of the tree.

He used to put gifts inside that hole.

She feels a small box and a piece of paper on the very end of the wall. She pulls it and a gasp escapes her lips.

She drops to the ground and crumples to a ball. Her whole body trembles as she opens the small red box. It has the most beautiful diamond ring she ever set eyes into.

Then her shaking hands unfold the paper.

"Are you still mad at me? Sorry for not making it to your game. I was busy checking stores for the perfect ring for you. All I ever want is your happiness, seeing your sweet smile for the rest of my life.

Please don't be mad at me anymore. And will you marry me?"

Loud wailing follows her wake.

Author's Note: And yeah I'm back with my melancholic stories. Hahhahaha