Peaceful tranquility washed over her as she scanned the distant horizon, relishing the icy spray of the sea as it peppered her skin. Her cheeks were dusted with rosiness from the bite of the evening wind, and her breath rose before her in a fine mist.

The sky was split between purple and gold, the colors melding together to create a beautiful abstraction of lavender. She yearned for an easel, so she might savor the beauty of what lay before her. She doubted she'd ever see anything like it again. . . she couldn't name the last time she'd seen the sunset, or the sunrise.

She leaned against the decrepit wood of the abandoned dock and sighed, smiling up at the stars that had begun to blossom across the night. She liked to believe that if she looked hard enough, she'd be able to see her family smiling down upon her. It was too much to hope for, and she knew it wasn't true, but it was enough to squash the loneliness that flooded her mind.

It had been a decade since the war ended, and the climate had never been the same. Some nights saw acid storms that melted all in its wake, while others were too hot to risk exposure. Mounds of scorched rubble and charred bones were the only remnants of the life she had lived. Not a soul survived, except for her.

It often felt like a cruel joke. That she alone was spared from death, all because she was the only one that advocated for a better life. It felt like the universe was mocking her, and the loneliness was beginning to eat her alive.

She often wondered if she had done enough to prevent it, but she knew it wasn't her fault. She was a child then, and no one ever listened to them.

this was beautiful, and sad. could read a whole book about it. thanks for sharing Zen, as always you write such masterpieces