Tea in the Rose Altar

A Story by Sleiffy

Unknown place; unknown time; a young man and a bit of nature

It was just a really calm afternoon, the sun was wandering towards the sunset slowly, the wind was presenting its subtle dance making the grass and small flowers join in. The sky was almost completely clear with occasional white, fluffy clouds swimming through it like through sea. A young man could not say anything but observe this spectacle, enjoying a still warm cup of tea in front of his small table. He was sitting in an altar made of 4 pillars and a dome, from and to which led a path made of stone slabs with floral details. The altar, or rather its stone pillars were barely visible due to blue roses. The flowers were entwining the pillars of the altar, hiding the simple stone structure behind the clusters of blue petals and green leaves. If anyone were to look around, there was nothing except this altar and floating islands in the distance with purple crystals embedded in them. The fields and hills surrounding this place looked like they could really lead to nowhere, still there was a road made from stone slabs leading as far as an eye could see, but strangely enough, the slabs were lacking the same floral pattern as those close to the altar. Young man took a deep breath and added a new portion of wood to a small fireplace under his tea kettle waiting for the water to boil. The fireplace itself was so portable it could even be placed on a table with no risk of harm. What is interesting, though the young man was alone, in front of him, just on the other side of the round table, there was an empty chair, same as his. The whole scenery looked as if the man was waiting for someone…

The night was closing in slowly, the sun had already disappeared behind the horizon leaving pinkish afterglow on the sky. The wind slowed down, letting go of grass and letting it rest, but young man was still sitting and waiting restlessly, keeping the water warm not only for himself, but certainly for someone else too.

The night was already in its full grace as the stars covered the dark sky, revealing the beauty of the unknown worlds out there. The dim glow of floating sky islands’ crystals was also a beautiful sight as the purple glow was fading in an out constantly. The man now barely keeping his eyes open added the last batch of wood he had taken with him. With childish curiosity he stared into the fire with half-closed eyes, still awaiting someone to come. As if this fire was his way of showing “I am here for you, I am waiting, keeping our place warm”. The man closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, there stood a person in front of him.

They stood right in front of the table, smiling. The man could not see this person’s face clearly in the dim light of his fireplace, yet he knew it was the one he had waited for. He got up from his chair rapidly and caught the hands of the awaited person, cherishing them and saying “You’re here, I’ve missed you for so long”. They hugged clinging to each other as close as they could. They let go for a short while and connected their lips in a subtle kiss tasting it for a long while. Once they finished, they looked at each other with warmth and love. The mysterious figure looked away for a moment, and then looked at the man and smiled. They said something, but the man could not hear anything. From their lips he could only read a sentence which was both so true and painful, “I wish we could be together, but I am just a dream”.

And he woke up.

The man opened his eyes. It was already dawn; the fireplace gave out the last wave of warmth and went off. He looked in front of him and there was no one, he laughed an empty laugh followed by a silent cry, as the tears ran down his face. “We’ll find a way to be together, I promise” - he whispered, shedding even more tears knowing this was nothing more than a lie.

Once he calmed down, he packed his belongings in silence, leaving the small burnt out fireplace on the table. Waiting no more for someone to arrive, he left his altar and went along the main road behind one for the hills, which seemed like it could lead to nowhere.