A scene of desolation, rubble and fire.

A girl walks through, bushy brown hair

momentarily flattened on her head. A scream,

but the girl does not wince. War has hardened

many a soft heart.

Sobbing from the background.

The girl closes her eyes.

Where a great castle once stood, now

lay stones and bodies. Some still alive.

Not for long, for even the best magic

cannot cure such wounds as these.

The girl sits down on a stone,

splattered with red.

Blood.

This is where he fell,

pushed off a tower.

The girl can see red hairs

still stuck on the rock.

It’s too much. She turns away,

moving on to

some other rock, some

other burial ground.

She stops at a pile of rubble

that used to be greenhouses. Burnt shrubs

line the walk. A patched hat

lies on the ground. The girl

picks it up, carrying it with her

as she continues to walk.

She comes to a large stone, the only remainder

Of a once great forest.

A quick intake of breath, and a lump

forms in her throat.

A bright purple flower

has blossomed among

the burnt leaves covering

the boulder. The very spot

where a dark wizard

Was defeated forever.

Flowers in the stone.

From death

comes life.

Rebirth.