She walks through a ruined town. Apartment blocks stand broken open to the sky. Windows are gone. Shops have been empty for years. No electricity. No running water. No businesses. No voices. Nothing works anymore. The day is ending. The streets slowly disappear into darkness.Then, in the window of one half-collapsed building, she sees something impossible. A candle. She pushes open a broken door hanging from one hinge and steps inside. A man is sitting on the floor, his face buried in his hands.“Why are you here?” He looks up.
“Searching for the meaning of life. And one reason to keep living.” She sits beside him. “You too? I thought I was the only one. I lost everything. And in the end, I lost hope.” He moves slightly, making room for her. “Same here. Sit down. Let’s talk.” For a while, neither of them says anything.Then she looks around at the cracked walls.“What if we start again? Just you and me.” He almost laughs. “Start what? Look around. Everything is broken.” “Exactly. We can hardly make it worse.” He looks at her. “Do you have enough strength to start again?” “None.” For the first time, he smiles. “Excellent. Same here.” She lies down on the dusty floor. “Then we stay here.” “And do what?” “Dream.” “For how long?” “Until we can’t stand not making those dreams real.” He turns his head toward her. “And if it gets darker?” “Then we become our own light.” “And if it gets harder?” “Then we become our own strength.” “And if everything falls apart again?” She reaches for his hand. “Then we hold each other very tightly and wait until it stops falling.” “And then?” “Then we begin again.” Silence.The candle flickers between them.She smiles. “Come on.” And suddenly there are no ruins.There is a world built from impossible dreams, tired hands, broken hearts and the stubbornness of people who simply refused to disappear. When nothing holds together, sometimes two people holding on to each other is enough to begin.