And then it was time...for the goodbye.A resignation,though not gloomy,hung in the air and shrouded the lovers as they met,possibly for the last time. Silhouetted against the fading twilight beneath the apple blossom ,both were silent,but their hearts whispered fervent promises of eternal togetherness.After a hurried adieu he was gone,but not without a promise"to be back before the apple blossoms fell in the spring"

Spring came,the apple blossoms fell,but there was no sign of him.Winter too arrived and weakened her delicate constitution.Coughing and wheezing,she would wait everyday,from dawn to dusk,under that very apple blossom tree waiting for the day when he would come and whisk her off to a land of timeless happiness.

Five springs later,he came-a decorated general now.Upon his return he went directly to the place of their last rendezvous -under the boughs of the apple tree.

There he found her,lying on the ground while a single apple blossom lay beside her.His broken sobs went unheard,his ardent pleas were ignored.

Because when death lays its icy hand in your shoulder-there is no turning back
Because when death kisses you with its frosty lips-no last words are spoken...