…blew harshly through my hair. I grasped my coat firm. It was so brisk yet so hot…just another of the many mysteries on this desolate planet. I stared out onto the sands with eyes of tears. Was it the blustery weather that made my eyes so wet? Or was it her? I closed my eyes shut, and clutched my chest tightly. For a second I could almost feel her, I could almost hear her. I imagined a lifetime of happiness and time…a time that knew no end. I opened my eyes to a cruel reality. I could see the sun gleaming off distant objects…I watched as they blurred into a misty unknown. Was this callous land, devoid of life and feeling, empty of all emotion and love worth fighting for? Was it worth dying for? My mind wandered…memories of her seemed to flash back and forth. I unbuttoned the top of my jacket and reached inside my pocket. The envelope was old and worn… folded over many times. I reached inside it and a flush of emotion filled my face. I chose one picture of the few left and held it close to my heart. So many memories, so many feelings…were they all for nothing? Were they meaningless? Did I cause her death? I felt so alone. I felt so much pain. I was so alone and my heart beat wildly. My mind was nomadic…I could not grasp reality. I darted from memory to memory, wondering why. I settled on one. The picture. A birthday. I looked down at the picture. She was so beautiful…so full of energy. Her short black hair shinned so brilliant. Her dark skin showed a million days of a strict and difficult life…but her joyfulness made all the scars float away into a simple beauty. Her smile could melt a thousand hearts…or just one. She was looking at me with this smile on her face like everything would be alright…like the brutal war was billions of light years away…I loved her. With everything inside my being I loved her. There was nothing I could do…those omni scum…I shall never forgive them. They took my baby away from me and I shall never understand. I took one last look at the picture…one last glance at the glimmer in her eyes, the pure love she had for me. My hands trembled as I let go of the picture. It began to drift away into the nothingness. I closed my eyes again and imagined what could have been. I folded the old envelope, and placed it back inside the safety of my pocket. I looked back out into the wide desert, the picture long gone into some void of life. I took my glove off and picked up a handful of sand…I let it flow through my fingers. It was warm, so warm…it felt so familiar yet so de****able. I finally turned my back and started back to my ship. The daily ritual was over. I took one last fleeting look at the desert, and as if expecting a response said, “See you tomorrow….”