Because I am a sentimental fool...
...make that a geeky sentimental fool, I'm marking the days leading up to the glorious 25th of May with excerpts from Terry Pratchett's Night Watch. We'll see if I can keep this up. And yes, today counts as May 1 because I haven't gone to bed yet. :P
The scent rolled over him.
He looked up.
Overhead, a lilac was in bloom.
He stared.
Damn! Damn! Damn! Every year he forgot. Well, no. He never forgot. He just put the memories away, like old silverware that you didn't want to tarnish. And every year they came back, sharp and sparkling, and stabbed him in the heart. And today, of all days...
He reached up, and his hand trembled as he grasped a bloom and gently broke the stem. He sniffed at it. He stood for a moment, staring at nothing. And then he carried the sprig of lilac carefully back up to his dressing room.
The scent rolled over him.
He looked up.
Overhead, a lilac was in bloom.
He stared.
Damn! Damn! Damn! Every year he forgot. Well, no. He never forgot. He just put the memories away, like old silverware that you didn't want to tarnish. And every year they came back, sharp and sparkling, and stabbed him in the heart. And today, of all days...
He reached up, and his hand trembled as he grasped a bloom and gently broke the stem. He sniffed at it. He stood for a moment, staring at nothing. And then he carried the sprig of lilac carefully back up to his dressing room.