Nothing lasts forever. Aria knew that, and yet she wanted to stay. Looking down onto the riverbanks, she was witness to something, to a sorrow she had yet to experience until now. Rows upon rows of people lined up holding a paper lantern. When she looked even closer, there were names written on each of them.

An elderly woman stepped out of the crowd and lifted up her hands to let loose her lantern. For what seemed like an eternity, it flew higher and higher into the blanket of darkness. The n, as if on cue, a silver light broke through the gloomy blanket. It illuminated the lantern as if welcoming it.

As more and more the clouds dispersed, the sky was replaced with glitter. When the people could see the stars, they started to let go of their lanterns. It was a sight to behold, Aria thought. Somehow, when looking upon those floating embers, she could feel the emotions of those who released them. Every anguish, grief, anger, and every sorrow floated away with each ember.

Looking down at the people, Aria would engrave this into memory for as long as she lives. From the elderly woman to smallest child, everyone had a tear stream down the side of their cheek, but they all had smiles. That was when she realized, this wasn’t a memorial or anything like that. They were saying goodbye. Whatever feeling they had, their loved ones would take that away with them. So that whenever, they would think of their loved one, they would smile.

Aria looked upon the sky again and saw the lanterns no longer there but could see stars near the moon. She couldn’t help but gasp as tears started streaming down her own face. However, as she was using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe away her tears, she found herself smiling.

“They’re in a better place now.” Aria whispered to herself. With a sigh of relief and satisfaction, she picked up her bag and continued her journey.