The Day the World Stood Still

Previously

…I looked around, my heart swelling with an emotion I couldn't quite name. The world was no longer frozen. The colors were returning, vibrant and alive. A woman on a park bench was stretching, a dog was wagging its tail, children were laughing. It was as if a dream had ended, and reality, in all its beautiful, chaotic glory, had returned. And then, I saw them. My parents, my friends, all the people I loved, their eyes slowly blinking open, confusion turning to wonder, then to relief. A wave of pure, unadulterated love washed over me, so potent it made my knees weak. They were back. They were safe. And I was home.