Satakala: A Journey Through Gardens of Love

I lay flat on my back, soaking in the sun. I opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue, letting the rays bathe it, purify it. It was the first time I had seen the sun for weeks.

I could hear Khali's feet padding across the grass behind me. She sat down beside me, I turned to her, asked: "And?"

"It's good."

I smiled at her. "Good."

"You know, Kano," she said, her voice low, so only I could hear it, "you are a strange man."

"Why do you say that? What makes me strange?"

The stream was flowing fast and cold through my fingers. Khali was right - this was a very beautiful place. The forest was alive with the sound of running water and the smell of the earth beneath our feet. It was a little damp but we were walking barefoot; it made us feel more connected to nature.

Khali stopped suddenly and said: "What is this place?" She pointed at a tree that was covered with small yellow fruits.

"Ah! That is an orange tree," I said and walked over to it. "Sit here," I told her and patted the ground next to me. I picked up one of the fruits and handed it to her along with a knife from my back pocket. "Here, cut it open for yourself." She did not hesitate for long before taking the knife from me, slicing into the round fruit and eating from it as if she had never tasted anything sweeter in her life before. When she was finished she took another piece for herself and then held out what remained to me.

Khali looked at me expectantly with her bright eyes as I hesitated for just a moment before taking the fruit from her hands. As soon as I bit into it I felt its juices run down my chin and tickle my throat as they went further down into my stomach. This was undoubtedly one of the sweetest things I had ever tasted in all my life! For once in my life I did not care about how messy I looked or how uncouth I might be acting; this experience was too extraordinary to let go without savouring every last drop of it!

As if sensing my thoughts Khali reached out with her delicate hand adorned with gold bangles and wiped away some of the juice that had escaped onto my face. My heart skipped a beat as our eyes met briefly during this simple act between us; somehow we both knew we were closer than ever before in that moment ...

I awoke with a start from a dream filled with images from years past - images from one of those moments that would change your life forever; this one had changed mine.

I stretched out on the ground facing up towards the stars above me; they seemed so close tonight like they always did this time of year when winter came around again after being swallowed by summer for what seemed like an eternity now ... There were so many stars tonight - even more than usual! And there - there in front of me! Was that someone lying on their back staring up at them as well? In fact ... Yes ... It surely looked like two people lying there on their backs side-by-side looking up at the same patch of sky above them! How strange was that? What were the chances of finding someone else right here right now? A fluke perhaps ... Of course that must be it! But … but then again why not? After all, this way too was special; after all this was Satakala wasn't it? Why shouldn't we meet here tonight? It is written in its very name after all isn't it - 'Satakala'? It means 'chance' doesn't it? So yes ... It must be fate! And fate has brought us together here tonight after all these years … To finish what we started …