Restitution (The Edge of Darkness, #3)

by Leigh Rivers

One blink, we have a life and a future and a purpose. We can breathe fresh air into our lungs and listen to the rain pattering against a window. We meet someone amazing, go on dates and get to know them until the butterflies are unbearable. We buy books that sit on our bookcases and gather dust. We can listen and sing along to our favourite songs until our throats get sore. Watch movies and cuddle on the couch until we fall asleep. We can walk our dogs under the pale moonlight and laugh with our friends while living in the moment. Make plans for the future and celebrate milestones. Study and get our dream jobs. Mortgages and car finance to put us into more debt. Fall in love, get married, have kids and watch them have their own lives. Watch them make their own achievements and mistakes. Their own families and careers. Or we can choose a completely different path that’s no less fulfilling. In one stilted moment, we can see the world and all its colours and smell the oceans and flowers. We can eat junk food until our stomachs are full. And dance in a studio, in front of a crowd, or in the kitchen while we cook. Maybe in the shower if the mood strikes. And in the next, it can all be taken away by a bad decision, an illness, a fatal accident, old age.