**
A distracted Emily knelt to the ground and looked the impatient kid in the eyes. "I think we should stop eating chocolates." She gently caressed Jasmine's hair and tucked a loose strand behind her ear. The kid opened her mouth as if trying to say something but immediately closed it again. The confusion was evident in her eyes.
A frown crossed Jasmine's face upon realizing that her constant source of joy will be taken away from her. It has been days since she's had a fully rested sleep and the chocolates that Emily has been supplying to her has been her source of energy since.
She remembered staying up late until midnight of December 18th. She was too excited to celebrate her 7th birthday with Emily the next morning that her eyes couldn't find the tiredness to sleep.
She was watching the clock on the wall opposite of the bunk bed she was occupying. The other girls behind her were already fast asleep. All she can hear are heavy breaths and the ticking of the clock. She tried hard to fall asleep. She closed her eyes and tossed and turned to find that comfortable position.
It was already 11:59 in the clock. Her body is already tired but her mind is still awake.
"Tick - tock - tick - tock - tick - tock", said the clock.
When hands of the clock struck 12, she fell asleep.
***
"Happy 50th wedding anniversary my dear Caroline. You've always looked beautiful, but tonight, you are even more stunning. " A man in black trousers and red polo approached a woman in a bright red dress. He was holding out a bouquet of red and white roses for her.
"Oh, Leo my love, stop embarassing me in front of our children and grandkids. We're too old for that." Caroline said that while trying to keep her cheeks from blushing.
The little kids who were roaming around the house, playing hide and seek, stopped to witness that beautiful moment. The family members who came to celebrate with them were in awe of that scene and applauded.
The old couple were at the center of the makeshift stage prepared by their children, Lucas and Lauren. The visitors were standing, forming a semi-circle facing the duo, with the adults holding glasses of champagne in their hands.
Caroline reached out for the bouquet of flowers and smelled the wonderful fragrance of the roses. She put the flowers down and hugged her husband. Leo broke the embrace and kissed her on the cheeks. He then took her hand and guided her down the stage towards the middle of the crowd.
The crowd cleared the way, enclosing them in a circle.
As if on cue, the lights dimmed and a spotlight focused at the center. An old classic tune played in which the couple danced into. While the audience were mesmerized by this scene, the couple was lost in their own world.
They talked about old memories of their youthful days, laughed at old jokes, reminiscing their sweet past, all the while gently swaying to the beat of the music.
It's been a good fifty years of friendship, marriage and parenthood to two beautiful children. Caroline was smiling from ear to ear. She wrapped her hands on him and hugged him once again. "Sometimes, I think of what I could possibly have done in my past lives to deserve this kind of life with you.", Caroline mused.
He replied, "Silly. We'd never have an answer for that. What's important is that I love you. And even in the next lifetime, it would still be you."
***
"Tick - tock - tick - tock - tick - tock", said the clock.
It was five in the morning and Jasmine found herself staring at the clock, tears streaming down her face. She wiped the tears with her sleeves and went back to sleep.
She felt overwhelmed with emotion and her child heart could not contain those mixed feelings of happiness, longing and love radiating from the old couple in her dream. She was still thinking about the familiar old couple when she felt a surge of tiredness and lack of sleep taking its toll on her body.
She closed her eyes but her mind still wandered, trying to pinpoint the source of that familiarity. "Where did I meet them before?", she softly mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.
That morning, Emily visited her and brought her a slice of chocolate cake for her birthday. She was too excited to eat her treat that she forked a piece even before the candles were placed and lit.
She has totally forgotten to tell her about her dream that day. Now is her chance to tell her.