It was a cold and dark September evening, and the leaves of autumn were swaying down the maple trees.
Each street was illuminated either by the golden light of European street lights or by the light beams of different vehicles that were frequently passing by.
Inside the Jade restaurant, the bells chimed when the door was opened by a customer, and the different sounds from outside came in.
The crunching sound made by dry, dead leaves beneath the feet of people passing by the window; the people who keep on chattering and laughing at the dead of the night; and the rare beeps that were signaled by a black SUV car.
That was the sight some of the patrons were beholding in the windows of one of the restaurants in Jade Town.
Esther Quinn, who was one of the patrons of the restaurant, also met this classic autumn scenery.
Wearing a grey oversized knit sweater paired with blue tight jeans, she savored and treasured every moment she glimpsed and wrote it down in her small notebook.
It is a habit she just started doing three months ago. The smell of every autumn dish that was being served by the restaurant assaulted her nose.
It is the smell that makes the people inside put smiles on their faces as they gaze on the other end of their serving tables.
An example of what she meant was the table in front of her.
"Eat well, our little Angel." Said by the middle-aged woman beside the window, who smiled after the little girl nodded in response.
Besides, a contrast scene met her eyes at the table next to hers.
"I would rather die than miss the deadline," is what the other woman said.
These two young students talked behind the back of their science professor, who was a complete terror to his nursing students.
In fact, Esther Quinn had already guessed which university they are from seeing the batch pins on their left chests.
Similarly, she is also from the Jade University.
In like manner, the customers were happily chattering and whispering about their daily routines. Even the sounds coming from the television sound so warm that one could just close their eyes from happiness.
As the kissing scene from 'A Love So Beautiful' was about to be played on television, many teens were deeply focused on the screen.
Of course, on every good occasion, there is always a spoilsport.
But this time, it was not intentional.
In the middle, a customer from table number 3 called the cashier from the front counter, "Miss!" "Can you change the channel for me, please?"
The cashier did not say anything and just grabbed the remote control and pressed the next button.
The screen shows a beautiful newscaster reporting about the wreckage of a cruise ship that caused the deaths of 3000 passengers three months ago.
Shocked by the change of the screen, the teens who were about to witness the love of Jiang Chen for Chen Xiaoxi were utterly distressed.
Miss Cashier actually did it.
How could she just change the channel when the exciting part was about to transpire?
Every single detail witnessed by Esther Quinn was already written in her diary, crystal clear.
She was six hours away from ending the month of September, so sitting beside the window and holding the pen while writing the scenes makes her heart flutter, as if it had been a long time since she felt this way.
With a grip of the pen in her left slender hand, she was about to write about the intriguing breaking news but halted when reality hit back.
As if asking herself, "A wreckage ship?" She pondered.
The breaking news caused an uproar inside the restaurant.
The formal, journalistic tone of the reporter resonated with the facts and information on the overwhelmed cruise ship. "...a total of 3000 passengers and the workers died from the storm surge that took place in the Pearl Sea."
When she announced this, the peeps gasped in grief.
Losing a loved one is heartbreaking. Some of the soft-hearted customers thought that 3000 families would be losing one or more loved ones. They could not imagine how a simple natural disaster could eliminate lives so easily.
What will happen if half of the population sails to different destinations?
Regardless of how saddening the news is, most of the customers did not take it to heart as they are not one of the victims or their family is not.
That is just how heartless most human beings are. But they cannot be blamed. Everyone has their fate awaiting them.
Just like how the uncle who asked the cashier to change the channel cried in sorrow.
He had already stood abruptly, causing the chairs to make a scraping sound, making the situation notable. As a consequence, everyone looked over him.
"My wife! My wife was one of the passengers! Heavens, my wife is pregnant," he cried as he kneeled down on the floor and, at the same time, reached his arms to his face to wipe his falling tears.
This broke the once warm and comforting scene and switched it to a gloomy and depressing view.
The middle-aged woman who was in front of Esther Quinn's table awhile ago could not take the dramatic action of the uncle. She reached out and helped him up. While doing so, she yelled to the cashier to bring her some water for the uncle.
The bell chimed back.
Esther Quinn had already left the restaurant.
The leaves dance from branch to ground, each a dull color waving for help.
She felt the breeze of the cold air the night has to offer, rich with the aroma of the earth, the keeper of the seeds for the springtime to come but also the keeper of bones to rot.
Three months after she became a student at Jade University, she decided to stay in the school's dormitory for convenience purposes.
It is also mandatory for the students to stay close to the university. It is more so in her case. Being a scholar student who was personally recommended by the principal of Blossom High School, she could not turn down the offer.
Therefore, she could only drag herself as she walked towards their dormitory every day.
While strolling silently, she pondered the news that she just watched.
Thinking about the lives of the passengers, she related it to her own. If she was one of the passengers on that cruise ship and no one knew about the impending doom awaiting her, would there be someone waiting for her, worrying about her safety? "Probably no one," she said, walking beside the street light.
In an instant, her whole figure emitted a lonely ambience. Not to mention the shadow trailing her form, she was like a lonely girl depicted in a picture book.
The prominent sound of a breeze whistled through her ears. Her unmoving face complements the gloomy aura she emits.
Her demeanor was just the opposite of her current identity—a 20-year-old college student.
Upon arriving at her dormitory, she gazed up at the building and measured it.
The architects planned the building well. It is in European style.
In the past, she could see luxurious things a million times, but she could not admire them properly. But this time, she won't miss a chance.
"I won't be missing this opportunity."
To her, it was such a beautiful and picturesque setting.
But all of these transpired...
…two days ago.