A Sleep Story: Whispers of a Rainy Harbor
Beyond the Pillow
[{'start': '4.880', 'end': '7.840', 'text': 'Night has settled gently over Honfleur,'}, {'start': '8.440', 'end': '11.280', 'text': 'a sleepy coastal town on the Normandy shore.'}, {'start': '12.080', 'end': '13.350', 'text': 'The narrow cobbled St.'}, {'start': '13.360', 'end': '16.950', 'text': 'outside glistens under the soft glow of old St.'}, {'start': '16.960', 'end': '17.600', 'text': 'lamps,'}, {'start': '18.400', 'end': '21.200', 'text': 'each puddle catching a scatter of golden light.'}, {'start': '22.320', 'end': '25.840', 'text': 'A fine mist of rain has been falling for hours,'}, {'start': '26.240', 'end': '28.550', 'text': 'tapping lightly against the windowpanes and'}, {'start': '28.560', 'end': '29.440', 'text': 'rooftops.'}, {'start': '30.240', 'end': '33.550', 'text': 'The air is cool and smells of damp stone'}, {'start': '33.560', 'end': '34.400', 'text': 'and salt,'}, {'start': '34.960', 'end': '37.360', 'text': 'a mix of rain-soaked cobblestones'}, {'start': '37.680', 'end': '38.960', 'text': 'and the nearby sea.'}, {'start': '40.000', 'end': '40.960', 'text': 'In the stillness,'}, {'start': '41.360', 'end': '43.670', 'text': 'I can hear the distant hush of the tide in'}, {'start': '43.680', 'end': '44.640', 'text': 'the harbor,'}, {'start': '45.120', 'end': '48.790', 'text': 'its rhythm steady and reassuring in the'}, {'start': '48.800', 'end': '49.920', 'text': 'darkness.'}, {'start': '51.280', 'end': '53.440', 'text': 'From my small attic room at the inn,'}, {'start': '53.680', 'end': '56.560', 'text': 'I gaze through wavy glass at the scene below.'}, {'start': '57.360', 'end': '59.520', 'text': "Through the window's warped reflection,"}, {'start': '59.840', 'end': '62.550', 'text': 'I see the outlines of centuries-old houses'}, {'start': '62.560', 'end': '64.710', 'text': 'leaning together like close friends'}, {'start': '64.720', 'end': '66.240', 'text': 'sheltering from the drizzle.'}, {'start': '67.200', 'end': '68.160', 'text': 'Their facades,'}, {'start': '68.560', 'end': '70.880', 'text': 'clad in weathered timber and slate,'}, {'start': '71.280', 'end': '73.200', 'text': 'blur softly in the mist,'}, {'start': '73.920', 'end': '77.030', 'text': 'faintly illuminated by lamps hung beside'}, {'start': '77.040', 'end': '78.000', 'text': 'wooden shutters.'}, {'start': '78.960', 'end': '80.160', 'text': 'Across the street,'}, {'start': '80.400', 'end': '83.030', 'text': 'a single shop sign sways slightly in the'}, {'start': '83.040', 'end': '83.680', 'text': 'breeze,'}, {'start': '84.000', 'end': '86.880', 'text': 'its hinges creaking in a familiar lullaby.'}, {'start': '87.840', 'end': '90.080', 'text': 'Everything is hushed and still.'}, {'start': '90.880', 'end': '94.160', 'text': 'The usual daytime bustle has long faded,'}, {'start': '94.560', 'end': '96.480', 'text': 'leaving only the patter of rain'}, {'start': '96.720', 'end': '99.030', 'text': 'and the faint sigh of night wind through'}, {'start': '99.040', 'end': '99.760', 'text': 'the alley.'}, {'start': '100.800', 'end': '103.270', 'text': 'I wrap a warm, knitted shawl around my'}, {'start': '103.280', 'end': '105.520', 'text': 'shoulders and breathe in the night.'}, {'start': '106.400', 'end': '109.110', 'text': 'The wool carries a subtle scent of cedar'}, {'start': '109.120', 'end': '110.240', 'text': 'from the wardrobe,'}, {'start': '110.800', 'end': '113.280', 'text': 'mixed with a ghost of rosemary from the'}, {'start': '113.360', 'end': '114.960', 'text': 'herb garden out back.'}, {'start': '116.240', 'end': '118.790', 'text': 'Breathing slow and deep in this quiet hour'}, {'start': '118.800', 'end': '119.920', 'text': 'calms my heart.'}, {'start': '120.720', 'end': '122.880', 'text': 'I close my eyes for a moment and listen.'}, {'start': '123.600', 'end': '125.670', 'text': 'In the distance, the old church bell tower'}, {'start': '125.680', 'end': '127.280', 'text': 'softly chimes the hour,'}, {'start': '127.680', 'end': '130.640', 'text': 'a muffled, velvety sound absorbed by the fog.'}, {'start': '131.440', 'end': '133.600', 'text': 'I count the chimes without thought.'}, {'start': '134.720', 'end': '135.440', 'text': 'One.'}, {'start': '136.640', 'end': '137.360', 'text': 'Two.'}, {'start': '138.480', 'end': '140.160', 'text': 'It must be midnight.'}, {'start': '141.440', 'end': '145.120', 'text': 'Each tone fades gently into the night.'}, {'start': '145.840', 'end': '148.800', 'text': 'leaving a peaceful silence in its wake.'}, {'start': '150.320', 'end': '151.840', 'text': "It's in moments like this,"}, {'start': '152.080', 'end': '154.480', 'text': 'in the hush between those bell chimes,'}, {'start': '154.720', 'end': '156.950', 'text': 'that memories drift back to me most'}, {'start': '156.960', 'end': '157.760', 'text': 'vividly.'}, {'start': '158.560', 'end': '160.160', 'text': 'Here, in Honfleur,'}, {'start': '160.560', 'end': '161.600', 'text': 'every corner,'}, {'start': '161.920', 'end': '164.790', 'text': 'every salt-tinged breeze carries A fragment'}, {'start': '164.800', 'end': '165.280', 'text': 'of you.'}, {'start': '166.080', 'end': '168.320', 'text': 'I can almost sense you here with me now.'}, {'start': '169.600', 'end': '172.310', 'text': 'I imagine, for an instant, that if I turned'}, {'start': '172.320', 'end': '172.960', 'text': 'around,'}, {'start': '173.360', 'end': '176.080', 'text': 'I might find you standing just behind me,'}, {'start': '176.640', 'end': '179.200', 'text': 'smiling in that quiet way you had,'}, {'start': '179.760', 'end': '182.310', 'text': 'as if you were afraid any louder joy might'}, {'start': '182.320', 'end': '184.480', 'text': 'disturb the magic of the evening.'}, {'start': '185.560', 'end': '188.320', 'text': "Of course, when I do turn, there's no one,"}, {'start': '188.880', 'end': '191.350', 'text': "only the faint flicker of the oil lamp I've"}, {'start': '191.360', 'end': '192.480', 'text': 'left on the table,'}, {'start': '192.800', 'end': '195.270', 'text': 'and my own shadow stretching across the'}, {'start': '195.280', 'end': '196.240', 'text': 'wooden floor.'}, {'start': '197.200', 'end': '199.430', 'text': 'Still, the feeling of your presence'}, {'start': '199.440', 'end': '200.240', 'text': 'lingers,'}, {'start': '200.560', 'end': '202.720', 'text': 'warm and bittersweet.'}, {'start': '204.000', 'end': '206.160', 'text': "I decide I won't sleep just yet."}, {'start': '206.640', 'end': '208.960', 'text': 'There is a restlessness in me tonight,'}, {'start': '209.440', 'end': '212.480', 'text': 'a gentle pull from the rain-washed streets below,'}, {'start': '212.960', 'end': '215.040', 'text': 'inviting me out into memory.'}, {'start': '215.840', 'end': '218.400', 'text': 'Slipping on my coat and well-worn boots,'}, {'start': '218.800', 'end': '221.440', 'text': 'I silently let myself out of my room'}, {'start': '221.840', 'end': '224.320', 'text': 'and down the narrow, creaking staircase,'}, {'start': '224.800', 'end': '227.750', 'text': 'careful not to wake the innkeeper dozing at'}, {'start': '227.760', 'end': '229.440', 'text': 'his desk downstairs.'}, {'start': '230.640', 'end': '233.280', 'text': 'The front door opens with a soft sigh,'}, {'start': '233.760', 'end': '236.560', 'text': 'and I step out under the cover of the eaves.'}, {'start': '237.520', 'end': '240.630', 'text': 'Rain drips from the edge of the roof in a'}, {'start': '240.640', 'end': '242.000', 'text': 'steady curtain.'}, {'start': '243.360', 'end': '245.200', 'text': 'I pause there a moment,'}, {'start': '245.520', 'end': '246.320', 'text': 'hood up,'}, {'start': '247.040', 'end': '250.470', 'text': 'allowing my eyes to adjust to the dim glow'}, {'start': '250.480', 'end': '251.680', 'text': 'outside.'}, {'start': '253.120', 'end': '255.590', 'text': 'The night air greets me with a cool kiss on'}, {'start': '255.600', 'end': '256.400', 'text': 'my cheeks.'}, {'start': '257.120', 'end': '258.240', 'text': 'I begin to walk,'}, {'start': '258.480', 'end': '260.800', 'text': 'unhurried, down the familiar lane.'}, {'start': '261.600', 'end': '263.510', 'text': 'With each step on the glistening'}, {'start': '263.520', 'end': '264.560', 'text': 'cobblestones,'}, {'start': '264.960', 'end': '267.760', 'text': 'water splashes lightly around my souls.'}, {'start': '268.560', 'end': '270.950', 'text': 'The sound joins the quiet symphony of'}, {'start': '270.960', 'end': '272.400', 'text': 'rainfall around me.'}, {'start': '273.280', 'end': '275.440', 'text': 'The world feels wonderfully empty,'}, {'start': '276.000', 'end': '277.840', 'text': 'not deserted in a lonely way,'}, {'start': '278.160', 'end': '279.680', 'text': 'but peacefully vacant,'}, {'start': '280.240', 'end': '282.550', 'text': 'like a stage set just for me and my'}, {'start': '282.560', 'end': '283.600', 'text': 'recollections.'}, {'start': '284.480', 'end': '286.240', 'text': 'Shop windows are dark,'}, {'start': '286.720', 'end': '289.230', 'text': 'their displays just silhouettes behind'}, {'start': '289.240', 'end': '290.800', 'text': 'rain-streaked glass.'}, {'start': '291.920', 'end': '293.040', 'text': 'In one window'}, {'start': '293.360', 'end': '296.030', 'text': 'I faintly see the outline of old books'}, {'start': '296.040', 'end': '297.920', 'text': 'stacked haphazardly,'}, {'start': '298.400', 'end': '300.550', 'text': 'and I recall how you used to stop here at'}, {'start': '300.560', 'end': '301.840', 'text': 'that very shop,'}, {'start': '302.320', 'end': '304.470', 'text': 'drawn to the leather-bound journals and'}, {'start': '304.480', 'end': '307.120', 'text': 'sea-worn maps on display.'}, {'start': '308.640', 'end': '311.520', 'text': 'How many times did we linger there?'}, {'start': '312.240', 'end': '315.990', 'text': 'peering in and dreaming aloud of stories we'}, {'start': '316.000', 'end': '316.880', 'text': 'could write,'}, {'start': '317.600', 'end': '319.920', 'text': 'voyages we might take.'}, {'start': '321.600', 'end': '323.910', 'text': 'A few steps more, and I reach the end of'}, {'start': '323.920', 'end': '324.560', 'text': 'the lane,'}, {'start': '324.840', 'end': '327.040', 'text': 'where it opens onto the old harbor.'}, {'start': '327.840', 'end': '330.400', 'text': 'The Vieux Basin, as the locals call it,'}, {'start': '330.800', 'end': '331.680', 'text': 'lies ahead,'}, {'start': '332.240', 'end': '334.640', 'text': 'the small, rectangular harbor basin that'}, {'start': '334.880', 'end': '336.630', 'text': 'has been the heart of this town for'}, {'start': '336.640', 'end': '337.440', 'text': 'centuries.'}, {'start': '338.160', 'end': '340.640', 'text': 'Tonight it is especially enchanting,'}, {'start': '341.200', 'end': '343.440', 'text': 'dressed in the light rain and mist.'}, {'start': '344.320', 'end': '347.040', 'text': 'Moored sailboats and fishing vessels bob'}, {'start': '347.120', 'end': '349.280', 'text': 'ever so gently in the dark water,'}, {'start': '349.680', 'end': '351.360', 'text': 'their masts swaying,'}, {'start': '351.760', 'end': '354.230', 'text': 'causing ropes to groan quietly against'}, {'start': '354.240', 'end': '355.760', 'text': 'wooden spars.'}, {'start': '357.120', 'end': '360.470', 'text': 'The rain dimples the black mirror of the'}, {'start': '360.480', 'end': '361.440', 'text': 'harbor,'}, {'start': '362.080', 'end': '365.030', 'text': 'blurring the reflections of the buildings'}, {'start': '365.040', 'end': '368.000', 'text': 'and the scattered lights around the quay.'}, {'start': '369.680', 'end': '372.000', 'text': 'I walk along the quay slowly,'}, {'start': '372.520', 'end': '375.350', 'text': 'under the warm glow of a few antique lamps'}, {'start': '375.360', 'end': '377.280', 'text': "that line the water's edge."}, {'start': '378.160', 'end': '381.670', 'text': 'Each lamp casts a trembling path of light'}, {'start': '381.680', 'end': '383.600', 'text': 'on the wet stones underfoot.'}, {'start': '384.800', 'end': '387.750', 'text': 'I follow these little pools of luminance as'}, {'start': '387.760', 'end': '389.990', 'text': 'if they are stepping stones guiding me'}, {'start': '390.000', 'end': '390.880', 'text': 'through time.'}, {'start': '391.920', 'end': '393.200', 'text': 'Across the harbor,'}, {'start': '393.440', 'end': '397.390', 'text': 'the tall, narrow houses of Enfleur stand in'}, {'start': '397.400', 'end': '398.400', 'text': 'a quiet row.'}, {'start': '399.440', 'end': '402.550', 'text': 'Even at this late hour, a few windows still'}, {'start': '402.560', 'end': '403.600', 'text': 'glow with life,'}, {'start': '404.200', 'end': '406.950', 'text': "perhaps a painter at work or a sailor's"}, {'start': '406.960', 'end': '409.280', 'text': 'wife waiting for dawn.'}, {'start': '410.400', 'end': '414.240', 'text': "Their light dances on the water's surface,"}, {'start': '414.720', 'end': '419.520', 'text': 'stretching toward me in wavy golden lines.'}, {'start': '420.800', 'end': '423.270', 'text': 'The scent of the sea is stronger here by'}, {'start': '423.280', 'end': '424.000', 'text': 'the harbor,'}, {'start': '424.400', 'end': '425.920', 'text': 'mingled with brine,'}, {'start': '426.320', 'end': '428.710', 'text': 'and a faint memory of fish from the market'}, {'start': '428.720', 'end': '430.480', 'text': 'stalls earlier in the day.'}, {'start': '431.520', 'end': '432.480', 'text': 'I breathe it in'}, {'start': '432.880', 'end': '435.030', 'text': 'and recall a morning long ago when we'}, {'start': '435.040', 'end': '437.040', 'text': 'strolled here hand in hand.'}, {'start': '437.920', 'end': '439.760', 'text': 'The market was lively then,'}, {'start': '440.320', 'end': '443.040', 'text': "vendors calling out the day's catch,"}, {'start': '443.600', 'end': '445.990', 'text': 'you laughing as you insisted on choosing'}, {'start': '446.000', 'end': '448.560', 'text': 'the plumpest oysters for our supper.'}, {'start': '449.680', 'end': '452.390', 'text': 'I remember how the early sun lit your hair'}, {'start': '452.400', 'end': '453.280', 'text': 'that morning,'}, {'start': '453.760', 'end': '456.550', 'text': 'and how later that day we shucked those'}, {'start': '456.560', 'end': '458.790', 'text': 'oysters in the little kitchen of our rented'}, {'start': '458.800', 'end': '459.440', 'text': 'cottage,'}, {'start': '460.000', 'end': '463.840', 'text': 'squeezing lemon and sharing them fresh and cold.'}, {'start': '464.800', 'end': '467.190', 'text': 'We toasted with cider from a local apple'}, {'start': '467.200', 'end': '467.840', 'text': 'orchard,'}, {'start': '468.320', 'end': '471.200', 'text': 'your eyes shining over the rim of your glass.'}, {'start': '472.080', 'end': '473.280', 'text': 'That was springtime,'}, {'start': '473.760', 'end': '476.480', 'text': 'and the town was full of life and color.'}, {'start': '477.280', 'end': '478.640', 'text': 'Now it is autumn,'}, {'start': '479.120', 'end': '480.880', 'text': 'and everything has gone quieter,'}, {'start': '481.440', 'end': '484.560', 'text': 'but the ghost of that vibrant day lives on here,'}, {'start': '485.120', 'end': '487.150', 'text': 'overlapping the present like a double'}, {'start': '487.160', 'end': '488.720', 'text': 'exposure in my mind.'}, {'start': '489.840', 'end': '492.160', 'text': 'A light breeze brings me back to the now,'}, {'start': '492.560', 'end': '494.960', 'text': 'cool and a little stronger than before.'}, {'start': '495.760', 'end': '498.320', 'text': 'It pushes the drizzle in under my hood,'}, {'start': '498.560', 'end': '501.680', 'text': 'speckling my face with tiny cold kisses.'}, {'start': '502.560', 'end': '504.790', 'text': 'I pull the hood a bit lower and tuck my'}, {'start': '504.800', 'end': '505.600', 'text': 'chin down.'}, {'start': '506.720', 'end': '507.440', 'text': 'As I do,'}, {'start': '507.840', 'end': '510.470', 'text': 'my gaze falls upon a particular bench by'}, {'start': '510.480', 'end': '511.200', 'text': 'the water,'}, {'start': '512.080', 'end': '514.310', 'text': 'a simple wrought-iron bench beneath a'}, {'start': '514.320', 'end': '515.120', 'text': 'street lamp,'}, {'start': '515.600', 'end': '518.560', 'text': 'the very one where we once sat watching the boats.'}, {'start': '519.440', 'end': '520.240', 'text': 'I approach it'}, {'start': '520.600', 'end': '523.680', 'text': 'and run my fingers along the damp wooden slats.'}, {'start': '524.640', 'end': '528.000', 'text': 'In my memory it is a bright summer evening.'}, {'start': '528.800', 'end': '530.960', 'text': 'We are there on that bench together,'}, {'start': '531.120', 'end': '532.400', 'text': 'shoulder to shoulder.'}, {'start': '533.440', 'end': '536.000', 'text': 'I can almost feel the warmth of that day,'}, {'start': '536.080', 'end': '538.400', 'text': 'despite the chill of the present night.'}, {'start': '539.360', 'end': '542.320', 'text': 'We sat for hours, quietly content,'}, {'start': '542.720', 'end': '544.870', 'text': 'watching the comings and goings in the'}, {'start': '544.880', 'end': '545.520', 'text': 'harbor,'}, {'start': '546.160', 'end': '549.070', 'text': 'the cheerful hellos of fishermen returning'}, {'start': '549.080', 'end': '550.160', 'text': 'with their catch,'}, {'start': '550.880', 'end': '553.440', 'text': 'children chasing each other along the quay,'}, {'start': '554.000', 'end': '556.470', 'text': 'the distant strains of an accordion being'}, {'start': '556.480', 'end': '558.800', 'text': 'played for coins by the cafe.'}, {'start': '560.080', 'end': '562.910', 'text': 'On that summer night, as the sun set late'}, {'start': '562.920', 'end': '564.480', 'text': 'and golden over the water,'}, {'start': '564.960', 'end': '566.880', 'text': 'you rested your head on my shoulder.'}, {'start': '568.160', 'end': '570.000', 'text': 'I remember you humming a tune,'}, {'start': '570.560', 'end': '573.120', 'text': 'that old lullaby your mother used to sing.'}, {'start': '574.160', 'end': '576.960', 'text': 'I never knew the words, but the melody was'}, {'start': '577.040', 'end': '578.480', 'text': 'soothing and sweet.'}, {'start': '579.280', 'end': '581.830', 'text': 'I find myself humming it now, under my'}, {'start': '581.840', 'end': '582.240', 'text': 'breath,'}, {'start': '582.720', 'end': '584.000', 'text': 'here in the drizzle.'}, {'start': '584.880', 'end': '587.270', 'text': 'The notes come out faint and trembling in'}, {'start': '587.280', 'end': '588.160', 'text': 'the cool air,'}, {'start': '588.560', 'end': '590.480', 'text': 'mingling with the patter of rain.'}, {'start': '591.120', 'end': '593.350', 'text': "It's as though the past and present are"}, {'start': '593.360', 'end': '594.240', 'text': 'melding.'}, {'start': '595.440', 'end': '599.030', 'text': 'The quiet harbor of tonight with the memory'}, {'start': '599.040', 'end': '602.000', 'text': 'of that music from years ago.'}, {'start': '603.520', 'end': '605.760', 'text': 'My eyes prick with a hint of tears,'}, {'start': '606.160', 'end': '607.920', 'text': 'not of sadness exactly,'}, {'start': '608.320', 'end': '610.320', 'text': 'but of a tender kind of longing.'}, {'start': '611.280', 'end': '612.960', 'text': 'I blink them away gently.'}, {'start': '613.520', 'end': '616.390', 'text': 'A drop of rain rolls down my face, tracing'}, {'start': '616.400', 'end': '618.160', 'text': 'the path a tear might take.'}, {'start': '619.200', 'end': '623.120', 'text': 'I let out a slow exhale and continue on,'}, {'start': '624.080', 'end': '627.910', 'text': 'leaving the bench and that precious memory'}, {'start': '627.920', 'end': '629.360', 'text': 'behind for now.'}, {'start': '630.960', 'end': '632.800', 'text': 'As I continue along the quay,'}, {'start': '633.240', 'end': '635.680', 'text': 'a familiar shape appears in the mist ahead,'}, {'start': '636.240', 'end': '638.720', 'text': 'the old carousel by the waterfront.'}, {'start': '639.760', 'end': '642.560', 'text': 'Tonight it stands silent and still,'}, {'start': '643.120', 'end': '645.350', 'text': 'its brightly painted horses and carriages'}, {'start': '645.360', 'end': '648.480', 'text': 'glistening with moisture under the lone St. lamp.'}, {'start': '649.440', 'end': '650.240', 'text': 'In summer,'}, {'start': '650.560', 'end': '653.280', 'text': 'that carousel would be turning merrily,'}, {'start': '653.680', 'end': '656.510', 'text': 'cascading cheerful organ music into the'}, {'start': '656.520', 'end': '657.680', 'text': 'evening air,'}, {'start': '657.920', 'end': '659.600', 'text': 'as children laughed.'}, {'start': '660.800', 'end': '663.670', 'text': 'I remember one warm festival night when you'}, {'start': '663.680', 'end': '665.600', 'text': 'convinced me to ride it with you.'}, {'start': '666.640', 'end': '669.350', 'text': 'We climbed onto one of the ornate carriages'}, {'start': '669.360', 'end': '672.390', 'text': 'and held on as it spun us round and round'}, {'start': '672.400', 'end': '674.560', 'text': 'beneath a blur of golden lights.'}, {'start': '675.600', 'end': '677.600', 'text': 'We laughed like kids,'}, {'start': '678.000', 'end': '680.480', 'text': 'feeling carefree and giddy,'}, {'start': '680.960', 'end': '684.070', 'text': 'waving at the townsfolk on each rotation as'}, {'start': '684.080', 'end': '687.120', 'text': "if we too were part of the carousel's magic."}, {'start': '688.160', 'end': '688.640', 'text': 'Now,'}, {'start': '688.880', 'end': '690.560', 'text': 'in the stillness of this night,'}, {'start': '690.880', 'end': '693.440', 'text': 'the carousel stands like a forgotten jewel.'}, {'start': '694.240', 'end': '696.160', 'text': 'music, and lights asleep,'}, {'start': '696.640', 'end': '699.550', 'text': 'but the memory of that joyful ride twirls'}, {'start': '699.560', 'end': '700.480', 'text': 'in my mind.'}, {'start': '701.360', 'end': '703.910', 'text': 'I smile at the thought and carry that'}, {'start': '703.920', 'end': '707.200', 'text': 'gentle warmth with me as I move on.'}, {'start': '708.640', 'end': '711.150', 'text': 'The soles of my boots carry me further'}, {'start': '711.160', 'end': '712.160', 'text': 'along the quay'}, {'start': '712.520', 'end': '714.630', 'text': 'until I near the corner by the old'}, {'start': '714.640', 'end': '716.080', 'text': 'Lieutenancy Building,'}, {'start': '716.840', 'end': '719.350', 'text': 'an ancient stone structure that guards the'}, {'start': '719.360', 'end': '720.040', 'text': 'harbor mouth.'}, {'start': '721.440', 'end': '721.920', 'text': 'Here'}, {'start': '722.320', 'end': '725.590', 'text': 'I turn onto a dimmer path that leads toward'}, {'start': '725.600', 'end': '726.480', 'text': 'the beach'}, {'start': '726.720', 'end': '729.910', 'text': 'and the open sea beyond the protective'}, {'start': '729.920', 'end': '731.920', 'text': 'walls of the basin.'}, {'start': '733.280', 'end': '736.560', 'text': 'The beach is mostly pebbles and dark sand,'}, {'start': '736.960', 'end': '739.190', 'text': 'glistening under the faint silver light'}, {'start': '739.200', 'end': '741.280', 'text': 'diffusing through the low clouds.'}, {'start': '742.240', 'end': '745.390', 'text': 'The sea stretches out beyond, invisible in'}, {'start': '745.400', 'end': '746.000', 'text': 'the night,'}, {'start': '746.480', 'end': '747.440', 'text': 'but I hear it.'}, {'start': '748.160', 'end': '750.960', 'text': 'calm waves meeting the shore in a slow,'}, {'start': '751.040', 'end': '752.240', 'text': 'repetitive hush.'}, {'start': '753.040', 'end': '755.440', 'text': 'Hardly anyone comes here at this hour.'}, {'start': '756.240', 'end': '757.120', 'text': 'In daylight,'}, {'start': '757.360', 'end': '759.590', 'text': 'you might see a few painters with easels'}, {'start': '759.600', 'end': '761.920', 'text': 'capturing the changing Norman light or'}, {'start': '762.240', 'end': '764.000', 'text': 'children searching for shells.'}, {'start': '764.880', 'end': '766.240', 'text': "But now it's just me,"}, {'start': '766.720', 'end': '770.470', 'text': 'and my footsteps crunch quietly on the wet'}, {'start': '770.480', 'end': '772.480', 'text': 'sand and pebbles.'}, {'start': '773.840', 'end': '776.390', 'text': 'I wander a little way onto the beach until'}, {'start': '776.400', 'end': '779.360', 'text': 'the harbor lamps are a distant glow behind me,'}, {'start': '780.000', 'end': '782.560', 'text': "and I'm enveloped in a deeper solitude."}, {'start': '783.520', 'end': '786.240', 'text': "The ocean's voice is a touch louder here,"}, {'start': '786.560', 'end': '787.920', 'text': 'though still gentle.'}, {'start': '788.840', 'end': '791.440', 'text': 'A faint mist hovers above the ground,'}, {'start': '791.840', 'end': '794.550', 'text': 'and with each breath I take I taste salt'}, {'start': '794.560', 'end': '796.080', 'text': 'and the cool of the night.'}, {'start': '796.960', 'end': '799.920', 'text': 'I close my eyes again and simply listen'}, {'start': '800.400', 'end': '802.160', 'text': 'to the water, to the rain,'}, {'start': '802.560', 'end': '805.520', 'text': 'and to the echo of your voice in my mind.'}, {'start': '806.480', 'end': '809.390', 'text': 'How clearly I recall one drizzly afternoon'}, {'start': '809.400', 'end': '811.360', 'text': 'when we escaped here to the beach,'}, {'start': '811.760', 'end': '813.040', 'text': 'just like this,'}, {'start': '813.440', 'end': '814.480', 'text': 'to be alone.'}, {'start': '815.440', 'end': '818.000', 'text': 'It was early autumn then, as it is now.'}, {'start': '818.720', 'end': '820.960', 'text': 'We had bundled up in thick sweaters,'}, {'start': '821.040', 'end': '823.110', 'text': "determined that a little weather wouldn't"}, {'start': '823.120', 'end': '824.480', 'text': 'keep us inside.'}, {'start': '825.360', 'end': '827.870', 'text': 'The town behind us was bustling with the'}, {'start': '827.880', 'end': '829.120', 'text': 'weekend market,'}, {'start': '829.600', 'end': '831.440', 'text': 'but we wanted the quiet.'}, {'start': '832.400', 'end': '835.360', 'text': 'We walked along this very stretch of shore,'}, {'start': '835.920', 'end': '839.360', 'text': 'our shoes leaving paired prints in the damp sand.'}, {'start': '840.000', 'end': '841.520', 'text': 'There was a light mist,'}, {'start': '842.000', 'end': '844.710', 'text': 'just enough to bead in your hair like tiny'}, {'start': '844.720', 'end': '845.440', 'text': 'pearls.'}, {'start': '846.400', 'end': '849.030', 'text': 'I remember laughing quietly as I brushed'}, {'start': '849.040', 'end': '850.960', 'text': 'raindrops from your eyelashes.'}, {'start': '851.840', 'end': '854.070', 'text': 'You caught my hand and held it against your'}, {'start': '854.080', 'end': '855.200', 'text': 'cheek for a moment.'}, {'start': '856.240', 'end': '858.560', 'text': 'We talked about everything and nothing.'}, {'start': '859.200', 'end': '860.400', 'text': 'Future dreams,'}, {'start': '860.800', 'end': '862.240', 'text': 'the books we were reading,'}, {'start': '862.800', 'end': '865.360', 'text': 'the way the light on the water made us both'}, {'start': '865.440', 'end': '867.520', 'text': 'feel something almost holy.'}, {'start': '868.720', 'end': '871.350', 'text': 'When a stronger shower finally chased us'}, {'start': '871.360', 'end': '872.800', 'text': 'back toward town,'}, {'start': '873.280', 'end': '874.160', 'text': 'we ran,'}, {'start': '874.480', 'end': '876.240', 'text': 'breathless and laughing,'}, {'start': '876.680', 'end': '878.790', 'text': 'until we found shelter under the awning of'}, {'start': '878.800', 'end': '880.080', 'text': 'a closed cafe.'}, {'start': '881.040', 'end': '883.120', 'text': 'Out of breath and huddled together,'}, {'start': '883.440', 'end': '885.510', 'text': 'we watched the sudden downpour turn the'}, {'start': '885.520', 'end': '886.560', 'text': 'world silver.'}, {'start': '887.360', 'end': '889.120', 'text': 'Then, impulsively,'}, {'start': '889.360', 'end': '890.240', 'text': 'you kissed me.'}, {'start': '890.880', 'end': '893.990', 'text': 'a sweet, rain-spiced kiss that warmed me to'}, {'start': '894.000', 'end': '894.800', 'text': 'my toes.'}, {'start': '895.680', 'end': '898.800', 'text': 'I swear I can feel that warmth now,'}, {'start': '899.600', 'end': '903.110', 'text': 'as I stand here alone with the light rain'}, {'start': '903.120', 'end': '904.240', 'text': 'around me.'}, {'start': '905.760', 'end': '907.600', 'text': 'A shiver passes through me,'}, {'start': '908.160', 'end': '909.040', 'text': 'part chill,'}, {'start': '909.520', 'end': '910.560', 'text': 'part emotion,'}, {'start': '911.040', 'end': '913.760', 'text': 'and I realize my hands have gone cold.'}, {'start': '914.640', 'end': '916.000', 'text': 'I rub them together'}, {'start': '916.240', 'end': '918.000', 'text': 'and decide to leave the beach,'}, {'start': '918.400', 'end': '920.880', 'text': 'stepping away from the whispers of the waves,'}, {'start': '921.200', 'end': '924.160', 'text': 'and back toward the glow of the harbor lamps,'}, {'start': '924.560', 'end': '927.280', 'text': 'and the embracing arms of the old town.'}, {'start': '928.240', 'end': '930.880', 'text': 'Retracing my steps along the cobbles,'}, {'start': '931.360', 'end': '933.840', 'text': 'I pass the lieutenancy building again,'}, {'start': '934.320', 'end': '937.280', 'text': 'its stone archway dark and dripping.'}, {'start': '938.240', 'end': '940.480', 'text': 'Instead of returning along the quay,'}, {'start': '940.880', 'end': '944.310', 'text': 'I turn up another, narrow street that leads'}, {'start': '944.320', 'end': '946.400', 'text': 'toward the center of town.'}, {'start': '947.080', 'end': '949.830', 'text': 'toward the old church of St.'}, {'start': '949.840', 'end': '951.040', 'text': 'Catherine.'}, {'start': '952.480', 'end': '954.960', 'text': 'The street rises gently uphill.'}, {'start': '955.840', 'end': '958.270', 'text': 'On either side, crooked, timber-framed'}, {'start': '958.280', 'end': '959.920', 'text': 'houses crowd close.'}, {'start': '960.640', 'end': '963.120', 'text': 'Their upper floors jut out over the street,'}, {'start': '963.280', 'end': '965.360', 'text': 'nearly touching the neighbors opposite.'}, {'start': '966.320', 'end': '967.840', 'text': 'Under one gutter spout,'}, {'start': '968.080', 'end': '971.510', 'text': 'water spills in a tiny cascade into a mossy'}, {'start': '971.520', 'end': '972.160', 'text': 'trough.'}, {'start': '973.360', 'end': '976.310', 'text': 'I remember how once on a summer day we took'}, {'start': '976.320', 'end': '977.040', 'text': 'this route,'}, {'start': '977.360', 'end': '979.830', 'text': 'and you walked on ahead, deliberately'}, {'start': '979.840', 'end': '982.230', 'text': 'stepping under that spill of water with a'}, {'start': '982.240', 'end': '984.470', 'text': 'yelp when you found it colder than'}, {'start': '984.480', 'end': '985.360', 'text': 'expected.'}, {'start': '986.480', 'end': '988.800', 'text': 'I laughed, and you laughed with me,'}, {'start': '989.360', 'end': '990.950', 'text': 'shaking out your damp hair like a'}, {'start': '990.960', 'end': '992.080', 'text': 'mischievous puppy.'}, {'start': '992.880', 'end': '995.590', 'text': 'Tonight, that memory brings a faint smile'}, {'start': '995.600', 'end': '996.400', 'text': 'to my lips.'}, {'start': '997.120', 'end': '998.640', 'text': 'I can almost see you there,'}, {'start': '999.040', 'end': '1000.480', 'text': 'just a pace ahead of me,'}, {'start': '1000.800', 'end': '1002.560', 'text': 'daring and playful.'}, {'start': '1003.520', 'end': '1005.910', 'text': 'As I approach the church square, the space'}, {'start': '1005.920', 'end': '1006.640', 'text': 'opens up.'}, {'start': '1007.360', 'end': '1009.200', 'text': 'The rain is letting up a little.'}, {'start': '1009.680', 'end': '1013.360', 'text': 'Now only a fine drizzle, almost a heavy mist.'}, {'start': '1014.240', 'end': '1016.750', 'text': 'In the square stands the old wooden church'}, {'start': '1016.760', 'end': '1018.000', 'text': 'of Saint-Catherine,'}, {'start': '1018.480', 'end': '1020.160', 'text': "one of Anfleur's prides,"}, {'start': '1020.560', 'end': '1023.200', 'text': 'built by shipwrights centuries ago.'}, {'start': '1024.160', 'end': '1026.480', 'text': 'Its wooden bell tower stands apart,'}, {'start': '1026.720', 'end': '1028.160', 'text': 'reaching into the mist.'}, {'start': '1029.040', 'end': '1030.000', 'text': 'I pause here,'}, {'start': '1030.400', 'end': '1032.880', 'text': 'feeling the sacred silence of the place.'}, {'start': '1033.840', 'end': '1035.830', 'text': 'The doors are closed at this hour, of'}, {'start': '1035.840', 'end': '1036.320', 'text': 'course,'}, {'start': '1036.800', 'end': '1039.360', 'text': 'but I remember stepping inside with you once,'}, {'start': '1039.840', 'end': '1041.600', 'text': 'on a much sunnier day.'}, {'start': '1042.640', 'end': '1044.870', 'text': "You were curious about the church's wooden"}, {'start': '1044.880', 'end': '1048.080', 'text': "beams that resemble an upturned ship's hull."}, {'start': '1049.200', 'end': '1052.350', 'text': 'We stood in the cool, incense-scented air'}, {'start': '1052.360', 'end': '1053.760', 'text': 'inside that day.'}, {'start': '1054.160', 'end': '1055.600', 'text': 'hands entwined,'}, {'start': '1055.920', 'end': '1058.030', 'text': 'gazing up at the craftsmanship and the'}, {'start': '1058.040', 'end': '1060.310', 'text': 'dappled colors of light filtering through'}, {'start': '1060.320', 'end': '1061.600', 'text': 'the stained glass.'}, {'start': '1062.560', 'end': '1064.630', 'text': 'You whispered that it felt like being'}, {'start': '1064.640', 'end': '1067.200', 'text': 'inside a ship sailing toward heaven.'}, {'start': '1068.320', 'end': '1070.320', 'text': 'That made me smile then,'}, {'start': '1070.880', 'end': '1072.880', 'text': 'and it makes me smile now.'}, {'start': '1074.080', 'end': '1077.030', 'text': 'I offer a silent prayer of thanks in the'}, {'start': '1077.040', 'end': '1078.160', 'text': 'darkness.'}, {'start': '1079.360', 'end': '1080.640', 'text': 'For that day,'}, {'start': '1081.360', 'end': '1082.880', 'text': 'for that memory,'}, {'start': '1084.320', 'end': '1084.960', 'text': 'For You'}, {'start': '1086.720', 'end': '1088.670', 'text': "There's a carved stone bench under the"}, {'start': '1088.680', 'end': '1090.790', 'text': 'eaves of a nearby building facing the'}, {'start': '1090.800', 'end': '1091.440', 'text': 'church.'}, {'start': '1092.160', 'end': '1094.560', 'text': 'I take a seat for a moment, resting.'}, {'start': '1095.280', 'end': '1097.430', 'text': 'The journey through town has been short in'}, {'start': '1097.440', 'end': '1098.160', 'text': 'reality,'}, {'start': '1098.560', 'end': '1100.960', 'text': "but in my mind I've wandered years."}, {'start': '1101.680', 'end': '1103.440', 'text': 'My legs welcome the pause.'}, {'start': '1104.080', 'end': '1105.920', 'text': 'The rain has almost stopped now,'}, {'start': '1106.320', 'end': '1109.040', 'text': 'only a few lingering droplets coming down,'}, {'start': '1109.280', 'end': '1110.720', 'text': 'so I slip back my hood.'}, {'start': '1111.600', 'end': '1114.630', 'text': 'the cool, misty air immediately kisses my'}, {'start': '1114.640', 'end': '1116.480', 'text': 'slightly damp hair and face.'}, {'start': '1117.200', 'end': '1119.120', 'text': 'I tilt my head up to feel it,'}, {'start': '1119.360', 'end': '1120.960', 'text': 'closing my eyes.'}, {'start': '1122.240', 'end': '1125.350', 'text': 'In the stillness I hear a steady dripping'}, {'start': '1125.360', 'end': '1127.120', 'text': "from the church's eaves,"}, {'start': '1127.600', 'end': '1130.550', 'text': 'and the distant breath of the sea breeze'}, {'start': '1130.560', 'end': '1132.560', 'text': 'through trees on the hill.'}, {'start': '1133.840', 'end': '1134.800', 'text': 'Sitting here,'}, {'start': '1135.200', 'end': '1137.750', 'text': 'my thoughts drift to the one memory I have'}, {'start': '1137.760', 'end': '1140.800', 'text': 'avoided touching too directly all evening.'}, {'start': '1141.520', 'end': '1143.280', 'text': 'the day I lost you.'}, {'start': '1144.080', 'end': '1146.390', 'text': 'Not lost in the sense of not knowing where'}, {'start': '1146.400', 'end': '1146.960', 'text': 'you are,'}, {'start': '1147.360', 'end': '1149.990', 'text': 'but the day we said good-bye and our paths'}, {'start': '1150.000', 'end': '1150.880', 'text': 'diverged.'}, {'start': '1151.760', 'end': '1152.400', 'text': 'Even now,'}, {'start': '1152.720', 'end': '1153.600', 'text': 'years later,'}, {'start': '1153.840', 'end': '1156.960', 'text': 'the echo of that parting lingers as a dull'}, {'start': '1157.040', 'end': '1158.400', 'text': 'ache in my chest.'}, {'start': '1159.360', 'end': '1161.280', 'text': 'But tonight has been so gentle,'}, {'start': '1161.680', 'end': '1163.990', 'text': 'filled with the comforting presence of our'}, {'start': '1164.000', 'end': '1165.120', 'text': 'happier times,'}, {'start': '1165.600', 'end': '1167.120', 'text': 'that I feel brave enough,'}, {'start': '1167.680', 'end': '1169.920', 'text': 'or perhaps peaceful enough,'}, {'start': '1170.560', 'end': '1174.080', 'text': 'to remember that day without breaking.'}, {'start': '1175.520', 'end': '1178.960', 'text': 'It was, fittingly, a rainy morning as well.'}, {'start': '1180.000', 'end': '1182.470', 'text': 'I remember waking to the sound of rain on'}, {'start': '1182.480', 'end': '1183.200', 'text': 'the roof on'}, {'start': '1183.520', 'end': '1185.910', 'text': 'what I already knew would be our last day'}, {'start': '1185.920', 'end': '1187.680', 'text': 'together in Honfleur.'}, {'start': '1188.640', 'end': '1191.600', 'text': 'We had spent a final glorious summer here,'}, {'start': '1192.000', 'end': '1194.560', 'text': 'trying to pretend it would never end.'}, {'start': '1195.440', 'end': '1196.720', 'text': 'But autumn had come,'}, {'start': '1197.360', 'end': '1200.710', 'text': 'and with it your journey onward to a life I'}, {'start': '1200.720', 'end': '1201.760', 'text': "couldn't follow."}, {'start': '1202.800', 'end': '1206.480', 'text': 'There were no harsh words, no dramatic fight,'}, {'start': '1206.960', 'end': '1209.150', 'text': 'just the quiet understanding that the'}, {'start': '1209.160', 'end': '1211.510', 'text': 'chapters of our lives were leading us in'}, {'start': '1211.520', 'end': '1212.800', 'text': 'different directions.'}, {'start': '1213.520', 'end': '1215.440', 'text': 'You had an opportunity abroad,'}, {'start': '1215.760', 'end': '1217.440', 'text': 'a dream you needed to chase,'}, {'start': '1217.840', 'end': '1218.400', 'text': 'and I...'}, {'start': '1219.280', 'end': '1222.630', 'text': 'I was rooted to this place, bound by family'}, {'start': '1222.640', 'end': '1224.320', 'text': 'and responsibility.'}, {'start': '1225.280', 'end': '1226.320', 'text': 'We both knew it.'}, {'start': '1226.800', 'end': '1229.430', 'text': 'Yet those weeks we stole out of time felt'}, {'start': '1229.440', 'end': '1231.760', 'text': 'suspended and special,'}, {'start': '1232.640', 'end': '1235.360', 'text': 'as if we lived in a lovely bubble the'}, {'start': '1235.440', 'end': '1238.560', 'text': 'outside world could not penetrate.'}, {'start': '1240.000', 'end': '1243.520', 'text': 'That morning, the bubble finally had to burst.'}, {'start': '1244.560', 'end': '1247.350', 'text': 'I recall how we packed your bags in near'}, {'start': '1247.360', 'end': '1248.160', 'text': 'silence,'}, {'start': '1248.640', 'end': '1250.710', 'text': 'the sounds of zippers and buckles'}, {'start': '1250.720', 'end': '1253.200', 'text': 'unbearably loud in the little cottage.'}, {'start': '1254.080', 'end': '1257.360', 'text': 'We made coffee and sat at the small kitchen table,'}, {'start': '1257.920', 'end': '1260.710', 'text': "trying to memorize each other's faces in"}, {'start': '1260.720', 'end': '1261.840', 'text': 'the gray light.'}, {'start': '1262.720', 'end': '1264.000', 'text': 'When the time came,'}, {'start': '1264.400', 'end': '1267.070', 'text': 'we walked slowly to the station where a'}, {'start': '1267.080', 'end': '1269.040', 'text': 'coach would take you away.'}, {'start': '1270.000', 'end': '1272.950', 'text': 'The rain had lightened to a light sprinkle'}, {'start': '1272.960', 'end': '1273.760', 'text': 'by then.'}, {'start': '1274.720', 'end': '1276.830', 'text': 'I remember the way you looked at me under'}, {'start': '1276.840', 'end': '1277.600', 'text': 'your umbrella,'}, {'start': '1278.160', 'end': '1281.280', 'text': 'your eyes full of tears that refused to fall.'}, {'start': '1282.320', 'end': '1284.000', 'text': "I'm sure I tried to smile for you,"}, {'start': '1284.240', 'end': '1285.200', 'text': 'to be strong,'}, {'start': '1285.600', 'end': '1287.120', 'text': 'though my heart was breaking.'}, {'start': '1287.920', 'end': '1290.800', 'text': 'We stood close, holding hands tightly.'}, {'start': '1291.600', 'end': '1294.560', 'text': 'You pressed a small seashell into my palm,'}, {'start': '1295.520', 'end': '1297.830', 'text': 'one we had found together on the beach'}, {'start': '1297.840', 'end': '1299.200', 'text': 'weeks before.'}, {'start': '1300.480', 'end': '1301.360', 'text': 'So'}, {'start': '1302.000', 'end': '1303.440', 'text': "you won't forget,"}, {'start': '1304.160', 'end': '1305.200', 'text': 'you whispered,'}, {'start': '1306.400', 'end': '1308.080', 'text': 'as if I ever could.'}, {'start': '1309.120', 'end': '1311.470', 'text': 'The coach arrived with a hiss of brakes and'}, {'start': '1311.480', 'end': '1312.480', 'text': 'a puff of diesel,'}, {'start': '1312.720', 'end': '1314.870', 'text': 'so at odds with the quiet world of our'}, {'start': '1314.880', 'end': '1315.600', 'text': 'farewell.'}, {'start': '1316.560', 'end': '1318.640', 'text': 'We embraced one last time,'}, {'start': '1319.160', 'end': '1321.440', 'text': 'a hug in which we tried to pour every'}, {'start': '1321.520', 'end': '1323.200', 'text': 'unspoken word of love,'}, {'start': '1323.520', 'end': '1325.440', 'text': 'gratitude, and longing.'}, {'start': '1326.320', 'end': '1328.480', 'text': 'I felt your tears warm on my neck,'}, {'start': '1328.880', 'end': '1330.480', 'text': 'or perhaps they were mine.'}, {'start': '1330.880', 'end': '1333.200', 'text': 'In that moment it was impossible to tell.'}, {'start': '1334.080', 'end': '1335.440', 'text': 'Then you were gone,'}, {'start': '1335.760', 'end': '1337.760', 'text': 'boarding with reluctant steps.'}, {'start': '1338.560', 'end': '1340.630', 'text': 'I stayed rooted in place as the coach'}, {'start': '1340.640', 'end': '1341.360', 'text': 'pulled away.'}, {'start': '1342.080', 'end': '1343.760', 'text': 'You waved through the window,'}, {'start': '1344.240', 'end': '1346.640', 'text': 'and I waved back with a brave hand,'}, {'start': '1347.040', 'end': '1349.270', 'text': 'the other clutched around the little shell'}, {'start': '1349.280', 'end': '1350.560', 'text': 'in my coat pocket.'}, {'start': '1351.520', 'end': '1353.830', 'text': 'I stood there long after the bus'}, {'start': '1353.840', 'end': '1355.440', 'text': 'disappeared into the fog,'}, {'start': '1356.000', 'end': '1358.560', 'text': 'until the rain finally drove me home.'}, {'start': '1359.800', 'end': '1361.360', 'text': 'When I open my eyes now,'}, {'start': '1361.760', 'end': '1365.440', 'text': 'I realize a tear has indeed slipped down my cheek,'}, {'start': '1366.160', 'end': '1367.600', 'text': 'but I do not wipe it away.'}, {'start': '1368.400', 'end': '1369.840', 'text': 'It is not a bitter tear,'}, {'start': '1370.160', 'end': '1372.950', 'text': 'just a gentle acknowledgment of that moment'}, {'start': '1372.960', 'end': '1374.240', 'text': 'and all it meant.'}, {'start': '1375.280', 'end': '1377.510', 'text': 'I reach into my coat pocket here on this'}, {'start': '1377.520', 'end': '1378.640', 'text': 'bench by the church,'}, {'start': '1379.040', 'end': '1379.920', 'text': 'and there it is,'}, {'start': '1380.400', 'end': '1381.960', 'text': 'smooth and small, a'}, {'start': '1382.400', 'end': '1384.960', 'text': 'white spiral shell polished by time.'}, {'start': '1385.840', 'end': '1388.400', 'text': 'I carry it with me still wherever I go.'}, {'start': '1389.120', 'end': '1390.720', 'text': 'I turn it between my fingers,'}, {'start': '1391.120', 'end': '1393.920', 'text': 'feeling the ridges that my thumb knows by heart.'}, {'start': '1394.720', 'end': '1395.760', 'text': 'In the dim light'}, {'start': '1396.160', 'end': '1399.120', 'text': 'I can just make out its pale whirl in my palm.'}, {'start': '1399.840', 'end': '1402.080', 'text': 'It comforts me as it always'}, {'start': '1402.720', 'end': '1405.040', 'text': 'has, a piece of the past that I can touch,'}, {'start': '1405.440', 'end': '1407.200', 'text': 'warm from my body heat,'}, {'start': '1407.600', 'end': '1409.280', 'text': 'tangible and real.'}, {'start': '1410.160', 'end': '1412.640', 'text': 'Eventually I rise from the bench.'}, {'start': '1413.600', 'end': '1414.720', 'text': 'The night has deepened,'}, {'start': '1415.120', 'end': '1417.200', 'text': 'and a greater stillness is all around.'}, {'start': '1418.000', 'end': '1420.000', 'text': 'The drizzle has stopped completely,'}, {'start': '1420.480', 'end': '1423.040', 'text': 'leaving the town glistening and dripping.'}, {'start': '1423.920', 'end': '1425.920', 'text': 'Clouds still blanket the sky,'}, {'start': '1426.240', 'end': '1428.080', 'text': 'so the night remains dark, but'}, {'start': '1428.400', 'end': '1429.920', 'text': 'I sense it is very late,'}, {'start': '1430.560', 'end': '1433.120', 'text': 'perhaps only a couple of hours until dawn.'}, {'start': '1434.240', 'end': '1437.030', 'text': 'My body is growing pleasantly tired from'}, {'start': '1437.040', 'end': '1439.200', 'text': 'the walking and the emotions.'}, {'start': '1440.160', 'end': '1441.920', 'text': 'It will be good to rest soon.'}, {'start': '1442.800', 'end': '1444.630', 'text': 'I make my way back through the winding'}, {'start': '1444.640', 'end': '1446.320', 'text': 'streets toward my inn.'}, {'start': '1447.200', 'end': '1450.230', 'text': 'En Fleur sleeps, and I tread as if walking'}, {'start': '1450.240', 'end': '1451.440', 'text': "through someone's dream."}, {'start': '1452.280', 'end': '1453.840', 'text': 'perhaps my own dream.'}, {'start': '1454.720', 'end': '1457.190', 'text': 'The houses watch me pass with their many'}, {'start': '1457.200', 'end': '1458.240', 'text': 'shuttered eyes.'}, {'start': '1458.880', 'end': '1462.280', 'text': 'My footfalls echo faintly until I reach the'}, {'start': '1462.320', 'end': '1463.200', 'text': "inn's door."}, {'start': '1464.160', 'end': '1466.400', 'text': "It's unlocked as I left it,"}, {'start': '1466.800', 'end': '1468.160', 'text': 'and I slip inside,'}, {'start': '1468.400', 'end': '1470.560', 'text': 'latching it gently behind me.'}, {'start': '1471.360', 'end': '1474.240', 'text': "The innkeeper's lamp is now extinguished,"}, {'start': '1474.720', 'end': '1477.510', 'text': 'and the only illumination is the faint gray'}, {'start': '1477.520', 'end': '1480.470', 'text': 'that seeps through the windows from the'}, {'start': '1480.480', 'end': '1481.840', 'text': 'misty night.'}, {'start': '1483.440', 'end': '1488.160', 'text': 'I tiptoe up the old stairs to my room once more.'}, {'start': '1489.360', 'end': '1492.320', 'text': 'Inside, the air is a little cool.'}, {'start': '1493.120', 'end': '1495.200', 'text': 'I light the small stove in the corner,'}, {'start': '1495.440', 'end': '1497.120', 'text': 'coaxing a flame to life.'}, {'start': '1498.000', 'end': '1499.680', 'text': 'It crackles softly,'}, {'start': '1499.920', 'end': '1502.070', 'text': 'sending a welcome warmth through the room'}, {'start': '1502.080', 'end': '1504.710', 'text': 'and casting dancing shadows on the sloped'}, {'start': '1504.720', 'end': '1505.360', 'text': 'ceiling.'}, {'start': '1506.240', 'end': '1509.030', 'text': 'I drape my damp coat on a wooden peg and'}, {'start': '1509.040', 'end': '1511.440', 'text': 'set my boots by the hearth to dry.'}, {'start': '1512.560', 'end': '1514.800', 'text': 'In the mirror above the washstand,'}, {'start': '1515.120', 'end': '1516.960', 'text': 'I catch a glimpse of myself,'}, {'start': '1517.640', 'end': '1520.000', 'text': 'a little tired, a little wistful,'}, {'start': '1520.720', 'end': '1523.350', 'text': 'and I see behind my eyes the reflection of'}, {'start': '1523.360', 'end': '1525.760', 'text': 'all those memories we shared.'}, {'start': '1527.040', 'end': '1530.880', 'text': 'There is a softness there that you left in me.'}, {'start': '1531.920', 'end': '1533.760', 'text': 'I have never lost it,'}, {'start': '1534.240', 'end': '1538.000', 'text': 'just as I never lost you from my heart.'}, {'start': '1539.360', 'end': '1542.310', 'text': 'I change into a dry, worn soft nightshirt'}, {'start': '1542.320', 'end': '1543.440', 'text': 'and woolen socks,'}, {'start': '1543.840', 'end': '1546.390', 'text': 'then pour a cup of chamomile tea from a'}, {'start': '1546.400', 'end': '1548.160', 'text': 'thermos I left steeping.'}, {'start': '1549.120', 'end': '1551.600', 'text': 'The tea is still warm and fragrant.'}, {'start': '1552.160', 'end': '1554.560', 'text': 'I carry it to the armchair by the window.'}, {'start': '1555.360', 'end': '1557.040', 'text': 'Settling into the chair,'}, {'start': '1557.360', 'end': '1559.830', 'text': 'I drape the shawl over my lap and take a'}, {'start': '1559.840', 'end': '1560.720', 'text': 'slow sip.'}, {'start': '1561.920', 'end': '1564.800', 'text': 'Outside, the rain has started up again,'}, {'start': '1565.280', 'end': '1567.200', 'text': 'but only the faintest drizzle.'}, {'start': '1567.840', 'end': '1569.840', 'text': 'just enough to tickle the roof.'}, {'start': '1570.800', 'end': '1573.200', 'text': 'The window is cracked open an inch,'}, {'start': '1573.600', 'end': '1576.400', 'text': 'and the fresh, damp air'}, {'start': '1576.640', 'end': '1580.960', 'text': 'carries the ever-present hush of the sea.'}, {'start': '1582.640', 'end': '1585.190', 'text': 'Before me on the small side table lies my'}, {'start': '1585.200', 'end': '1585.760', 'text': 'journal,'}, {'start': '1586.560', 'end': '1588.470', 'text': 'the leather-bound 1I bought from that'}, {'start': '1588.480', 'end': '1591.040', 'text': 'little bookshop by the harbor years ago.'}, {'start': '1592.080', 'end': '1594.080', 'text': 'Its pages are well-worn,'}, {'start': '1594.560', 'end': '1597.390', 'text': 'filled with sketches of boats and snatches'}, {'start': '1597.400', 'end': '1598.160', 'text': 'of poetry,'}, {'start': '1598.480', 'end': '1600.000', 'text': 'many inspired by you.'}, {'start': '1600.880', 'end': '1602.880', 'text': 'I open it now to a blank page.'}, {'start': '1603.440', 'end': '1604.480', 'text': 'For a long moment,'}, {'start': '1604.720', 'end': '1606.560', 'text': 'I simply listen to the night,'}, {'start': '1606.960', 'end': '1609.760', 'text': 'wondering how to put this feeling into words.'}, {'start': '1610.640', 'end': '1612.000', 'text': 'Then, slowly,'}, {'start': '1612.400', 'end': '1613.520', 'text': 'I begin to write.'}, {'start': '1614.480', 'end': '1616.320', 'text': 'I write about the harbor tonight,'}, {'start': '1616.640', 'end': '1619.510', 'text': 'the light rain, the echo of footsteps that'}, {'start': '1619.520', 'end': '1620.880', 'text': 'sounded like ours.'}, {'start': '1621.840', 'end': '1624.070', 'text': 'I write about the bench and the lullaby you'}, {'start': '1624.080', 'end': '1624.640', 'text': 'hummed.'}, {'start': '1625.360', 'end': '1627.600', 'text': 'I write about the sea-mist on the beach,'}, {'start': '1628.160', 'end': '1630.480', 'text': 'and a kiss that still warms me.'}, {'start': '1631.360', 'end': '1631.840', 'text': 'And'}, {'start': '1632.160', 'end': '1634.870', 'text': 'I write about a small shell pressed into a'}, {'start': '1634.880', 'end': '1636.320', 'text': 'parting hand.'}, {'start': '1637.560', 'end': '1639.040', 'text': 'An object so'}, {'start': '1639.280', 'end': '1642.480', 'text': 'ordinary, yet so precious it,'}, {'start': '1642.960', 'end': '1645.600', 'text': 'carries an ocean of meaning.'}, {'start': '1646.960', 'end': '1649.440', 'text': 'The words flow gently without rush.'}, {'start': '1650.240', 'end': '1652.480', 'text': "This isn't for anyone else's eyes,"}, {'start': '1652.800', 'end': '1655.120', 'text': 'just a letter to myself, perhaps,'}, {'start': '1655.600', 'end': '1656.320', 'text': 'or to you,'}, {'start': '1656.880', 'end': '1658.960', 'text': 'wherever you are out in the world.'}, {'start': '1659.760', 'end': '1661.040', 'text': 'By the time I stop,'}, {'start': '1661.280', 'end': '1663.920', 'text': 'my tea is finished and my eyes are heavy.'}, {'start': '1664.880', 'end': '1667.390', 'text': 'I close the journal and feel a calmness'}, {'start': '1667.400', 'end': '1668.800', 'text': 'settling over me.'}, {'start': '1669.760', 'end': '1672.310', 'text': "Writing it all down hasn't extinguished the"}, {'start': '1672.320', 'end': '1672.960', 'text': 'memories.'}, {'start': '1673.600', 'end': '1674.320', 'text': 'Instead,'}, {'start': '1674.720', 'end': '1677.360', 'text': "it feels as though I've invited them to stay,"}, {'start': '1678.000', 'end': '1679.760', 'text': 'to be at peace here with me.'}, {'start': '1680.960', 'end': '1683.440', 'text': 'I rise and place the journal aside.'}, {'start': '1684.240', 'end': '1686.080', 'text': 'Finishing my nightly ritual,'}, {'start': '1686.480', 'end': '1687.920', 'text': 'I extinguish the oil lamp,'}, {'start': '1688.480', 'end': '1691.030', 'text': 'leaving just the faint light of pre-dawn'}, {'start': '1691.040', 'end': '1692.000', 'text': 'filtering in.'}, {'start': '1692.880', 'end': '1695.430', 'text': 'I slip into bed under a soft quilt that'}, {'start': '1695.440', 'end': '1697.200', 'text': 'smells faintly of lavender.'}, {'start': '1698.160', 'end': '1701.040', 'text': 'The pillow welcomes my head and I sink into it,'}, {'start': '1701.520', 'end': '1703.840', 'text': 'releasing a long, contented sigh.'}, {'start': '1705.040', 'end': '1706.320', 'text': 'I am tired now,'}, {'start': '1706.640', 'end': '1707.760', 'text': 'in the best way.'}, {'start': '1708.400', 'end': '1710.080', 'text': 'tired and calm,'}, {'start': '1710.640', 'end': '1713.200', 'text': 'like the sea after a gentle tide.'}, {'start': '1714.160', 'end': '1716.950', 'text': 'In the silence, I realize the rain has'}, {'start': '1716.960', 'end': '1718.080', 'text': 'finally stopped.'}, {'start': '1718.800', 'end': '1721.430', 'text': 'Only a single drip from the eaves outside'}, {'start': '1721.440', 'end': '1723.760', 'text': 'marks the passing seconds with a slow,'}, {'start': '1723.920', 'end': '1724.880', 'text': 'steady rhythm.'}, {'start': '1726.000', 'end': '1727.440', 'text': 'I notice the stillness,'}, {'start': '1727.840', 'end': '1729.440', 'text': 'and it too is comforting.'}, {'start': '1730.640', 'end': '1732.400', 'text': 'I think of you once more,'}, {'start': '1732.720', 'end': '1735.560', 'text': 'sending a silent hope that wherever you'}, {'start': '1735.600', 'end': '1737.200', 'text': "are, you're safe."}, {'start': '1738.080', 'end': '1738.720', 'text': 'happy,'}, {'start': '1739.920', 'end': '1742.670', 'text': 'perhaps even thinking of me in this same'}, {'start': '1742.680', 'end': '1743.440', 'text': 'moment.'}, {'start': '1744.680', 'end': '1746.400', 'text': 'My eyes drift closed.'}, {'start': '1747.200', 'end': '1749.360', 'text': 'In the darkness behind my eyelids,'}, {'start': '1749.600', 'end': '1750.960', 'text': 'the images of the day,'}, {'start': '1751.280', 'end': '1753.760', 'text': 'the lamplit harbor, the old church,'}, {'start': '1754.080', 'end': '1756.080', 'text': 'the carousel, your smile,'}, {'start': '1756.720', 'end': '1759.270', 'text': 'all sway and shimmer as if reflected in'}, {'start': '1759.280', 'end': '1760.320', 'text': 'calm water.'}, {'start': '1761.200', 'end': '1763.440', 'text': 'They will be there in my dreams, I know,'}, {'start': '1763.840', 'end': '1766.000', 'text': 'just as they have been so often.'}, {'start': '1766.880', 'end': '1769.110', 'text': 'But tonight there is no sharp pain in'}, {'start': '1769.120', 'end': '1770.000', 'text': 'recalling them,'}, {'start': '1770.480', 'end': '1771.840', 'text': 'only sweetness.'}, {'start': '1772.960', 'end': '1775.790', 'text': 'Time has gently transformed the sorrow into'}, {'start': '1775.800', 'end': '1777.600', 'text': 'something akin to gratitude.'}, {'start': '1778.640', 'end': '1780.480', 'text': 'As I hover on the edge of sleep,'}, {'start': '1780.960', 'end': '1782.560', 'text': 'I hear a distant sound,'}, {'start': '1783.040', 'end': '1784.800', 'text': 'the first bird, perhaps,'}, {'start': '1785.120', 'end': '1787.110', 'text': 'heralding the approaching dawn from'}, {'start': '1787.120', 'end': '1788.880', 'text': 'somewhere among the rooftops.'}, {'start': '1789.760', 'end': '1791.360', 'text': 'Morning will come soon.'}, {'start': '1792.000', 'end': '1794.240', 'text': 'A pale light will touch the mist,'}, {'start': '1794.720', 'end': '1796.880', 'text': 'and a new day will begin.'}, {'start': '1798.000', 'end': '1798.800', 'text': 'And'}, {'start': '1799.040', 'end': '1800.720', 'text': 'I will carry on,'}, {'start': '1801.280', 'end': '1804.240', 'text': 'with you still living in my heart,'}, {'start': '1805.360', 'end': '1808.720', 'text': 'part of every step I take.'}, {'start': '1810.080', 'end': '1812.000', 'text': 'For now, though, I am drifting,'}, {'start': '1812.760', 'end': '1815.840', 'text': 'drifting like a boat on the gentle harbor tide.'}, {'start': '1816.880', 'end': '1819.200', 'text': 'In this beloved town of memories,'}, {'start': '1819.600', 'end': '1821.360', 'text': 'I allow myself to rest,'}, {'start': '1822.160', 'end': '1824.470', 'text': 'The ache of what was and the glow of what'}, {'start': '1824.480', 'end': '1826.960', 'text': 'remains settle together within me,'}, {'start': '1827.680', 'end': '1831.110', 'text': 'like 2 old friends watching over me as I'}, {'start': '1831.120', 'end': '1833.440', 'text': 'finally slip into deep,'}, {'start': '1833.760', 'end': '1835.350', 'text': 'peaceful sleep.'}]