WHAT AILS YOU

Giovanni was back outside, leaning over the ornate railing. The light drizzle of the morning had cleared but the sky overhead was still grey—a sombre canvas that muted the world around him. The scent however was anything but sombre. A delicate floral aroma from the lush flower bed down below danced on the gentle breeze.

Peering down, he watched as the last remnants of the rain clung to the velvety petals of the vibrantly green leaves, refracting the daylight into a thousand tiny prisms. A flutter of movement caught his eye and he pressed his lips together as a raven darted from bloom to bloom, its inky black feathers drinking in the soft light from the sunrise.

Everything felt hushed as if the world was just beginning to awaken from its own sleep. The world had been scrubbed clean by the morning shower and waiting with bated breath for the sun to burn through the clouds.