Zaria and Layla were as close as sisters can get. One was a mirror reflection of the other. You couldn’t tell where one of them ended and the other begun. They were one, sharing secrets, dreams and passions.

One day, when strolling through a meadow Layla noticed a beautiful rock. She picked it up and gave it to Zaria saying “whatever happens in life, I want this stone to remind you of me”.

Zaria, touched by the token, decided she wanted to give Layla something in return. Something special and one of a kind. As she was thinking about it, a firefly flew right in front of her and disappeared in the woods nearby. Without thinking, she jumped up, grabbed Layla by hand and together they ran off to the forest. Zaria tried to grab the firefly time and time again, but the it was to quick. Yet she persisted and eventually managed to catch it.

Delighted, Zaria put it in a little jar and was about to hand it to Layla. She couldn’t know that there was an ancient spell cast on fireflies in that forest. Hundreds of years ago, villagers living nearby were so fascinated by the fireflies that they caught almost all of them to keep them as entertainment in their houses. Fireflies became almost extinct and an enchanter who lived in the woods cast a spell on the remaining few. Whoever touched them in the forest, would loose memory.

As Zaria held the firefly, her memory faded away. She couldn’t remember why she had caught the firefly nor why she was in the woods. Yet, worst of all, she couldn’t recognise the girl that was standing next to her. Looking at Layla she asked, “Who are you? Can I help you with something?”.

At first Layla thought it was one of many games that they played and laughed. Yet soon she realised what happened. Zaria didn’t recognise her. She lost all their memories, all the joys they shared and dreams they cultivated. And with them, Layla lost the dearest person she had. Zaria was standing there, but it was as if she was dead. Empty and hollow.

Layla, desperate about her loss, submerged in sorrow. Life without Zaria didn’t make sense. A part of her died. All she had in life, lost meaning. She wished she could loose memory as well. And with that taught, she took the firefly from Zaria’s hand and with the tip of her index finger delicately touched it’s wings. In a blink of an eye, she couldn’t remember where she was and who was the girl next to her holding a little empty jar.

Zaria and Layla’s memories dissolved and dreams died. They were now total strangers who looked at each other, sighed and walked away, each of them taking a different path in the woods.

This is my interpretation of the story and I see many metaphors in it. I won’t start on that now though, because I could write a few more paragraphs.

Do you have different interpretation? I’m curious to hear it! Write to info@igakoczorowska.com and share it with me.

If you like my story and want to see a few more photos from this series, visit my Instagram profile. I’ll be posting unpublished photos in black and white and colour. Check it out and stay tuned!