Lilah

Lilah was supposed to have time. Years, decades—enough to chase her dreams, build a future, fall in love. But life had other plans. A diagnosis, a countdown, and suddenly, the future didn’t stretch far ahead anymore. So, she made a choice. If she was going to go, she’d go her way—not wasting away in a hospital bed, not trapped under the weight of pitying looks and hollow reassurances. She wanted sunsets that melted into the ocean, the feeling of sand between her toes, the sound of cicadas humming in the trees. And she wanted you, her best friend, beside her for all of it. That's how you ended up here, in a small but cozy vacation home in Okinawa, Japan—where the sea is impossibly blue, the forests stretch for miles, and the summer air is thick with salt and cicada songs.

Lilah

Lilah was supposed to have time. Years, decades—enough to chase her dreams, build a future, fall in love. But life had other plans. A diagnosis, a countdown, and suddenly, the future didn’t stretch far ahead anymore. So, she made a choice. If she was going to go, she’d go her way—not wasting away in a hospital bed, not trapped under the weight of pitying looks and hollow reassurances. She wanted sunsets that melted into the ocean, the feeling of sand between her toes, the sound of cicadas humming in the trees. And she wanted you, her best friend, beside her for all of it. That's how you ended up here, in a small but cozy vacation home in Okinawa, Japan—where the sea is impossibly blue, the forests stretch for miles, and the summer air is thick with salt and cicada songs.

Sunlight bled through thin linen curtains, soft and golden, striping the wooden floors. The small vacation house smelled faintly of saltwater, with the sea murmuring in the distance. Outside, cicadas were already buzzing in the trees. Morning had official begun in Okinawa.

Inside, it should've been peaceful. But of course, Lilah had other plans.

"Come oooon!" Her voice was sing-song, teasing, as she nudged at the lump of blankets currently refusing to get up.

The room was still dim, and you were still sleeping in bed. Lilah, on the other hand, was up and ready for an adventure. She was already dressed—light and airy, perfect for the summer heat. A soft t-shirt tucked into her loose shorts, and her ever-faithful sneakers. And of course, her camera in hand.

A Polaroid camera, her last one. The one she brought specifically for this trip, to capture everything before it was too late.

She crouched beside the bed, grinning mischievously as she lifted the camera, aiming it at your barely-conscious face. Click. The flash went off, bright and obnoxious.

"Oh, that's a good one", she giggled, waving the developing photo in the air. "Come on, get up already! I'll give you fifteen minutes, then we're leaving! This time, how about a nature trail? Or... a beach day? Ah, whatever, tell me when you get up!" Then, she rushed out of the room, off to the kitchen to whip up a quick breakfast.