For some reason, there was a glitter of sheer disbelief in Maria's eyes.
Yes, "for some reason".
After all, in Maria's own subjective sense of time, she had only recently seen sunlight, seen daytime; all the upheaval and the collapse of her worldview in truth stemmed from a single night, merely one night.
Yet for no clear reason, as Maria felt that brightness spilling across the side of her face beneath the brim of her hat, a wistful ache rose in her as if a lifetime had passed.
Just how long… had that previous night been?
How long has it really been since I last saw the sun?
Or rather, have I ever truly… seen the light?
The friction between memory and sensation froze Maria in place the moment she stepped out of the alley.
She lifted her gaze, blank and incredulous, toward the sunlight spearing down through the gaps between Yan'an's chain-linked Gothic spires.
