Gathering Ferns

He and she were childhood sweethearts, in love with each other. But the flames of war cruelly shattered their bond and burned their vows to ashes. Years later, did she ever recall those childhood days spent gathering fern shoots? Years later, did he ever hum the songs of his youth? A soldier gazes toward his hometown; his hometown gazes toward the ferry crossing. You had only just married, gathering fern shoots alone... Is there a heartbreak like that, mingled with warmth and hatred? Years later, I return in the twilight of my life. That bowl of soup simmered from fern shoots holds a lifetime of your tears. You are old now, remembering gathering fern shoots. The flames of war have burned out. Why have you not returned? Premise: