The old man sniffed the flower. “Look at this way,” he said. “The love you shared still exists in you. It may only feel like pain now, and you might confuse that for its loss, but if your love was really lost, it wouldn’t hurt at all anymore. It’s still there, and as long as you’re still breathing, it will survive. But if you take a nose dive off the cliff, it may truly be lost forever. And that would be a shame, don’t you think?”
Loved this part:
The old man sniffed the flower. “Look at this way,” he said. “The love you shared still exists in you. It may only feel like pain now, and you might confuse that for its loss, but if your love was really lost, it wouldn’t hurt at all anymore. It’s still there, and as long as you’re still breathing, it will survive. But if you take a nose dive off the cliff, it may truly be lost forever. And that would be a shame, don’t you think?”
Really made me think!
Thanks, Colin! I rewrote that little section several times to get it right, so it's reassuring to get some feedback that I didn't screw it up.