Instead, she found a town that had forgotten her. The "eternal" fountain was dry. The balcony where he used to serenade her was missing its railing, replaced by a cold brick wall.

To return is often an attempt to find a version of ourselves that no longer exists. Elena closed her eyes, hummed a low, velvet melody, and finally let the past sleep.

Elena walked the narrow streets, her heels clicking a rhythm that felt like a heartbeat. She passed the tavern where they used to dance. It was closed now, the wood rotting and the windows covered in grime. She walked toward the old fountain, expecting to see the man who had promised to wait forever.

The train hissed as it pulled into the station of San Lorenzo, a town that smelled of dry jasmine and old stone. Elena stepped onto the platform, her black shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders, looking just like a shadow from another era.

The song "A Qué Volver" (What is there to return to?) by the legendary María Dolores Pradera serves as the perfect backdrop for a story about the ghosts of the past and the courage to leave them behind.

She realized then that Julián wasn't waiting at the fountain; he had likely moved on, just as the town had. The San Lorenzo she loved lived only in her memory, and by returning, she was only staining that memory with the reality of decay.

A young boy kicked a ball past her. "Looking for someone, señora?" "A ghost, perhaps," she whispered.

Elena didn't go to the house mentioned in the letter. She didn't seek out old friends. She turned back toward the station. As the train pulled away, she looked out the window at the receding silhouette of the church tower. She felt a strange lightness in her chest.