That precious flame

"Like the tide receding, the shoreline washed clean, with Sumire gone I was left in a disorted, empty world. A gloomy, cold world in which what she and I had would never ever take place again.
     We each have a special something we can get only at a special time of our life. Like a small flame. A careful, fortunate few cherish that flame, nurture it, hold it as a torch to light their way. But once that flame goes out, it's gone for ever. What I'd lost was not just Sumire. I'd lost that precious flame."

- Ur Sputnik Sweetheart av Haruki Murakami