When the Aurora Falls on No Man’s Land

I canceled my ticket to Iceland.

Even the customer service agent sounded confused.

“There are only two seats left on this flight. Are you sure you want to cancel?”

“Yes,” I said. “I’m sure.”

We had been together for four years.

Every February, he flew to Iceland.

He always said it was for a photography project. On social media, he only posted glaciers and the northern lights.

Whenever I said I wanted to see the aurora too, he would tell me, “It’s too cold there. You wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Then yesterday, I helped him organize an old hard drive.