The Fox & The Crow

Chapter Nine *not edited*

A small stream of smoke from the remains of the fire carry small embers that flicker for a short period of time before going out completely.

I stare up at the clear night sky.

The stars stare back at me.

An ember pops and flies up, standing still for a brief moment, as if reaching up to the sky, before falling back to the ground.

One of the embers lands on my hand and I stare down at it as the small heat burns into my hand.

I open my eyes slowly and grimace when my head begins pounding out the rhythm in my heart.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

I look up and see people crying out for each other and planes flying over broken buildings.

I hear nothing.

Only my breathing.

I look down at myself and see my hand is raw and covered in burns, my legs are scraped, and one of my arms has a piece of glass sticking out of it.

Luckily no broken bones.

A hand grabs onto my shoulder and I whip my head around and come face to face with a British soldier.

He begins screaming at me, but my ears do not register any noise.

Another soldier comes and picks me up.

I look around, terrified.

My eyes stop when I see a small body crumpled in a heap on the cobblestone road with glass surrounding it.

I brush the ember off my hand, and suck my finger where it has burned me. Turning to my side I try to shake the memories from my mind.

I shake her arm.

"Violet?"

I put my head down near her small mouth, silently begging to hear soft breathing, but I hear nothing.

I scream.

Sitting up, I wipe a few stray tears and continue looking up to the night sky. It's so clear. So peaceful.

My ears begin ringing again and I hear a motor overhead.

Slowly, my hearing comes back to me and I look up to see a German plane flying overhead.

A bomber.

My hands search around for a small rock, glass shard, or cobblestone, anything to throw at the plane.

My fingers curl around a small brick and I hurl it towards the plane, but it barely makes ten feet before crashing back down to the ground with a small crack.

My hands go immediately to my head and I scream with everything I have.

I turn back to Violet and put my forehead against hers.

"Je suis désolé! Je suis tellement désolé!"I cry out.

I take in a deep breath, hold it, and breathe out in a puff of smoke. Lying my head back I close my eyes as the last of the memory plays out.

The ambulance I was put in begins moving, filled with injured people. I look back up and see her lying on the ground in the same position, unmoving, unresponsive to the war that rages around her.