The Cruel Side of Hearts [COMPLETED]

Chapter 13: Promises Of My Past

The whispering winds matted my hair as i stood on the desecrated shoreline of the diamond beaches of Luces. It was close to noon, but the battalions of storm fronts in the sky let little chance for light to pass through.

Perhaps I am a fool, going to certain death, listening to some blabber I heard in my sleep. Perhaps I am delusional, but the vision felt urgent, and at this point, I am willing to anything to solve the problem that has been haunting me for years, no matter how grand my sacrifice may need to be.

I look around the glittering sands, and the trash that is covering it's proximity. For the first time since I've been here it was completely deserted. Wilting flowers, wet veils, and broken love letters littered the sand. People come here, and leave with broken dreams, yet they always return, leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

Ignoring my brain telling me how stupid my decisions are, I built a small raft and set sailing into the raging waves.

To my surprise, the current picked up my raft And carried it right into the storm. A violent swaying made me queasy, but I swallowed the urge to throw up. The raft I had borrowed was very old, the clams that had germinated on it stabbed painfully into my hands. Scratches appeared in some places that burned horribly at the touch of salt water. Because of the violent shaking, the sea and sky blurred in my circle of vision. Soon it became unbearable to look at this churning, and closing my eyes, I clung to the raft as tightly as I could, hoping for salvation.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe minutes, perhaps hours. When I opened my eyes I was in some dark tunnel, and somewhere in the distance there was a dim Light. The tunnel was low, and almost completely filled with water. With no other way out I began to swim, trying to avoid loose algae and sharp corals. After what seemed to me like twenty minutes of swimming, the light did not come any closer. I stopped and sat down on the soft Sand, Carefully holding my head above the water. It smelled musty, and languished with the suffocating smell of dried sea grass.

Just as I began to relax, a terrible, heartbreaking wailing echoed through the walls of the cave, sending shivers up my spine. The voice was low and guttural, not unlike one of a wounded animal. It didn't stop, growing sadder and more gruesome every moment.

I got up, and slowly followed that howl. I heard a rustling sound behind me, and something inside me told me to run. With all the strength I had, I half-run and half-swam away from the noise. Luckily this time the light slowly but surely came nearer. The splashes of water made it difficult for me to see, but I did not stop my escape.

Soon, very soon, I saw a way out. I headed out through a curtain of hanging seaweed, and fell to my knees on the golden beach. The sea was a turquoise hue, with seagulls bobbing gently in the waves. There were very few people, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see any of their faces. Fluffy clouds decorated the sky and the sound of birds created a pleasant atmosphere.

I recognized the beach, as it was the one where I had met Ethel.Of course it was very strange to see a good memory of her. I had seen so much bad in her that I had almost forgotten those pleasant days. They were short, but they were enough to keep her in my memory for a long time.On that beach she kissed me for the first time, played beautiful melodies on her guitar, and sang songs in her marvelous voice. She comforted me when I was having a terrible day, and though it all evaporated quickly, sometimes yes, I was glad those days happened. After all, if they hadn't happened, I wouldn't have learned many things.

Sitting down on the wet sand, I started doodling various figures. Then I got my castle, then Roger, merrily running after a ball, and then just things and various nice little sketches.

To be honest, I miss Ethel often. Not the one who hurt me, with whom we had a lot of problems, but the one I met so many years ago. I guess I still have hope that someday she'll come back. But I know deep down in my heart that she probably never will. She is a strong girl, and even if she forgives me she will never let go of what happened between us. Maybe I don't like it, I can't help it.  

I barely noticed the stinging in my nose and the hot tears rolling out of my eyes. To some degree I understand why I react with anger, It is much easier than... all of this.

Hugging my knees to my chest, I hung my head, not stopping the tears that began to pour out in waterfalls from my eyes. To be completely honest with myself, most of the time I didn't understand, and I couldn't make out where her crimes began and where mine ended. Things got so confusing in our situation that all I wanted to do some days was just figure out exactly what happened. But when I tried to replay those memories, it was as if my thoughts were  shrouded in a fog.

As soon as I thought of these thoughts, the beach scene slowly began to dissipate. It was as if giant fingers appeared from the horizon on each side, and millions of pixels were devouring this little world I was in. Darkness was coming from everywhere, and the Peninsula I was on was getting smaller and smaller. After a few seconds, the last "pixels" of light disappeared, and I was alone yet again in the total darkness.