Broken siren

1| Helpless

Part 1

I've been burnt to death by the sun and swam so much that my strength had worn out and my urge to eat had faded. I was so thirsty I drank the salty ocean below me

The water underneath me was as dark as it could be in the dead of night. I was continually tempted to scream for help at the top of my lungs. Whatever I said or yelled, however, fell silent and was unable to help me in any way.

I assumed I drank the sea before I even got there. It was far too late for anyone to save me since I was hopeless and longed to drown.

I became miserable and in desperate need of a sign.

Day after day of silence, surrounded by water

For all I knew, I could have been sinking and drowning in my own thoughts, picturing a reality that really was entirely different from the one I was in.

The water around me was drenched in blood. The sea was soaked in gore and innocence.

Did I deserve to be in such a horrific situation?

Was this a form of karma directed at me?

What I did know was that my past regrets reflected nothing like Bonnie's.

'She deserved it as much as a flower enjoying the water in such blazing hot weather.' my mother used to say.

'Bonnie karma' was a timeless classic that traveled through my town for years.

It was a true story that was used to lure children into not wishing for someone's death.

I recall my mother telling me that story every time I did something that made her suspicious. She was terrified that I would 'get her back.'

You can either exact vengeance or you can despise her for the rest of your life. However, I did neither.

Part 2

Bonnie Booker was one of those people who was easily frightened by something dangerous or terrible that had no clear solution. Jack Alden, the man who was soon to be sent to the war in 1940, was her husband.

Nothing was ever described as cheerful or enjoyable during those years. Finding an activity that was truly entraining, such as a game or sport, would be difficult.

That's why it was so important to have a husband. It was thought vital to provide a male as a companion for a woman.

The majority of the time, however, marriages were forced and undesired. Bonnie and Jack, on the other hand, were overjoyed to be together. They were keen on sticking together. Bonnie, in particular.

As pure as Jack's intentions were, as close and loving as they were together. Their relationship was brief.

'Bonnie Booker, the most beautiful girl I've ever met in my life...,' Jack muttered at the dinner table one gray, miserable day as he faced Bonnie on the other end.

Bonnie was too naive to recognize she was about to burst into tears as she spun around in excitement. That is, not from happiness.

'Our country is in terrible danger; do you fear death for either of us?' Jack inquired. Bonnie's head was filled with silence as much as the dining room.

Jack makes clear in dread that it felt like hours before she was able to respond.

She sighs with confusion as she opens her mouth to answer his question.

And then she starts complaining,

'How dare you question your sweet wife's concern for you? My affections for you are so strong that I could never imagine you not returning home...'

She confesses with tears in her eyes, fearful of what he'll do next.

'That settles it,' he stated firmly.

'My idea so far is to leave you to recall all of our beautiful memories. I believe it is best if I do not keep you waiting for someone who may or may not return from such a gruesome battle. Please forgive me and remember me if I do not return,' he pleaded, his eyes filled with remorse and shame.

From then on, Jack had left the house with a letter from the national military army, and Bonnie had locked herself in their bedroom, where they had once been together, in disbelief. It was safe to say she didn't progress at all.

She wasn't upset or sad, but she did have a painful spark where hate had overtaken love. She began to despise Jack more and more every day.

'He deserves to be shot in that bloody war,' Bonnie muttered to herself, a large smile on her face. She was in the best mood she'd ever been in.

She was certain he had died after a few days.

She was delighted.

Champagne made her waste overnight, but it was one of the finest feelings she'd ever had.

She felt sober enough to cook for herself one filthy, fancy afternoon. She finished cooking her meal, but as soon as she sat down, she was startled awake by a knock on the door.

She didn't rush to the front door, and she didn't have any hopes or memories from the previous weeks.

It was Jack Alden.

Before she could respond to his sudden presence, an opponent from the war fired a shot from ten miles away, hitting Jack in the heart to Bonnie's.

End.

Part 3

The moral of the tale has now been changed to make it easier to understand.

Never wish for anyone's death or for anything awful to happen to them.

Bonnie despised Jack after he abandoned her, yet she still had feelings for him deep down in her broken, frigid heart.

Despite the fact that the text does not specifically address it, I recall my mother spotting it multiple times throughout the book and calling her:

'Bonnie the hopeless romantic,'

Normally, this is where the 'romantic' story would end. But there was a time when I was curious. I performed some exploration when I was well and not on the edge of drowning.

My grandfather used to tell me that there was more to Bonnie Booker's story, that there was more to what happened next.

A legend, which says the following:

'Bonnie Booker's soul was heard wandering over the ruins of the Atlantic ocean, to be alone and silent in misery. Since the Atlantic Ocean was the closest sea to her village, which was attacked minutes later, where the soldier shot Jack and Bonnie. It was the location where she has been shown to have chosen to be alone.' according to Folklore Legends of Bonnie, chapter 321, page 322; Bonnie Booker had actually cursed a non-existent island, where she had been imprisoned with her heartbreak and guilt. 'However, finding her is difficult, as she is in a different type of form in her afterlife, and she can find you before you can find her. So, unlike Jack, you might find her and never leave her.' That's where it ends; the rest was burnt by fire, and I couldn't read it.

Before I got into this situation, I looked for this piece of information on my own. To be honest, knowing this narrative or folklore won't stop me from drowning or from turning around and returning home.

If only I had reached my ending if only this was the last chapter in the book.