Melodies of a Crow

Prologue

POV: Narrator

The room is filled with silence and sniffles as I make my way across the stage. The pain of losing someone was too unbearable. The idea of losing someone you hold dear to your heart trumps any positive emotion you had with them prior.

 That's how they felt. They weren't able to stand and give this speech, so it was up to me to reminisce about the good times.

I can do this, right?

Like, am I strong enough?

 The pain of seeing their eyes bloodshot was enough to keep me walking across that stage.

"Good morning- I mean evening." I clear my throat. "I want to thank you guys for gathering here today. It... um- means a lot. This person was important, if not special to everyone in this room. So, I was tasked with reading a speech that was prepared by someone close to the person in their life we are celebrating here today."

 I unfold the paper that I had stuck in my pocket. I read the opening line, before I look up from my stop on the stage, at the crowd. They are all staring back at me.

 The same emotion is written on all of their faces. They missed them just as much as I do. I clear my throat once more, knowing I have to begin as soon as possible.

"As a child, you aren't prepared to deal with the pain of burying someone you admire. As a teenager, you are told to enjoy your young days. To stay young and carefree. To be happy as long as the sun is up. But they don't prepare you for admitting when you don't feel the best. How to call out for help. They always say, 'You can come to me for anything,' but when the lights go down, and the house is quiet, you are left alone with your thoughts. " 

I take a breather, making eye contact with the writer of the speech. A soft smile is sketched onto their face as if they are communicating with the lost one. So,I continue.

That is how they felt. And God, I wish I could turn back time and say three simple words. 'I. Love. You.' Because sometimes you just want to feel seen and appreciated. I believe that is how they were feeling that night. So instead of being sad and rambling about the hard times and how it so-calls makes us stronger, I will spend the rest of this speech talking about the good times. The times that were rewarded for us being strong in this cold world. So Senior year is when we got closer to being exactly what we came to be. So, I will begin there. -"