Sunset Over Bethany

Chapter 12 - Field

"Abby, what are the things that scare you?"

"Death, I suppose"

"That's it? Nothing else you can think of?"

"That's all"

"Okay, then why?"

"Isn't it obvious? There's nothing after death," she said as she sighed, "Can you even conceive what death is like?"

"How do you mean?"

"Death is a fate worse than any hell. Sitting right here I can see the stars, I can feel the grass on my back, I can hear the wind rustling the leaves of the trees around us. Take away all sensation, and that is death. Can you even fathom that, to feel nothing? To be nothing? It's a void. Do you remember what it was before you were born or came into existence? How far back does your memory go? We hang on precariously to a strand of hair separating us between life and death."

"But doesn't that motivate you to just keep on moving, to live to your fullest before you expire?"

"Yes, it does," she said coolly, "And there isn't a thing I wouldn't do that would stop me from doing so."

"You have resolve at least."

"Oh I have much more than that," she spat. She rolled out of Rowan's arms and stood up, letting the wind blow across her face. The breeze dried off the sweat forming on her brow, where the heat was getting the better of her. I was suffocating in there.

"What's wrong, Abby?"

"I can't do this anymore, Rowan." She faced the faint sliver of a sunset that remained in the distance. "I loved you Rowan, but just like the sun, those feelings waned into nothing."

Rowan looked up, and felt the heavy weight of the sky on him, letting the universe consume him in that moment. He reached out his hand to grab the stars; Orion was in his palm. He closed his eyes.

"What we are is death, Rowan, can't you see that? There's nothing, it's gone. And I was afraid from the very sta -"

"I guess it was time anyway," he whispered. "Let the sun set, and let the living die. Let the inevitable happen." He clenched his hand into a fist and sighed. "But remember this Abby, even when the sun sets and the day has died and all is dark and void, there are lights that dance above us, inviting us all." He scoffed, "And maybe the sun will rise another day."

Note to reader: This is the final chapter of the story. I've been struggling to finish Sunset and I wasn't completely satisfied with the direction it was going. There's so much more depth I wanted to bring to the characters and inconsistencies that need to be fixed that this won't be the actual end of writing this story. I'll definitely fill in with more of the story as time goes by and I find new inspirations, but in the meantime I'll be working on a new project I started and hopefully will upload soon :)