When Love Runs Away

It Is The End

As the days grew by, Anna began to distance herself from the rest of the prisoners, even Lucille. She'd just stay in her jail cell and watch everyone else go about their daily lives through the window. She had a bad feeling that something was waiting for her, and it was sinister.

Looking through the window, Anna began to ponder about her life, all the people that she had met, all the people that she made friendships with and those that died. Agathe Louins, Samson DeLouilles and her lover, Harold Whitehouse, all the people that had major significance in her life were all just gone, and for some reason, Anna felt as if she was going to go as well.

The door to her jail cell opened and in came Faustine, tightly clutching the keys in her eyes and displayed a worried look.

"Anna, are you sure you don't want to eat?" Faustine asked Anna.

No response.

"Anna, you look frail and deathly pale too."

Slowly, Anna turned to Faustine and shrugged her shoulders. Faustine almost let out a gasp when she saw Anna's face. She was definitely not the beautiful girl that she had first laid her eyes on when she entered the prison cell. She looked unrecognisable.

"Anna, please, eat." Faustine begged.

"I'm not eating, Faustine! I'm going to die either way."

Faustine stepped back a little, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?" Faustine asked, but it was almost a whisper.

"You think I don't know?" Anna began, "I overheard you and the guard discussing our execution. I want to ask you now, is it true?"

She couldn't articulate the words. A lump had formed in her throat and the poor Faustine was almost reduced to tears.

"Am I?" Anna asked.

Faustine broke down into tears and walked up to Anna. Suddenly, she embraced Anna tightly and cried on her shoulder.

"Tomorrow Anna, tomorrow." Faustine answered.

"I'm dying tomorrow."

"Yes. I didn't want to break this to you. I'm so sorry."

Anna embraced Faustine back and tears began to form in her eyes as well.

"I deserve it. Its not like I was good for this world anyways." Anna whispered.

*

The night before the execution, Anna slept peacefully but she heard whimpers and sniffling from the other cell. She rose up and crawled to the wall. Then, gently, she knocked on the wall three times, which caught the attention of the prisoner in the adjacent prison cell.

"Lucille, is that you?" Anna whispered.

"Anna," Lucille answered and broke down into tears, "I'm not sure if I can do this tomorrow. I don't want to die. Where will my children go?"

"Oh Lucille, think of death this way, as a door that opens into a new life."

"That doesn't help Anna. It's the Guillotine we are talking about here, not dying a peaceful death."

Anna sighed and looked down at the hay-covered floor. She wasn't scared of death, she was elated. Her life hadn't been good from the start. Being abused by her former husband, all her friends being taken away from her and being homeless. She was better of dead.

"I don't know what to say Lucille." Anna said.

"Don't say anything. Go to sleep. See you tomorrow."

Anna went back to sleep and shut her eyes. How was she going to leave this world? With fear or dignity? Would she give a little speech before she dies? Would the crowd sympathise with her? Where would she go after death? To heaven to meet Agathe or Harold, or to hell to meet Samson or Hans. Suddenly, Anna burst into tears and began to bang her fists on the floor.