Short Stories

Upon a flutter of a butterfly's wing

Kind of shitty I did this at like 3 in the morning in 30 minutes or so.
TW: Death

I looked to the left of me. A plastic cup sat silently on the marble counter together with two yellow pills sitting in a bottle cap. Beside it was a framed photo of a beautiful woman with bright blue eyes and a playful smile I didn't recognise.

Was I supposed to take that? I don't remember.

A soft, high chirp caught my attention. I turned my eyes up to the small window on the opposite side of the room to see a small brown bird standing on a thin branch. I knew its name, but I couldn't recall it.

A sparrow? No- that's not it.

I laid back into the bed. It smelt of chlorine. What was I doing here? I wondered. Then, the door opened. I looked up to see a girl with striking green eyes and brown hair braided down her back walk in. After talking a while with a woman dressed in blue, probably a nurse, she walked towards me.

Her eyes narrowed when they caught sight of the counter beside me. "Em, you were supposed to take them an hour ago! That's why your dementia is getting worse!" She took the plastic cup and the bottle cap and shoved them into my hand.

Oh. Now I remember.

I put the pills in my mouth and took a swig of water, staring at the pretty girl in front of me blankly. "Judging by that blank look, I'm assuming that you forgot who I am again, am I right? It's Alicia! A-L-I-C-I-A. Ring a bell?"

Oh. Right.

"Anyway, Em, the nurse said that I could take you outside today. I know that Nurse Noryla is still sceptical of letting you even into the halls, but I promised to take good care of you. Come on now, hurry, before I change my mind. You know my patience has limits." Despite her words, a smile was on her face and her eyes were sparkling.

She's very pretty.

I wordlessly slid down my bed and stood up on my unsteady legs. It felt like it had been so long since I used them. I don't know, maybe it had been quite some time.

"C'mon, Em. Hurry." Alicia reached out a hand and helped me to the door. Outside the quiet room I stayed was a long, bright corridor. Alicia quickly led me through the hallway to the main doors. The woman who was standing there nodded at her and said something along the lines of "keep her safe"

With a small grin, Alicia led me out of the door. "Nurse Noryla finally agreed to let you go out! C'mon, we have an entire hour before you have to be in bed for your next dose of meds." I let myself be pulled along by the girl- Angelica? No, Alicia.

We walked on the sidewalk as cars rushed past us. I glanced up at the stars. There was this... pattern of stars. Argon? I really don't remember. They were very pretty. Angelica- I mean, Alicia let go of my hand.

"Okay, Em. I'm going to tie my hair, you just walk, okay? Don't wander too far!" She warned. I nodded.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flutter of wings. Turning around to look at it, i saw a majestic black and yellow butterfly. It was... enticing. Mesmerised by its beauty, I followed its path without hesitation onto the road.

"Emily!" A scream behind me startled me and I stopped in the middle of a road. Mere seconds later, something crashed into me. Intense pain filled my leg and it spread like wildfire to other parts of my body, forcing tears to rush out. I fell backwards, landing hard on my head.

The car stopped its engine and a worried man stepped out. Alicia rushed over and knelt at my side. "Emily." She sobbed as she ran a hand through my hair. "It's all so clear now." I murmured, turning to look at her. The photo beside my pills was a photo of my mother back in her twenties. That bird in the morning was a Striped-tit Babbler. That butterfly was a Tiger Swallowtail.

"I'm sorry..." Alicia muttered over and over, crying. Behind her, the man was panicking, calling someone. "It's okay, Allie, it was my time anyway." I smiled, just as my late parents had said when they were on their deathbed. Alicia broke down more. "Please don't go... I need you, Em!" She sobbed, just as I had beside my parents' deathbed. I struggled as I ran an unbelievably heavy hand through her hair, caressing it gently, as my parents had.

"You can move on, find new friends, Allie. But you know I will be watching over you..." I trailed off. Back in the distance, the man had finished the phone call and rushed over. "I'm so sorry," he said, eyes bleak. I smiled at him. "It's okay. Can you give m- me and Allie... a... few for m- moments?" The man respectfully nodded and walked off.

"Allie, thank you." I removed my hand. "I'll be waiting for you, don't you worry." I gasped in a breath. Dad, Mom, I can see so clearly now. And as the last vestiges of consciousness slipped away, I felt the gentle flutter of wings—a final farewell from the butterfly that had led her on this bittersweet journey of remembering.

This is how it meant to be, and how it always will be.

Word count: 913
Guys look I'm back alive. Yayy

P.S. PLEASE give me story reqs i need them. PLEASE IM BEGGING

REALLY