The Empty Space

Breaking a Dam

"And no matter where I go, no matter what I do, I will always hold our memories in the safest of places; My heart. For you were so special to me and I will always love you."

The words softly echoed against the looming marble walls of Saint Andrew's church, quickly becoming lost among the different sounds of dozens of mourners sitting amongst the dark oak pews.
A lone tear ran down Violet's pale cheek as she stood at the front of the church looking out upon the dimly lit faces. She was subconsciously seeking out the one and only face that had ever brought her true happiness; the only face that ever could bring her happiness. As she searched, she slowly sunk to her knees as realisation came crashing down upon her like a ton of bricks.
Crumpled on the cold church ground, she allowed the hollowness inside herself to fill with grief and an overwhelming sense of guilt. Tears crashed to the floor as the dam that she had carefully constructed over the past two weeks burst.
She felt soft hands touching her shoulder, but was too consumed with grief to move. "Violet" - It was the monotonous voice of her mother. Violet looked up slowly, brushing her dark hair away from her green eyes which were still overflowing with tears. "It's time to leave" her mother tried again, this time lifting upwards slightly on the black jacket Violet was wearing.
Violet allowed herself another moment and then took a slow deep breath. As she pushed herself up to her feet her arms shook violently, threatening to give way under even the lightest of pressure. She stood unsteadily and allowed her mother to steer her gently by the arm towards the church exit.
She looked to her mother for the reassurance she so desperately needed; that this was all a dream. That everything was going to be okay. As Violet sat down slowly in the back seat of her family's car, she was oblivious to the conversation her mother and father were having as she stared blankly out the tinted window.
The familiar buildings of her home town flashed by but Violet was deep in thought. She replayed the most precious of memories over and over again, revelling in the beauty of her little sister Jasmine's smile. A sob escaped her lips as she thought to herself "the smile that could brighten the darkest of rooms will never light my world again."