Dear Sage (V1)

:::EIGHT:::

On the bank of a river is a family of four.

At mere glance the scene appears quaint and picturesque as the dappled sunlight peaks through the leaves of many trees. The dirt ground is packed and worn down from years of being trodden upon. The brown of the earth contrasts beautifully with the gold of the sun and the emerald of the leaves. Birds chatter happily to each other and the wind lightly ruffles the boughs of green on the trees which makes the sunlight dance and at mere glance everything seems alright.

But when one spares more than a mere glance the quaint, picturesque scene is more... And something is amiss.

The father stands, blocking the view of the river from his wife and two sons and clutching a cell phone in his large hands. The wife kneels on the ground, her eyes squeezed shut, pressing her son's faces into her shoulders and chest so that they won't see the scene in front of them. Her hand is clamped over her mouth and she cries silent tears over what she has just witnessed and the fears that the same fate will befall one of her beloved children. The older of the two boys is crying because he caught a glimpse of the sight and he is scared. The youngest doesn't understand what is going on, and decides to keep quiet because it doesn't seem like the right time to be making a fuss.

The woman would have quickly left with her children, but her and her husband don't know exactly what has happened and thought it be safer to stick together.

He had called 911 and now they were just waiting. None of them turn around, none want to see.

After a while they hear noises of foliage being trampled upon and urgent voices. Soon a group of emergency responders emerge from the trees, their clothes disheveled and lightly torn. At the same time an ambulance and police car show up too. The family is escorted away from the scene and here the emergency responders approach the river with a gurney and a bag of supplies.

The sun still shines golden, and the leaves are still a vibrant green. As the father glances back one last time he realizes...

Not all car crashes happen in the rain.

Not all murders happen in the dark.

Terrible things can bloom surrounded by flowers of beauty.

Hours later the sun is beginning to set, and the first twinkling stars push their way through onto the sky. Most families sit in their homes, enjoying the last of the day together.

Through a window, the figure of a person can be seen sitting at a desk. Their back is hunched over and hair falls in their face and their eyes are empty. One hand rests on a piece of paper, the other grips a pencil tightly. The person takes a shuddering breath and then holds it all in. Their eyes squeeze shut, their hands shake, their mind numb with the shock and surprised at the possibility of what had just occurred.

Then, with great might they put the pencil on the paper. The lead breaks off a bit at the inconsistent pressure of the hold. With pain they write the seven words floating around in their head:

They found your body in the river.

They cry.