Shorts

And the World Turned

Song:

And the World Turned - Gabe Dixon Band

A wide, rushing river can be heard from all over the small town of Emberwood. It's presence is so dominating even the thick trees part for the waters to come cascading over the now smooth rocks. Rich blue water relentlessly crushes any and all objects that stand in it's way. No fish dares swim in these waters, not if they value their lives. In this forest, the river is the most dangerous feature. Not the bears or the mountain lions, not even the jaguars are considered dangerous compared to this menacing force. This river has claimed more lives than anyone in this town is willing to admit or count.

Today, it may take another young life as its own.

The girl stood on the rocks, her long strawberry blonde hair swaying in the wind. Calmly, the waters lapped at her feet as though they were bowing down to her. She had some sort of presence that defied the river and fed off it's raw power. A sad look was etched upon her beautiful face while a single tear rolled down her cheek. Brightly, the sun sat high above her, light bouncing off the shiny drop marring her face. She clasped her hand tightly over her chest and shut her turquoise eyes before more salty tears escaped. Under her breath, she spoke softly to an unseen audience.

"I miss you, come back to me," she whispered like a beggar's prayer. "I wish you'd come back to me."

No one was near to hear her speech. In vain, she willed the world to stop but it didn't. The earth turned and turned and the river continued to rush. Another tear escaped her closed eyes.

Sullenly, she looked up at the clear sky and shining sun before reaching in her pocket. She fumbled with a chain before drawing out a silver heart shaped locket. The silver still shined as though it was brand new. Although it looked so new, the memories it carried were as old as she could remember. She undid the clasp and revealed a faded photo. Her arm was thrown comically around a boy about the same age as her. Her eyes were squeezed shut in laughter and her head thrown back while he wore a lazy smile upon his lively defined face. For many, pictures are worth a thousand words but for her, this picture is worth a thousand tears. The tears cascaded down her cheeks and escape into the river. She repeated her words from before, a little louder this time.

"Oh how I miss you, come back to me," she told the ever changing river. "I wish you'd just come back to me."

But nobody heard. Once more, the world still turned and the river still rushed. The clock still ticked and the wind still blew. Nothing can stop the flow of life, not even a lost and broken girl.

Without caring about the current, the girl walked to the deepest part of the river, the water rushing around her thin waist and her wavy hair dipping into the cool water. She thought about diving in, how easy it would be to just disappear. No one would know. It would simply be another accident. She closed her eyes, hearing the gushing current and imagined how it would feel to have that sound all around her. She could almost feel the current overtaking her in her imagination. The water rushed around her immersed figure, chilling and numbing as it nipped at her flesh. Instead of throwing herself into the vicious river, she tossed the locket. She watched as it disappeared beneath the cool blue waters and wondered what it would happen if that was her. Long after the locket sunk, she lingered. The river seemed far less threatening now.

She returned home heartless. Literally. Her eyes were puffy from tears shed and her whole body shivered from being exposed to the cold water for too long. As the sun set, it did very little to keep hypothermia at bay but what little it did worked. As per usual, no one awaited her at her house and she made her way to her calling bed.

That night she cried, she let herself weep for the first time in months. She bawled through the night until she fell asleep in the damp pillow. Her faded boy from the locket haunted her dreams. She found the same chilling water lapping at her feet. This time the moon reflected off the dark rapids, turning the gray rocks into a slippery silver. His lips moved soundlessly, whatever words he spoke being drowned out by the gushing river. Tentatively, she took a step closer to him. The water raged around her but the only sensation she felt was a soft caress around her ankle. As the bottom dropped off, she found herself walking atop an invisible barrier. Despite the frigid temperature of the liquid engulfing her bare ankles, she did not feel the numbing cold but a comfortable warmth. With each step, she increased her speed. Every time she placed a foot in front, a small piece of information would slip her mind until her destination was the only thing she could think of.

The locket hung from his arm, swaying like the pendulum of an old grandfather clock. She couldn't keep her eyes off him and the swinging chain. Every time she got a little closer, his voice got a little louder. It was a mere whisper when she heard the words he muttered.

"I miss you, come back to me," he reiterated her lines. "I wish you'd come back to me."

Tears brimmed her eyes. When she had thought no one heard, someone really was listening. Her boy; the one with the lazy smile was with her all the time. He was a part of everywhere she went, every word she spoke and every smile she wore. No matter how far away he seemed he would always be right at her finger tips.

She smiled at this newfound knowledge and reached out to the boy she missed so dearly. Just as she was about to embrace him, the ghostly figure dissipated leaving her with an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. No words could describe the feeling of pain and loss she felt. It was as if an old wound had reopened and the blood was spilling from her eyes in the form of tears. A sharp crevice reformed in her heart, an abyss that will never be whole again.

She awoke drowning in her own soggy pillows. She sobbed into her arms as her tears fell down her face.

But nobody heard.