Random VT Shorts

The Story of Mary Toast pt. 1

The moon shone on a happy couple. The two, a beautiful, blonde woman in a wedding dress, and her new, British husband, sat on a bench, glad to finally be alone. The party was still going on in the building next to them. The pair had been dancing for a little while, and eaten a bit of food, but eventually, they had both gone outside to get a breath of fresh air. The woman, Mary, stroked the groom's facial hair, and he gave her a soft kiss. Johnny Toast pulled away, and smiled at his bride. There seemed to be nothing more important than that moment. The door opened behind them, bringing forth the once muffled music, and letting out a pool of yellow light.

"Hey, Johnny," said a young man, who was about nineteen, "C'mon and dance! It's much more fun in here with you!"

"Well be right there, sir!", Johnny said over his shoulder.

"What's with all this 'sir' business, anyway?", the man, Johnny Ghost, questioned, "You don't have to be formal with your best friend, especially at your own wedding!"

"Yes, but both of our names are Johnny! I don't want to get anyone mixed up!", Toast replied.

Whatever, Johnny," Ghost rolled his eyes, though he was smiling. He nodded to Mary.

"You're lucky to have him," he congratulated, before disappearing behind the door.

"Well, I guess we should be getting inside," Johnny laughed, "C'mon, Mary!" He helped the bride to her feet, and they went inside. The party was alive with family and friends, laughing, talking, eating, and dancing. Little children chased each other around, and bored teens slouched in their seats. There were cheers as the newly weds appeared in the doorway. Some people toasted them.

"So, do you want to...", Johnny could struggled to find the right words, "Y-you know. Dance?" Mary responded with a shy nod.

"Of course," she giggled. The two stepped onto the dance floor.

"You know," Mary looked into his eyes as slow music filled the room, "I don't know about you, but.... I'm glad to be a Toast." Johnny didn't answer. He just wrapped his arms around her, and they began to dance.

Toast's pov: She was so warm. So soft. The music was slow, and we held each other close. I couldn't let go. Her green eyes looked into mine, full of joy, and I couldn't stop smiling myself. It was quite a while before we needed a break. That was when I heard her stomach rumble.

"Do you want to get some food?", I whispered.

"You didn't hear that, did you?", she giggled. I only smiled. Hand in hand, we made our way to a table packed with food of all kinds. Soon, Ghost and his fiancee, Katrina appeared in line behind us.

"Hey, Johnny!", Ghost waved.

"What's up, sir", I asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just came back from the dance floor."

"Same."

"I almost dropped Katrina! It was scary!"

"You are so clumsy, sir." I piled some fruit salad onto my plate. All four of us went to sit down at one of the tables.

Mary's pov: The food was delicious! We sat at the table for a while, conversing with Johnny's best friend and Kat. Every so often, one of my relatives would come up to me and ask how I felt with a last name like Toast, or how Johnny and I met. Many people congratulated us, or just came up to say hi. Normally, I'm not very social, but today, I could have chatted for hours. Eventually, we headed to the dance floor once more.

Toast's pov: The next song was a retro disco song. We began to dance, the rhythm keeping us going. The music reminded me of the dances me and my brother, Gavin, used to do back in Europe. I could hear it all, the bass, the violins, that instantly recognizable beat. Suddenly, my legs began to move faster, and my entire body began flowing with the music, like a boat on a river. But then came the rapids...

Mary's pov: Wow, Johnny was really dancing! I tried to keep up, but he was so fast. It seemed as if he were glowing. All I could see were lights of many different colors. They shimmered and whirled, like dancing stars. And then I stumbled. I couldn't feel or hear much, but Johnny seemed to be calling my name. My vision blurred in and out of focus. What was going on? Then I saw a tunnel, and there was a glowing light at the end of it. It seemed to be coming closer. I felt something cold and hard hit my knee. Where was Johnny? It was if there was an invisible wall. I pounded against it, but with no avail. All that could be heard was my own, slowly beating heart.

Toast's pov: I stopped dancing as my wife collapsed. Oh no! I had forgotten she wasn't British!

"Mary!", I cried as I dropped to the floor, trying to catch her. She was twitching in an odd way. Everyone else in the room had moved away from the fallen girl, leaving a circle of bare floor. In the middle of it lay Mary in my arms.

"I'm sorry, Mary," I whispered, "Just hold on." Her heart was beating so slowly.

Thump

Thump

Thump

The only part of her that moved was her eyelids, which flickered every so often. She was only barely breathing.

"No," I muttered, "Stay with me! Please!" The heartbeats grew slower. Everyone else was staring, though a few people had called the ambulance. I didn't care.

Mary's pov: I felt something warm against my skin. Was Toast holding me? He whispered things to me, but I couldn't hear much of what he said. Suddenly, I could faintly hear sirens.

"Stay," Toast's voice made it past my loud heartbeats. Suddenly, I could feel myself slipping away. The world was fading. My entire body was going numb. The warmth of Toast's body was disappearing.

"No!", I heard him cry, "Mary, hold on to me!" He seemed to be a long way off. It was too late.

Toast's pov: She seemed so fragile at that moment. So weak. Nothing like the Mary I knew. She was like a delicate flower. But she was fluttering away. I knew she wasn't going to make it. It was so quiet. I think everyone else knew too. I held Mary close. I wasn't leaving her alone. The sirens in the distance grew louder. Part of me thought that, maybe, just maybe, she would have a chance. I knew though, in the back of my mind, that it was time to say goodbye. I gave her a final kiss, then let her go. The medics were arriving, but by then she was already gone.