Black Wing [Watty Awards 2012]

Chapter 5

I slammed myself against the girls’ bathroom door, luckily no-one was inside, and I ran into a cubicle. I must have sat on the toilet at least half an hour, just crying, the poem brought back so many memories.

My favourite one was when me and Gabriel were at his ninth birthday party, it was held in his house, which was covered in banners saying happy birthday, helium balloons covered the ceilings, a ribbon hanging from each of them so the kids could reach them.

All of Gabriels friends were sitting in a circle in his living room, each waiting to give Gabriel his gift, when it was my turn, I handed him his present, and he ripped the wrapping paper off, it was a remote control toy helicopter, I knew he wanted one, that was all he would talk about when we were out together in the meadows.

Later that evening, when everyone was sitting eating a piece of Gabriels birthday cake, I dragged him away from the chaos, he asked me what I was doing but I didn’t say anything, I wanted it to be a surprise. When we were round the back of the house we just stood there and looked at eachother, and I was so nervous. I plucked up the courage and took hold of his hands and kissed him straight on the lips, it was only a little peck, but it was my first proper kiss from a boy. After that me and Gabriel went around holding hands and he kissed me on the lips everytime we said goodbye. That was my favourite memory of me and Gabriel.

The tears were still flowing down my cheeks, but I had to get out of this cubicle sometime or another, I stood up and wiped my face with some tissue, when I heard the door open. I didn’t really want anyone to know I had been in here sobbing my heart out so I stayed still. Then I heard the rustling of a paper and something slid underneath my cubicle door, then I heard someone leave the girls’ toilets. I was afraid to even look what the piece of paper had written on it, incase it was a horrible remark from one of the girls who knew I had been in here crying. But I picked up the piece of paper and felt something solid concealed inside, I opened the crumpled up paper to find a silver locket, I twirled it in my hands, and there was an inscription on the back that read.

Friends forever

My heart leapt and my tears went from sad to happy instantly, it was the locket I had given Gabriel the night before I left for Lydon. He hadn’t forgotten, he remembered everything, I was ecstatic, I felt like jumping up and down with joy. He just needed to know how I felt, and now he did,   then I noticed there was writing on the piece of paper that I had dropped on the floor, I picked it up and read:

After all this time,
My Raven has returned
I longed to hear her voice,
To hear the sound, I yearned.

But my love for her has disappeared,
It cannot be revived,
For when she left,
She left me feeling deprived.

But when our eyes met,
Something in side me sparked,
But I have changed, my fair Raven,
My heart has been marked.

As fast as my heart leapt when I seen the locket, it dropped back down again when I read this poem. This was the poem he was going to read infront of the class, this poem was meant for me, but there was two lines that stuck n my mind.

But my love for her has disappeared,
It cannot be revived.

I felt a sudden longing to be with him, to comfort him, I left him in such pain, what sort of friend was I? To hurt him this way, no wonder he doesn’t want to speak to me, he has been infinitely scarred. On the other side of the paper it read.