Letting Go

Her angry shout seemed to split apart the very fabric of space and time itself. The whole world stood still for a breathless second, seeming to last an eternity. The two of them stood several paces away from each other, each glaring at the other with both fire and ice in their stares. And then, he turned his back on her, started walking away. The girl cried out, apologizing, begging him to come back. But it was no use. Angry, hopeless tears poured out of her soul like a heavy rain storm. She tried to run after him, but her legs refused to carry her, and she collapsed to the ground. All she could do was watch as the boy she loved walked farther and farther away, off into the distance. She felt like she was drowning, she couldn't breathe—he was gone. He could never love her again, would never find his way back to her. And it was all her fault. She reached out her hand in a last desperate attempt, but the guilt and grief washed over her with a new force, and fresh tears blurred her vision. Her eyes closed, her hand dropped to the ground with a muffled thud. Memories flashed through her mind, the once-happy times the two had spent together tinged with an unbearable and uneraseable sadness. It wasn't fair. She had lost her way without him. He was her north star, but now his star had fizzled out. Not a star in the sky could guide her. The sun set, taking its warmth away from the world. And as it slipped away, it lit up the sky a bitter orange. Everything faded into darkness. A full moon rose, a mournful silver orb, trying in vain to light up a sky absent of stars. Morning came with a small yellow ray of hope, but it was swallowed by clouds. The color washed out of the entire world: the sky a pale blue, almost white during the day, a faded grey at night. Everything seemed frosty, and delicate, as though it was made of glass. Her life was unfocused, fuzzy, as if a thick fog was smothering everything. It was like snow was coating everything, coaxing her into sinking into the numbing softness, but the promise of sharp icicles kept her from giving in. The days went by, but not a day passed that the girl did not think about her love. Days were long and unbearably slow, all blurring into each other. Where one day ended and another began was impossible to distinguish. The only thing she knew was sorrow. Guilt, regret, and a terrible, crushing sorrow, because she had done this to herself and it was all her fault. Her feelings tumbled inside like waves of the ocean crashing on a beach, and her heart ached with the broken remnants of her once powerful love. The days were wasting like petals falling off a white rose, sad yet beautiful all at the same time. And then she had to let go. Life moved on like a river, gently flowing past, but she was just a leaf caught in the current. But maybe--maybe one day, that current would carry her lost leaf back to him.