Extraordinary

Chapter 33: Only Words

For the past three days, it rained.  Not only that, but Louis did show signs of getting better.  He was able to get up and walk around once in a while.  That’s kind of when he started whining that he was bored.  Typical Louis, but I was able to keep him occupied with small games and movies. And sleep.   

The rain was turning into a slight drizzle outside.  You could barely see it at night unless you looked at one of the street lamps below.  To me, I found it quite comforting and made the flat seem ten times cozier. If only I had a book to read…..

It was almost ten o’clock, so I was getting ready for bed.  Louis was already passed out on the couch. It turns out the medicine he takes makes him very drowsy, luckily he hasn’t found that out yet or he would probably stop taking it. I glanced out at him from the doorway.  He actually looked quite cute and relaxed with lips parted and exhaling slow breaths as he lied on his back.  I made him take a shower tonight, so his hair still looked a little damp.  He wore a white t-shirt with plaid pajama pants and white socks.  I almost debated joining him on the couch. Almost.

I walked out of the doorway and over to the couch, shut off the news playing on the TV, and set the remote on the table next to him.  I planted a small kiss on his forehead then walked back to my room, getting into bed and pulling the duvet over myself as I waited for the rain to put me to sleep.

Running. I was running. What was I running from anyways? I found myself out in the woods, running aimlessly around trees as I tried to outrun whatever was behind me.  But it dawned on me who exactly I was running from. 

I turned around and saw absolutely no one, then kept turning in circles and watching if anyone was really out here. But nobody was in sight, nobody would be able to hear me.

“Hello?” I screamed into the woods.  My calling made a slight echo.  Where was I? Why wasn’t I at home? Why have I found myself in these mysterious woods with nothing in sight but millions of trees?

Suddenly I saw it.  Crow-sized, black, and sleek birds covering the sky above me.  They hovered above me, screeching their cawing-noise and making me cover my ears because of how loud they were.  I pulled my hands away from my ears and my eyes widened as I saw the blood staining my palms and my fingers.

“Help!” I scream, instantly panicking. “Someone help!” I put my hands back over my ears, trying to block the noise. But it was no use, the sounds just got louder and nobody would be able to hear me. I closed my eyes and felt a few tears drip down my face.  My hands were starting to grow from the moist of the blood.  

“Lola,” someone said in a calm voice. How could I actually hear that? I open my eyes, looking out and see him. The man I haven’t seen for years, who held me when I was born and was there when I grew up, and looked exactly how I remembered him.

“Dad?” I whisper. He nods, oddly seeming to hear me.  I remove my hands again and start running toward him, the birds still hovering above me with their incredibly loud noise. Then he started running away.  When I stopped, he stopped.

“Why did you leave?” I scream. “Why?” I was sobbing now, feeling completely choked up.

“It was my choice,” he responds in his same calm voice.  

“Why? You’re not answering! You didn’t need to leave!” It was amazing how he could hear me over the consistent cawing of the birds.

“I did! It was my choice!” he repeated. Then he turned around and started running away again.  I did so as well, chasing after him. I needed answers, and he wasn’t giving them to me.