We've lost a certain presence.
A chunk of occupied space, a piece of this map we've laid out of our experiences, is gone.
But she lives on in recollections, both as a memory and an idea.
The outside of the wooden box Lauren's body rested in was covered in smudges, as Holly's arm slid back and forth across the thin layer of pale flakes. She could no longer shed a tear or make a whimper. Yet in this moment she reverted. The ash that covered the nearby surfaces reminded her of the burning building in which she met her adoptive mother.
She was just that little girl, sitting in a ball, surrounded by the outcome of the invisible flames that surely surrounded her.
As most of the crowd walked away, I stood still and watched her. I hoped I could see her muster the strength, to pull herself back off the floor.
But I was called away before I could see Holly's decision.
I could barely hear Rachel's voice as she called out for me. The color in her face had gone and her eyes were red from both the restlessness and the crying. In Rachel's mind it was clear that this was a funeral for two. She stood up against the doorway, the entrance to the housing building waiting for me to console her. Even as she grieved, her candy red hair managed to look tidy resting perfectly on her shoulders.
"What are we going to do?" Rachel said as she lifted her eyes just enough to glance at me, fighting the urge to cry.
"I'm going to get her back."
As we watched the sun go down, the fire whipped and crackled and I could see a reflection of myself through the center of the flame. A collection of still images that have been stuck repeating since the beginning of time. A partial piece of my identity forged in the fire.
The crackling sound melded perfectly into the sound of objects slamming into the open water.
Rachel and I sat over the pier as the sun began to set. The light carefully hit her face as she glanced at me, worried about my current situation. The edge of the pier felt like the edge of the world. In between each splash I looked carefully at the reflection that I had both ruined and deformed, as I continued to drop items over the edge of the world.
Rachel's hand reached out to mine, holding it before I could throw another. As best she could, Rachel gave me a gentle smile and urged me to believe that there was still life worth living.
"This doesn't have to be how things go, we can do better. We can try."
The young woman that existed in this moment was trapped, held prisoner behind Rachel's now pain-ridden eyes.
I needed to save her, like she had once saved me.
Once the sun was up, I set off to find Kelly.
A group had formed outside to see me off on my adventure, hoping to get a good look at me before I risked my life heading south.
Rachel stood where she always stood before I went off on a run, watching me carefully as I prepared my vehicle and said my goodbyes. I walked around the makeshift circle that the crowd had formed around the car, and said goodbye to each of them individually. Their eyes looked down as we either shook hands or leaned in for a hug. An expression that told me everything I needed to know about what they thought of my odds.
I pulled away from the last woman in the crowd and in the center Rachel stood, watching me. Her arms were crossed and she wore a large thick sweater over her nightgown. The small smirk that crept up fought the worried expression on her face, before they both settled their differences. I walked toward her and she placed both of her hands on each side of my face bringing me closer.
YOU ARE READING
Black Labyrinth
Science FictionAt the peak of technological advancement, life on earth began to fall apart. The advancement of technology has answered questions about our origins and uncovered the fabric of our reality. We now know the meaning of life. The panic it set in about o...