petrichor:
(n.) the smell of earth after rain
There was something different in the air that day. The dewy drops of rain pattered down onto my body, sliding off to splash onto the ground. I was just standing, hands open to the sky: listening, reaching, feeling. The air was salty, as if the sky was crying the bitter tears of remorse on that melancholy day. It was almost like the sky let out an evanescent cry, a cry for me. "Sam!"
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I woke up slowly to my mother crying at my bedside. She tried to hide it by quickly wiping her irritated face and immediately attending to me. "Samantha, my sweet little girl..." she drifted off into another round of almost silent tears. Bolting out of bed, I sprinted to the stairs; I knew exactly what was going on. My mother called after me, but she was ignored. This situation had to be tended to. My step-father was home, seemingly harmless, asleep on the couch, his snores loud enough to wake anyone in a 5 mile radius. I slowly crept to the front of the couch and reached out for what I expected, an empty bottle of vodka, still in his hand. This was not the first time I had to deal with my step-father's alcoholic tendencies. Quickly and quietly I slipped the bottle out of his hand as he gave a bemused snort. "I wasn't done with that." I jumped as his statement startled me. He slowly rose and grabbed the bottle from my hand. Without a word, he slipped out of the house, without a goodbye and leaving our living room full of his stench. With that I turned back around and began to clear our house of the remnants of him, and go to help my mother start to breathe again. She slowly peaked around the corner and let out a small sigh. "Sammie I'm sorry." With that she trudged back up the stairs and fell straight into her bed as a weeping mess. I picked up the phone and finally had the courage to dial the number. It rang once and then voicemail; "Dad we need you here, I don't know where you are and I know things ended messy with you and mom, but Jerry he's killing her I just—
Dad you have to come home, you have to." And with that I hung up the phone. bzzt bzzt bzzt bzzt
I looked over to realize my alarm for school was sounding. I walked into the bathroom and put on a fresh face of makeup to hid my baggy eyes and sunken cheeks. You can do this. You can get through another day. Walking outside I breathed in the fresh smell of the grass after rain and for a brief moment was content. For a moment I could forget and everything just stood still and quiet. "Sam you weirdo get in the car; we are going to be late!" My best friend screeched from her Audi that sparkled from the rain. And with that I got in the car silently and took a deep breath. "Alright I'm ready, thanks for picking me up," I said with a half smile. She turned and frowned, wrapping me in a warm embrace. "I'm right here S it's going to be ok." And with that my tears began to fall, falling like rain.
hi guys!
starting this story as a way to explore some things we all feel at some point. let me know your feedback❤️
-s
YOU ARE READING
Eyes Talk
General Fiction"There's something fascinating in the way the human eye works, intricate yet simple in its making. We view the world through a tiny hole in the eye, and ironically, if you look closely, someone else can see our world through our eyes."
