Short Stories

The Firebird

He lay looking at the clouds, tears in his eyes.

They used to do this together, just him and her – looking at the sky, making images from the clouds and sharing their secrets.

She was his love, his flame. She was the one who brought light to his darkness. He was her shadow, his darkness bringing her peace and quiet. But she was gone, leaving him freezing in darkness without his sun to warm him.

He was in the middle of a forest, an unknown clearing that they found. They would come here for time together, where no one would overhear their secrets. Here where pine trees swayed and the cold breeze calmed them, bringing them to the same level.

It has been a year since she disappeared, a year since they started staring at him accusingly, blaming him for the loss of the star. They were only jealous, he told himself, they only wanted what you had. But eventually they got to him. Maybe his darkness scared her away, maybe she grew bored of him and fled in shame for ever associating with him. He wanted to believe it wasn't true, hoped that he wasn't the reason for her sudden disappearance.

But he didn't believe in that hope, it had been too long. She could've sent a message, something only he would recognise. She should've told him were she was going, should've asked him to run away with her.

But she didn't.

He waited for months but she never came.

He'd had enough of the waiting. He was lost without her.

With shaking hands he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vile. A little pill laid inside. He gave all his money for it. He wanted to get the right pill, something that would kill him without extreme pain. He didn't want it to be sudden either, he was too afraid of something going wrong.

After months of keeping it closed, he finally opened the bottle and took the tiny capsule of death from within. He put it in his mouth, without water to help it down. he wanted to feel as his doom went down his throat.

He swallowed.

Then he laid back down and continued to look at the clouds.

...

A screech echoed through the forest as wings of flame cut through the blue sky. A bird of flame cried out in agony as it spotted the body lying in the break of the trees. The sound of its screams and wails travelling for miles.

It landed near the body, tears of molten flame streaking down its face. It fell on the lips of the dead boy and made him burn. When he was nothing but ash on the wind, a shadow emerged from the remains. The shadow rippled and gained mass, eventually turning into the shape of a bird.

The firebird took flight with the shadowbird beside her.

Together once again.

Here I am... late to update again

Sorry

Ju Out