(Written July 28, 2014)
I wonder whether my brain just amplified the sounds to seem louder than they actually were.
As I move towards my door, I try to rationalize the source of the noises. But my heartbeat continues to accelerate as anxiety paralyzes every inch of my body. A familiar, yet distant feeling overcomes me. I've felt this way before. I try to remember when. And then, it dawns on me. The last time I felt this way was when I was told my brother, Connor had passed away.
Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.
I can't move and it's hard to breathe. My voice quivers, "breathe Liz, please breathe. It's all in your head. Nothing happened." I look up at the ceiling and consider the source of the sounds.
Moments before, I had been confident that my parents were passed out on the couch, but now, it sounded as if they had instead flipped the couch over. Did something happen to them? I wouldn't survive if something did.
Life suddenly returns to my legs, but just as I run for the door, I hear a shriek.
It's Dad.
I swing open the door and run into the hallway, following the echo of his voice. My body comes to a sudden stop in the living room and I instantly collapse on my knees. The sight is worse than I could ever have imagined.
YOU ARE READING
Tuning Heartstrings
Short StoryLiz knows loneliness all too well. Haunted by the shadow of her brother's tragic death and engulfed in the ocean of her parents' grief and guilt, Liz struggles to find a reason to live and distances herself from the world. As she navigates a life fu...
