The Wishing Well

IV- Ask Not For Whom The Bell Tolls!

Maybe I'm dreaming or something? I caught my head in both hands and shook it. Wake up! Please wake up. No one was paying attention to the lonely girl sitting on the sidewalk with her head between her hands and eyes tightly shut. They had more important things to see. There was a robbery at a house whose owners were living abroad and the house was closed for months now. Apparently, there was nothing that could be stolen but a street child was killed in the process. The local store owner, Mr. Carter called the police in the morning when he noticed the breakage in the house.

'How unfortunate child!', 'Maybe she is better off dead than living in streets', 'They didn't have to kill the poor child!' There were murmurs all around her. People were talking about Lisa like they knew her. No, they didn't, they didn't know who she was. She was everything to me, my only family. How could this happen to me? What did I do to deserve such fate? I couldn't feel my legs under me, the strength had completely left me. 'Annabelle, are you okay?', Lillian joined me on the sidewalk, 'I'm so sorry about this. I don't understand what she was doing here in the middle of the night. I was going to Mr. Carter's when I saw the police, then I saw Elizabeth on the stretcher and I ran to get you.' She tried to comfort me and put her hand on my shoulder, 'Come on, let's go back. There is no point in staying here anyway. They are heading for the morgue right now. Then, after all the necessary paperwork, they say that the funeral will be held in the local Chapel.' I couldn't register what she was saying at first, then it all came to me at once. 'Wait, are you saying that we are not allowed to see her? How can they do that? I'm her friend, her sister, her only family. Surely, they will let me stay with her.'

I stood up to go towards the ambulance, but she took me by the arm. I tried to yank myself away from her,'Let me go, I have to see her.' 'You can't. Didn't you hear what I just said, it's a police case, nobody is allowed to interfere. Try to understand the situation, and Annabelle, we are just the children. What could we possibly do anyways?' Just the children! Just the children? How could they? I pulled my arm from her grip,'No! You try to understand. I'm not leaving her alone. I already did it once, and look what happened. She left me for good. She is gone. You don't understand this, no one understands this. She was the only person I was living for. I love her. For God's sake, let me go.' Something was building in my chest cutting my air supply and choking me. I couldn't feel my feet, the surrounding area was starting to get blur. 'Annabelle! Annabelle, on your feet. Can you hear me? Annabelle?!' A familiar voice was calling me from far away. 'Oh my God! She is having a panic attack.' It was Lillian probably. 'I'll call the medics. Stay with her.' Oh, Mr. Carter is here too! I could hear the voices, but my world was going black. I cannot breathe. There is no air in my lungs, I'm going to die. Probably there I'll be able to join Lisa. Then, there was nothing.