My Book Of Quickies.

The Fallen

Constellations painted the night sky like drunken pastels and bleeding water colours. Their yellows, blues and whites against the infinite abyss above her made her feel as though she was Van Gogh and THIS was her ‘Starry Night’. The cool February breeze danced lone pine needle around the girls ankles, skated them across her bare toes and onto the, once majestic, rusted Ferris wheel. Broken memories of a bitter sweet beginning and abandoned dreams were all that was left amongst the desolate ruins.

 The Fair had been closed exactly one year to the day, the same Fair that she had met her beloved at- the same beloved that had been deceased for almost three months. The girl toyed with her limits, letting the breeze sway her to and fro against the discoloured steel beams. Climbing the mechanical beast hadn’t originally been part of her adventure, her journey to seek closure, but too much time, and obviously not enough peach schnapps, had muddled her mind and melted the barrier that had shielded her from her grief. Letting her head fall back, she let a lazy smile make its way to her face as she remembered the night that had sealed their fates together.

***********

The sound of startled screams followed the crunching of gears as they tripped over one another, scrambling the Ferris Wheels smooth flow to an unexpected halt. The girl sent a reassuring glance to the boy beside her and received an anxious one in return. She held his sweaty palm in hers and felt some of the tension leave him as he relaxed slightly into their booth. Her forehead creased with concern as she watched him fidget with the corner of his coat.

‘Everything will be fine, don’t worry.’

He didn’t reply.

Though they hadn’t known each other very long, the girl felt a sense of familiarity when sitting with him. She found herself seeking comfort in the sad, distant glow of his eyes. Realising that he was still holding her hand, she hid behind the golden curtain of hair, smiling in joy.

Another short burst of screams erupted from both the people on the ride and on the pier below as the gears scraped against each other again, causing the ride to jolt forward suddenly. He gripped her hand tightly, keeping her from falling forward. His jaw was clenched together, his breaths becoming a series of short, ragged huffs. She watched, fascinated, as he held his eyes tightly shut, his face contorting like a child in the midst of a nightmare. Around them the rest of the world remained unaffected. The red, pink and white coloured lights of the Valentines’ Day Fair pulsated, lighting the night as the sun set; their shine reflecting off the ocean like tiny, strobing stars. A loud siren from below captured the attention of the passengers. On the pier was a man with what looked to be a megaphone in hand.

‘...BROKEN...UNSAFE...AWAIT...RESCUE’

Even though the man’s voice had been swept away by the wind and muffled by the noise of the fair, his message could not have been clearer. The girl watched as the lower booths of the Ferris wheel were evacuated. Slumping into their booth, the girl radiated with distress tinged with annoyance. She wouldn’t have been at the fair if it weren’t for her friends. It had been a nice idea in theory to go as a group but as soon as the five of them had arrived the two couples had abandoned her at the entrances, stranded like a captain without its ship. And now she was stuck. The boy looked more tormented than before; his face was plagued by dark bags that hung like drapes under his eyes, the stress induced creases left behind on his forehead were like a continuous tally keeping score on the endless match played within him- so far the nightmares seemed to be beating a good night sleep by a good five points. She wished she knew what caused such unease, wished she could ease his pain. She went to move closer to him and was stopped mid-stride. A stomach-turning groan filled the air –echoing- as the Ferris wheel protested against the stubborn gears. Sirens filled the air as fire fighters came to their rescue.

‘Told you we’d be fine’

The girl smiled at the boy, he attempted to return it.

***********

After they had been rescued, they had left the ride hands still entwined. The pair had found her friends and it was like the whole incident had never happened.

Tears flowed freely down her face as memories of her beloved bombarded her head, each new image bringing a new wave of sobs with it. Too long had she been without him, too long had she been alone to fend for herself. She turned herself and lent back, her only support being her hands that loosely gripped the bars. She let pictures of her lover fill her mind once more- his crooked smile, his messy bed head, his laughter. Slowly her fingers slipped free, one by one until there was nothing but gravity. Time stops for a second as she, like her Ferris wheel, came to a destructive end.