She awoke in utter darkness, not knowing whether she was dreaming or if this was reality. She turned her hands over as if expecting something unfamiliar, something foreign. How was she supposed to remember, when they all want you to forget? She stood up, as the murky puddles of water soaked her shoes. She trudged through, not knowing what was on the other side. The noise was cringe worthy, but the silence deadly. She let out all the air she'd been holding in, as if it was easy as exhaling all of her problems. Her name was Anna, at least thats what the little black tattoo on her wrist said. Can you always believe what something says, or does it come with time? She was almost to the narrow cavity heading out of the darkness. She could tell it was sunset by the limited orange glow from the opening. Oh but of course in a world like this one, simplicity as so is not as simple as it seems. The orange was not at all the sun beams, but the glow of a thousand fierce flames, consuming the city. The whole city was blackened like tar, the smoke pollinating the air, the only mapped sight....gone. It wasnt her city, her home, so why did she have the feeling of distress, loss, and heartache? It all seemed as though it were hers, a distant memory. Was she the only one? Through the whole clearing it was only her and the heat of the burnt city square. She put her head between her knees, and let her long, dark hair cascade around her face. She looked up as if it were an acquired action, as if it were neccessary. And that it was, because out of nowhere, a little boy, around 6 years of age, was standing dead center of the city square, in his little hand was a balloon, white in color, the shape of a star. His big brown eyes looked at her with a note of desperation. She slowly stood, she treaded lightly towards the small child. But she didnt have to travel far. For the boy was coming her way.
"Anna you musnt forget, you musnt give up. For without you there isnt hope."
and with that the young boy dissapeared in the blink of an eye.
"Anna. Anna. The only one? What does that mean? Was that real? where is he? where am I? Who the hell am I?"
What was a thought process, turned into silent sobs, she sat in the ashes of a once remembered place and cried tears of a once remembered soul. Anna.
She opened her eyes, and was shocked by what she saw, the balloon was right in her view, not even floating away as was expected. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and reached for the ribbon. Something was tied to the bottom, restricting its abilities. She worked on the knots, but they were tied tightly around the mysterious object. With one final tug, she broke the knot, the balloon floated into the sky, free.
She fixed her gaze from the foggy heavens back to the bundle in her hands. It was covered in torn paper, thin, and aged with time. In little, messy cursive was a name. Amarathine. What a beautiful name, it sounded like one heard in a distant tale. She removed the piece of tape on the paper, the only thing concealing this rare find. A broken chain, and a rusted locket fell from the package. She picked it up and turned it over in her hands. It looked like any ordinary necklace. It was silver, but over time the silver tarnished into a lead gray color. The chain was once long, but had been broken into a shorter one. It was in the shape of a heart, on the back it said forever and always. Seemed like sonething typically given to a significant other, a loved one, a friend. So what did this have to do with her, with Anna? She slid it into the pocket of her blue jeans, and decided to search the city for something that could help her. She walked through, traces of old jewelry stores, pawn shops, barber shops, lawyers offices. All that remained was their ashes and their memories. She continued on, and walked through a gate in the back. What was supposed to help answer Anna's questions, only gathered more. For through the gates of the back of the destroyed city, was the livliest green pasture Anna had ever seen, it seemed like something in a movie, something unrealistic. Beautiful tulips of pink, yellow, and red sprouted above the green grass and shrubs The gloomy fog and pollution from the rubble behind her seemed as though a traveling expenture, for the sunlight spilled from the sky, reflecting off of Anna's gray eyes. It was black and white, no in between. From the ruins and rubble of a lost city, to the peace and beauty from one of God's many creations. She sat for what seemed like an eternity, but was only a moment in time. She pulled the locket from her jeans, and threw it down into the grass. She stood, clenched her fists and stomped. She yelled out through the empty space
"Why? Why did this happen? Just tell me what I am supposed to do? I dont know who I am! Anna doesnt mean shit, if I dont know her story!" She accidentally stomped on the locket, and the top popped off. She screamed with frusturation once more, and then shed tears of confusion and sorrow. She looked down at the locket,
broken and dishevled. There was something inside, she moved the top off, and couldn't help but let her jaw drop.
YOU ARE READING
The distance in between
Mystery / ThrillerA teen girl awakes in a strange place, with no recollection of her life or how she arrived her. She has the key to unlock her past. But is it something she is willing to do?
