Burnt Out

For as long as Ray could remember, she's felt as if she's been drowning in an endless sea, struggling to keep her flickering flame alive. An invisible weight that no one else seems to notice bears down on her, pushing her deeper into the abyss of her own existence.

Yet amidst this suffocating darkness, he sees the dim flicker of her struggling flame. With her tiny fire teetering on the brink of extinction, she finds herself wondering just how much longer she can endure the relentless waves threatening to snuff out her tiny spark forever.

•••

"Will you keep me safe, angel?" she asks without opening her eyes.

I tighten my grip on her hand, "Always."

"But you didn't, and something happened," she whimpered in her sleep.

My eyebrows furrowed in concern, "What happened, Ray?"

She's drifting back into sleep, and her words are barely coherent at this point. Yet, I manage to catch the last thing she says before succumbing to slumber.

"Something bad."