The
sky had transformed from a life filled blue to a dime peach colour, then before
he knew it, the sun was gone.
The
night was impossible to avoid, “No one can avoid it.” he thought. He stared
blindly into the night, no matter how dark it was it could not compare to the
darkness in his heart.
He
turned from the window back into the room, it looked almost empty in the dark.
He could only see the small wardrobe in the far left corner of the room, next
to the door. To the far right there was a small table where the small lamp
stood. With the table, was a single bed covered in white sheets. The maid had
made sure that the sheets were clean; she had always said “White is prettiest
when it’s pure”. There was his wife lying in the bed, her face pail and almost
life less. The sweet ran down her face, and soaked the sheets. In her eyes, he
saw almost nothing.
He
had this feeling, as though he had been there before, felt that very hollow
feeling before, watched her die before. The memory seemed to jump into his head
for but a moment, then it was gone. “It must be my imagination.” He thought...
She
was running hastily through the forest. If you were there it would have seemed
like a flicker of white cloth, blown by the wind across your line of sight. Her feet were, scraped and
bleeding, there was no time to put on shoes. The air was cold, but there was no
time for a coat. The moment she received the news, the bolted out of the house
and headed straight for him. It was morning, the sun had not yet risen, yet its
light was just enough to make the world as though it were grey. She ran as fast
as her feet could carry her, which didn’t seem fast enough. Then finally she
reached the clearing, she could see their white shirts in the distance she was
so close, she was going to make it. All of a sudden there was bang. The birds
scattered from the trees, the noise seemed so loud it was only equalled by the
deafening silence thereafter. She paused for a moment, then the realisation
sank in, and harden her chest, she could barely breath. She continued to run
faster than before, stumbling, and at times falling to her knees. She had scrapes
all over her feet and legs.
She
finally reached them, he stood there as though he was an angel of death sent to
destroy her, he lifted the gun towards the men kneeling on the ground, bleeding
from his mouth, and nose. She screamed, “No, stop!” The man turned towards her,
almost surprised to see her, he gave her a cold look, then turned towards the
man on his knees again. His gun steady, and ready to deliver the final shot. Without
thinking she jumped in front of the gun, “Please, please stop, I beg you please.
No more, no more of this.” His gun was to her face, but she was not afraid, not
of dying any way.
The
angle of death stared at her square in the face, his eyes lifeless, and filled
with nothing but rage, yet in his cold stare, a light flickered, brought on by
the woman before him. He could not kill her, there would be no point, besides
his mission that morning had been completed, the vermin would soon be dead. He
slowly lowered his gun, and walked back into the gloomy woods, after he was out
of her sight, there was yet another bang… the angel had returned from once he
came…
She
knelt in front of him, and he collapsed in her arms. She held on to him for
dear life, the wound in his chest bleed furiously, each minute the life leaked
out of him. She wanted to save him, but she could not, “Hold on my love, please
don’t leave me, please, don’t leave me.” She could not hold back her tears,
they wormed her cold face. He looked into her eyes, he didn’t want to leave, he
didn’t want to see her cry, he used the only energy he had left to wipe her
tears away. He couldn’t breathe anymore, his body grew heavy, his chest grew
heavy, life seemed too difficult, he wanted to fade away and end his pain–end
her pain…
She
watched the life fade away in his eyes, “No, no, come back, please. Somebody
help me, help me please.” Suddenly there was a large flash of fire in front of
her, a fire the likes of which she had never seen before. Its heat was not of
this world, the flames, moved in an unnatural sinister way, as though they
could read every corner of her heart, as though they were alive. She suddenly
grew very cold.
From
within the flames, came a meek, and pale looking woman. She looked small, as
though she hadn’t eaten in days. She stood before, the dying man, and stared straight
at the woman covered in blood. “You want him to live? I can make him live.” She
said in a cold, yet surprisingly powerful voice. The grieving woman stared into
her eyes and almost instantly knew who she was, her eyes were filled with an
eternal darkness, but there was no light, and there will never be light there.
She replied in a shivering voice, “Yes, I want him to live.” She knew that the
price she would have to pay was great, but she did it anyway. The old lady,
leaned down, she reeked of burned flesh, and something else, something foul
like a rotten corpse. She brought her face down to the man, and blew next to
his face.
Almost
instantly the man’s pale face grew brighter, and he took one deep breath, the
wound in his chest disappeared, the life returned to his eyes. He looked at his
love, then fell into a deep sleep. The woman stared up at the old lady, she was
grateful, yet there was this uncontrollable fear. She knew that there would be
a price. “What do you want?” She asked almost losing her voice. The old lady
replied, “Nothing, you have already given me what I want.” Then the she laughed
loudly, her laughter echoed from every corner, in almost a blink she was gone.
There fire had also disappeared as though it was never there.
