Post by leralonde on May 26, 2007 15:23:02 GMT -5
Respice, Prospice, Adspice
Just a short story I wrote. Enjoy, and please R&R!
Alone.
It was ironic, certainly, to feel alone in the midst of a crowd. But that was how she felt at that very moment of time, and the cold icy land she treaded upon did nothing to convince her otherwise.
Finally she boarded the bus, people everywhere; to her left, to her right, front, back. There were so many different faces, all with different shapes and sizes, with various features arranged differently, all to make every individual she saw unique in their own special way. There was the old man with the kindly wrinkled face, his eyes gazing into a land only he could see. Then there was the young beautiful blonde with her hair done up in a coronet. She too, seemed to be occupied with her own thoughts as her eyes stared out of the window. The old short lady sitting down seemed stern enough, her thin lips pursed into a thin, straight line. But her eyes were also drawn to the winter wonderland outside the crowded bus, a faraway expression in her cold blue eyes.
Just what did they see in that land they all seemed to be drawn to? She wondered silently. Did the old man see his past? Did he perhaps see a wife he had lost due to some unusual circumstance? And the young girl in the red coat. Was she thinking about the present? Was she a young aspiring ballerina waiting to be discovered? On the other hand, perhaps the old woman was gazing into the future, wondering bitterly how she would survive the winter without enough food and warmth? Was she pondering over the uncertainty of her days ahead, sans anything worth looking forward to?
The bus stopped. She stepped off, the cold winter air hitting her straight in the face as she did so. The snow crunched below her feet as she began walking back to her hostel. All was silent now, save a few cars passing by and the delighted squeals of children mingled with the laughter of their parents. The familiar bittersweet ache welled up again within her heart, reminding her of the future she had dreamt of sharing with him, a future which now lay at ashes at her feet.
She continued walking, her mind whirling with thoughts of him. What was he doing now? Was he thinking of her too? She doubted it. The last time she checked, he was enjoying his life in a country thousands of miles away from the country she was in, feeling a strong attachment to some pretty, intelligent brunette from his college. And the way he had described the joy the said brunette had brought into his life… She shuddered to recall his words. But hadn’t SHE brought joy into his life once?
With fondness she remembered the times when her hand would be tucked into his larger, warm one; a source of reassurance and strength when she couldn’t find any. She could almost feel his strong lean arms around her, her body pressed against his as he held her close. She even could hear his clear, deep voice resounding with words of love, in his eyes a fire which burned only when she was present. He had always made her feel special, and up until the time till she left, she had never realized just how much she appreciated that… and how much she loved him for it.
Realizing that she had come to a fork in the path she was taking, she stopped. She wasn’t ready to go back yet, not ready to face the emptiness of her cold little room and amount of knowledge to be consolidated within her grey matter; not ready to face the amount of laundry waiting to be taken down and washed; not ready to face a suitor she could never could accept or feel affection for. Right now, she just wanted to spend time alone. Alone with the memories of him.
She made a left turn, walking into a vast white land covered by snow. By now the park was abandoned, parents having brought their little ones back home for tea. The lake lay in all its frozen glory, layers of snow disguising the deep waters swirling below. She remembered seeing the lake in autumn, where the leaves had turned red and gold and orange. It was free and flowing then, a passionate creature with rhythm and sound. It responded to the gentle breeze with ripples brushing across its surface and turned choppy and restless as the winds began to howl. But now it was still, cold and unfeeling, unresponsive to the winds which attempted to stir it from its slumber. Just like her heart.
She trudged through the snow, drawing her warm grey coat closer. As she continued making a trail of her own through the snow, tears started to well up within her eyes. The thoughts of him, of her, of him and her, of the girl and him, of the memories of their past swirled within her mind, mingling to form only one conclusion:
She still loved him.
Her breaths were becoming ragged sobs now, the tears flowing profusely down her now numb cheeks. How could she have ever let him go? How could she ever have left the one who have loved her with a love of such perfection and purity? How could she live without him?
She knelt upon the carpet of snow, nothing audible save the sound of her crying. All was lost now, she had made such a horrible mistake, and there was nothing she could to do to right it. The e-mails she had sent had gone unreturned, the smses failed to reach him, the phone calls reaching only yielding a message that the number was currently not in use. Oh, if only she hadn’t been so hasty, so incredibly daft! But there was no turning back now. She had past the point of no return.
A voice.
A familiar voice called her name from faraway, yet it seemed to be getting closer and closer. It was so familiar, it almost sounded like… No, she must be going mad. He lived worlds away from her, and he couldn’t possibly… Oh, but it was! It was him!
In the midst of the falling snow, the familiar tall figure approached. As he came closer, he drew back his hood, revealing the well-formed features so dear to her heart.
For a moment, she just stood there. The old man, the young woman and the old lady all merging into one, manifesting themselves all within this young man, standing before her with those golden-brown eyes and with, could it be, tears glistening within his dark orbs, Now here he was, her past, her present and her future.
Silently, he held out his hand. She hesitated for a moment, not knowing his thoughts. But then she looked into his eyes, and realized that no words were necessary.
And she placed her hand into his.
Just a short story I wrote. Enjoy, and please R&R!
Alone.
It was ironic, certainly, to feel alone in the midst of a crowd. But that was how she felt at that very moment of time, and the cold icy land she treaded upon did nothing to convince her otherwise.
Finally she boarded the bus, people everywhere; to her left, to her right, front, back. There were so many different faces, all with different shapes and sizes, with various features arranged differently, all to make every individual she saw unique in their own special way. There was the old man with the kindly wrinkled face, his eyes gazing into a land only he could see. Then there was the young beautiful blonde with her hair done up in a coronet. She too, seemed to be occupied with her own thoughts as her eyes stared out of the window. The old short lady sitting down seemed stern enough, her thin lips pursed into a thin, straight line. But her eyes were also drawn to the winter wonderland outside the crowded bus, a faraway expression in her cold blue eyes.
Just what did they see in that land they all seemed to be drawn to? She wondered silently. Did the old man see his past? Did he perhaps see a wife he had lost due to some unusual circumstance? And the young girl in the red coat. Was she thinking about the present? Was she a young aspiring ballerina waiting to be discovered? On the other hand, perhaps the old woman was gazing into the future, wondering bitterly how she would survive the winter without enough food and warmth? Was she pondering over the uncertainty of her days ahead, sans anything worth looking forward to?
The bus stopped. She stepped off, the cold winter air hitting her straight in the face as she did so. The snow crunched below her feet as she began walking back to her hostel. All was silent now, save a few cars passing by and the delighted squeals of children mingled with the laughter of their parents. The familiar bittersweet ache welled up again within her heart, reminding her of the future she had dreamt of sharing with him, a future which now lay at ashes at her feet.
She continued walking, her mind whirling with thoughts of him. What was he doing now? Was he thinking of her too? She doubted it. The last time she checked, he was enjoying his life in a country thousands of miles away from the country she was in, feeling a strong attachment to some pretty, intelligent brunette from his college. And the way he had described the joy the said brunette had brought into his life… She shuddered to recall his words. But hadn’t SHE brought joy into his life once?
With fondness she remembered the times when her hand would be tucked into his larger, warm one; a source of reassurance and strength when she couldn’t find any. She could almost feel his strong lean arms around her, her body pressed against his as he held her close. She even could hear his clear, deep voice resounding with words of love, in his eyes a fire which burned only when she was present. He had always made her feel special, and up until the time till she left, she had never realized just how much she appreciated that… and how much she loved him for it.
Realizing that she had come to a fork in the path she was taking, she stopped. She wasn’t ready to go back yet, not ready to face the emptiness of her cold little room and amount of knowledge to be consolidated within her grey matter; not ready to face the amount of laundry waiting to be taken down and washed; not ready to face a suitor she could never could accept or feel affection for. Right now, she just wanted to spend time alone. Alone with the memories of him.
She made a left turn, walking into a vast white land covered by snow. By now the park was abandoned, parents having brought their little ones back home for tea. The lake lay in all its frozen glory, layers of snow disguising the deep waters swirling below. She remembered seeing the lake in autumn, where the leaves had turned red and gold and orange. It was free and flowing then, a passionate creature with rhythm and sound. It responded to the gentle breeze with ripples brushing across its surface and turned choppy and restless as the winds began to howl. But now it was still, cold and unfeeling, unresponsive to the winds which attempted to stir it from its slumber. Just like her heart.
She trudged through the snow, drawing her warm grey coat closer. As she continued making a trail of her own through the snow, tears started to well up within her eyes. The thoughts of him, of her, of him and her, of the girl and him, of the memories of their past swirled within her mind, mingling to form only one conclusion:
She still loved him.
Her breaths were becoming ragged sobs now, the tears flowing profusely down her now numb cheeks. How could she have ever let him go? How could she ever have left the one who have loved her with a love of such perfection and purity? How could she live without him?
She knelt upon the carpet of snow, nothing audible save the sound of her crying. All was lost now, she had made such a horrible mistake, and there was nothing she could to do to right it. The e-mails she had sent had gone unreturned, the smses failed to reach him, the phone calls reaching only yielding a message that the number was currently not in use. Oh, if only she hadn’t been so hasty, so incredibly daft! But there was no turning back now. She had past the point of no return.
A voice.
A familiar voice called her name from faraway, yet it seemed to be getting closer and closer. It was so familiar, it almost sounded like… No, she must be going mad. He lived worlds away from her, and he couldn’t possibly… Oh, but it was! It was him!
In the midst of the falling snow, the familiar tall figure approached. As he came closer, he drew back his hood, revealing the well-formed features so dear to her heart.
For a moment, she just stood there. The old man, the young woman and the old lady all merging into one, manifesting themselves all within this young man, standing before her with those golden-brown eyes and with, could it be, tears glistening within his dark orbs, Now here he was, her past, her present and her future.
Silently, he held out his hand. She hesitated for a moment, not knowing his thoughts. But then she looked into his eyes, and realized that no words were necessary.
And she placed her hand into his.