Still round the corner there may wait. A new road or a secret gate. That leads to a place beyond the encroaching darkness. A place to call home, or at least be our new salvation. The aching from our feet has far gone past a mild throb. But still, we can not stop. We chant the words of what we remember, to keep us moving forward. “Praise be to all that see. Beyond the light and beyond the sea, into the stars above. Let Her Glory run through our veins and show She is still here to all. All will be safe in Her cold embrace.”
We march forth in unison. Wandering spirits through the darkness. Masked figures with glowing blue eyes. Our ghostly forms shimmer in the night. Like the monsters told to us in stories past. Beings that gazed upon at a distance, would spur fear and terror. But we mean to harm. We are the same as you. People who want to find a home.
In the distance, we see a yellow fire in the darkness. It dances seductively around in the cold night. Beaconing us to come closer to her golden light. We follow, like moths to a flame. By this flaming temptress, lay others like us, but not the same. Their bodies are whole. Warm to the touch. Curiosity courses through my veins.
I move closer to what appears to be a little boy, sleeping peacefully. His chest rises slowly up and down. Air, I remembered. I lay a hand on his chest and feel my own hand move with him. Breathing. I lay my other hand on the boy’s cheek. Feeling the warmth course through my ice-cold fingers. Life. Flashes of the past consumed me.
Memories unveiled quickly in my mind. I remembered the sun’s light and how it danced through the sky. The laughter of my family. The smiles on each and everyone’s faces. Running through the woods. The wind blew through my hair. Then holding hands with her. The smell of her favorite flowers. Asking her “Will you marry me?”. Pulling the veil away from her face. I remembered the face of our beloved little boy. All sweet memories from my life.
However, life is not full of all but sweetness. Soon the anger seeped through. The arguments. The pain. So, so much pain. The rage. The sadness. Then a shot of light through the darkness. None of this made sense. What happened to the happiness? The joy? I didn’t understand. Soon I was consumed by every emotion that I had felt from my past. They exploded through me. Hitting me to my core. Cold streaks fell from my face. I moved a hand from the boy’s face and felt my own. Tears.
The boy stirred underneath my hand. I leapt back quickly. Not wanting to wake him from his slumber. I walked towards the others. Their faces were perplexed, but said nothing. By the time I walked back to them, the emotions and memories that I had felt had left my mind. I now only remembered Her words again. I whipped the wetness from my eyes and began to walk forward once again.
I was stopped by another who pointed back towards the boy. I turned around to see that he was sitting up. He looked around in confusion. Soon his eyes landed on us. More specifically me. What he said next made me feel colder than the wind blowing that night.
“Dad?”
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