the lonely girl
The water is cool.
Gareth pushes himself through the cool blue water.
Pushes himself through the water with sure hard strokes.
The sun sends threads of white into the blue.
At the bottom Gareth sees a shadowy blue bundle and
He dives.
Turns over the blue bundle and sees that
The girl has a beautiful face, beautiful and blue and swollen.
Gareth hangs in mid-water and watches the girl who lies.
The girl’s eyes slide open and her hands claw.
Gareth’s mouth opens.
He chases his scream-bubbles to the surface with panicked hands.
Gasp pulls himself out gasp but he slips on the lip of the pool and falls.
The girl stands over him and water drips from her blue body onto his body.
Puts her beautiful blue face next to his face.
So lonely, she whispers.
The leaves are falling.
Gareth walks amongst the falling red leaves.
Walks along the red rustling path with slow thoughtful steps.
The trees cast grey shadow on the raining red.
At the end of the path Gareth sees a hooded figure dressed in black and
He stops.
The figure walks towards him with her
Black black cloak swirling through the red red leaves.
Gareth stands on the path and watches the girl who steps through the red.
She reaches him and pulls down her hood and her eyes bleed.
Gareth moans.
He stumbles backwards with each breath snagging in his throat.
Laces of red unfurl from beneath her lids and slip down her pale face.
The girl grabs him and pulls their bodies together.
Presses her bloodied red cheek to his cheek.
We are so lonely, she whispers.
The night is still.
Gareth sits outside in the still black night.
Sits in the silent black night gazing up at the stars.
The moon lays strips of silver on the black.
From behind Gareth hears a sigh and
He turns.
Sees the girl standing over him with silver tears in her black eyes.
The girl kneels and takes his face in her hands.
Gareth sits in the black night and watches the girl who kneels and cries.
Lays her long silver fingers on his eyes and slides the lids shut.
Gareth gasps.
He feels himself leaving the garden behind.
They are gliding out of the garden and out of the still black night.
The girl pulls him up to the sky and beyond it.
Takes him out of this world and into another.
Now we will never be lonely, she whispers.
