Inspired
by “Little Hands” by Mother Mother. Listen to the song whilst
reading to achieve maximum immersion in the story
My
baby's gone.
I
can still hear her cries, calling out to me from the crashing waves
below as I grip the railings, not daring to look down yet. A cold
splash of water hits my pale face as I finally lean over, reaching my
long bony fingers down towards the grey sea in hopes of grabbing her;
but it's too late. The past has gone, along with the flock of hungry
seagulls ready to dash and dart between the waves to catch their
prey.
A
lone bird solemnly squawks and already I miss her little feet, and
her little hands that once sought mine for comfort. Tiny fingers
grasp for something, anything, to hold onto but there is nothing but
a roaring ocean and sharp rocks, jutting out and jagged like the
broken glass that scatters the floor of our now empty home. Each
piece would fit perfectly back together, like a puzzle, except the
edges cut deep into thick skin, allowing warm blood to spill as you
desperately try to rearrange them back into something even resembling
family life. A sudden strike of wind slashes across my face and I
stumble back from the edge, lifting my fragile hands to my face only
to realise that I can no longer feel the physical pain that tears
through each page of my story, only the excruciating tap tap tapping
which echoes throughout my brain.
It's
been too long.
The
icy tips of my fingers cling onto the railings, and I imagine what
her body would be like to touch now; would it be as freezing as her
fathers? Would each delicate layer of skin I used to trace be as
smooth and soft as before? Another gust of wind lashes out at my
being and my fingers uncurl, leaving imprints on the metal railings.
Fingerprints.
Everything
reminds me of her.
Hands
shaking, I turn to the right to face the ships; there are two. Old
girls, I remember seeing them before when my father brought me down
here one morning to see what they'd caught. A whole team of fishermen
had gone out the previous day, ready to embrace the wild journey the
waves would take them on. Lucifer broke loose that night, and chipped
away at their frozen souls until he'd made his way inside.
Only
three of them returned.
In
many ways, today was like that day. Lucifer had stormed his cage and
taken my baby from my arms in a crazed haze of screams and agony.
He'd taken my baby and scattered my home with shattered glass as a
warning. Blood had trickled from my feet as I chased him down through
the shards but to no avail; My baby was gone.
Tears
start to drip down my face, one by one cascading down my cheeks as
though a tap has been turned behind my eyes. These are the tears in
which I will sink, and drown. Once more I wishfully plead to the
violent waves that took her, heart thumping fast beneath my long coat
as I run down the stone path towards the sand, and the sea. My blue
lips open to scream but the water forces it's way down my throat as I
thrash around, reaching out for her.
But
she's gone.
In
one last attempt to bring her back, I throw my body against the rocks
which so cruelly took her limbs from her, attempting to scramble up
their sides with what little energy I have left. But the whispering
wind knows more than me and I go flying back into my watery grave. My
own possible guilty verdict stares back at me as I lift my head from
the cell's sink and stare at my face in the broken mirror.
Grey
bars block my view of the sea now, but I like to think that she is
still out there. Her remains lapping against the shore, forever
more.
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