This Forsaken World

Dark. It’s dark inside and out. A narrow bridge sways over a chasm from which the stench of death drifts upward, filling the air with sorrow and forgotten dreams. The wind howls a chilling melody through the dark and sparse world, howling its sorrows and pains. It whips up the grey dust, sending it floating ghost like through the air before settling without a sound back to the grey and deadened ground, some particle still floating in the air, causing a grey mist to float between the threatening, black rock structures that litter the desolate 1e earth. Not a single living thing dwells here, near the brink between life and death as the balance is too precarious. A single soul pauses at the bridge, a red tattered dress swaying as dark hair blows in the wind. Her eyes are shut, her lips closed, as a single diamond tear streaks down her cheek, leaving only a trail to show it had once been there, hovering on her sharp cheekbones. Long eyelashes shake as the eyelids are opened, revealing crystal blue eyes, as they sweep the desolate land. They land on the bridge, and another shuddering breath is taken. The smell of candles, vanilla, drifts through the air. A dull thudding grows louder and louder with a steady pattern. She coughs, once, twice, red tears spilling from her mouth onto the ground, and the earth greedily laps up the life giving fluid. Her hands are suddenly cold and she shivers, beating her hands against her sides, but they quickly grow numb again. A spark lights in her eyes as she sees a distant figure. She stumbles away from the bridge, forcing her feet one step forward after another.

“I love you.” The figure whispers. The mist lifts slightly revealing a young man, dressed in blue jeans, a plaid button down shirt and smelling of Old Spice cologne. He lifts a hand, showing it palm upward. In his palm lays a small black box. Her heart quickens and her lips move in soundless joy. He smiles and thumbs the box open. Inside, lay a glistening silver ring, accented with gold streaks. She reaches towards him, but suddenly, he is no longer looking at her. He kneels to another women who appears in the mist, wearing a black floor length gown. She looks down at her torn and tattered dress, streaked with grey dust.

“Will you marry me?” He asks the figure in the mist. The figure nods and he slides the ring onto her finger, pulling her into a passionate kiss. The mist then clouds back over and though her heart was broken, she still longs to see him. She sinks to the ground and cries bitterly, her tears running down her cheeks, and onto the ground where they were quickly drawn into the dead earth. The mist seems to laugh, mocking her. She stands, stumbling over numb feet as she pushes back, towards the bridge. She sinks down at the base of the bridge, staring over the chasm. The bottom could not be seen. With a numb digit, she flicks a rock over the edge, into the mist. She heard it rattling down the steep side, until the sound was only an echo and then no more. The mist parted once more, revealing another figure. She covered her eyes with dirt covered hands for she didn’t want to see whatever creature this strange world wanted her to see.

“Look at me.” A strong voice commanded. She cracked her eyes, knowing that voice. A large man stood in front of her, his belt in one hand, a bottle of beer in the other. His voice was slurred and his eyes unseeing as the drink controlled him. He stared at her.

“What do you think you’re doin’ sittin’ in my chair, little girl?” She tried to crawl away, but he caught her ankle, dragging her back, screaming and kicking.

“I asked you a question and I expect an answer!” He roared, bringing his belt down with a snap. She screamed as strip of fiery pain branded itself on her back. She screamed again and again, until her voice left her. The mist chuckled maliciously again as the image clouded over. She twisted to look over her shoulder, expecting to see a wide swath of red and bruised flesh, but her skin was still pale, showing through the few tatters and rips in the back of her dress. She shuddered.

“But it felt so real.” She told the earth as it mocked her in her pain and confusion. She looked around once more in something close to horrified wonder. She coughed again, blood falling from her mouth, until a strange sensation caused her to look down. She was bleeding, the life blood draining from her body. She immediately felt woozy and the world began to spin. Her eyes closed, slowly, eyelashes fluttering as her breathing became shallower, until she lay limp in the dust. The blood flowed onto the ground, and where it touched the earth, life sprang up. Her final resting place was surrounded by flowers, flowing grass, majestic trees, and for the first time in 100 years, a single bird trilled a melody from a swaying tree top. In a flash of light, it all changed. The bridge became a beautiful, serene place, with water filling the chasm, water lilies littering the surface as orange and red koi swam calmly, causing small ripples in the water. In the middle of the bridge, stood a beautiful young women with jet black hair, dressed in a floor sweeping red gown with a fluttering red sash, who stood serenely, tossing small pebbles of bread to the fish below, as the sun set in the background and everything was right in her heart.