Misfortune

I appear in a field. "She" is beside me. 

We put our heads close together. 

I have never seen her before, but I know that She is mine, and I am hers.

We sit together like lovers. Very intimate and close.

I try to kiss her--my first time--and She pulls away.

I feel confused, but not hurt. It is my nature.

We sit talking while watching the baseball game in the grass nearby.

I ask if she has any siblings. She tells me about her wonderful younger brother.

He is a toddler. She won't tell me his name though.

After that, we talk about more things. Things that I cannot remember.

She takes off her ring and throws it into the woods.

I hurry to retrieve it. 

The trees are thick and I search fervently.

I find it and return swiftly to her.

Upon clearing the trees, I see another boy sitting with her.

They are talking and I am concerned.

I approach and they are laughing. I recognize him.

He is someone who I do not like. He is "Mean".

I sit with them and we talk peacefully. I return her ring.

She thanks me and all three of us converse for some time.

Eventually, Mean asks her to go for a drive in his truck.

I am alarmed by this suggestion and declared that I accompany them.

There are no objections. We all go to Mean's truck.

We get in and strap in. Mean's friend, Timid, is already inside of the truck. 

Timid is in the driver's seat. He starts the truck. Her and I sit in the front while Mean sits in the back.

Now, it is late; the sun has gone down. It is dark outside.

We ride down a two-lane road with forested trees on each side of the street.

Her and Mean are arguing about something. I do not participate.

Now, their conversation is turning heated. 

Mean grabs her face to pull her into the back of the truck.

He intents to violate her against her will. 

I turn around and begin screaming at Mean. He does not listen.

I begin punching him, and he opens the back door as it is in motion.

Mean and She fly out of the back of the truck into the grass next to the street.

I yell at Timid to pull over, but he is afraid and does so with extreme caution.

I continue to yell at him, but now I suppose this is not the best idea.

We had driven quite a ways ahead of where Men and She had flown out.

I run to them with all of my strength.

As I get closer, I notice Mean beating her violently with his fist.

I yell.

I finally reach them and go into a frenzy. 

A side of me that I, myself, had never known about came out and unleashed its wrath on Mean.

I blacked out. Fighting so much just wasn't in my nature.

I awake in a bed. I notice that I am in my grandmother's house.

I had awaken in the front room. Recognizing the place, I throw off the covers and walk into the foyer.

People were standing around. Sulking.

I knew they were sad for someone, I just hope it is not for She.

I go into the back room of the house and notice a body spread out on a bed with sheets covering its entire length.

I know it is her.

I go to the head section to pull back the sheets, but a voice tells me not to. "It is too hideous," it says.

I stop myself, believing the voice. I turn to see who else is in the room with me.

From closest to the body and I, I see my mother, brother, father, and grandmother.

Everyone sheds tears except for my grandmother who is at the back of the room.

I address everyone, but they are surprisingly silent and cold to me. Not a word of reply to my words is spoken.

As I pass by my mother, it seems as though she gives me a look of disappointment.

As I pass by my brother and father, it seems as if they do not see me.

At this point, I realize the horrible truth that I am invisible to them. 

I am dead; just a spirit wandering amongst the living.

This realization gives me a feeling of deep sorrow and sadness. I cannot describe it further.

Seeing that my grandmother is in the back of the room, I realize something about her.

Just by looking at her demeanor and attitude, I can tell she is lost.

In fact, when I was alive, I could always tell a little.

I begin to cry. For both my loss of life and for She.

I also cry for everyone else, especially for my grandmother.

I run outside of the house crying. Outside, I cry for Mean.

While there, one of Mean's friends approached me.

"Where is Mean?" asked Shout. I looked up and told him that Mean was dead.

Shout looked surprised and lowered his head.

Another friend of Mean's, Noise, approaches Shout.

Noise asks Shout about Mean. Shout angrily yells at Noise with tears in his eyes.

"He's dead," screams Shout.

There is much sadness out here. I cannot bear it.

I hurry back into the house. I look around. I run into the back room where She is.

Now, curiously, no one is here. The body is still shrouded.

We are alone together.

I sit in silence for a long while. Then I decide to remove the sheet covering her face.

I want to see how She has turned out.

As I pull back the sheet, I swallow hard.

Her face is disgusting. She looks like a monster.

Her beaten face has been sewn and stitched back together with thick string.

Blood and dirt stain her cheeks and forehead.

I am horrified. 

In my terror, it seems as though She looks at me.

It looks as if she smiles. But her smile in now ugly.

I cover her face back up with the white sheet. 

Then I hear a noise from behind me. 

It is the same voice who warned me not to uncover her face earlier.

I little boy walks out from behind a pile of clutter.

He holds a dying rose and gives it to me.

He smiles as I accept it.

It is then that I realize that the little boy is She's younger brother.

He smiles. Maybe he does not know of her death.

"What is your name?" he asks me.

I am shocked at these words, for I cannot remember.

I cannot remember my own name! Who am I?

I think back to the very minute I had appeared in the field with She beside me.

I think about my patient and calm nature.

I think about my family and about Mean.

I think about everything that has happened up to this point.

"My name?" I say. I pause not knowing how to reply.

"I suppose my name is…"

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"Misfortune."

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As I said my name, the rose pricked me.

I disappear.