Conversation

The breeze that blew gently across the plains, ruffling Maria's skirt that was down at her knees. Right now, she wouldn't even have noticed it, lost, wondering in between time in space, trapped within her own memories. But it was a good sort of trapped, lost forever in happy memories, not sad ones. She couldn't help but to relive them. She remembered dancing in the rain, eating cake, going to parties, snuggling, laying to sleep at night. All with him. She smiled at the thought of his face. She couldn't stop thinking about it. Gazing up at the tree she was standing under, she remembered when they first climbed that tree, together. Maria was terrified of falling, yet she trusted him, and he caught her as she fell. She breathed in the spicy yet soothing scent of the wind.1

'You remember that day, don't you? It was when you confessed your love to me..I was so shocked and happy, you took it for a bad sign and started to blush.' She smiled at the memory, it seemed as if it was yesterday. The wind shook the branches, and she listened. Nodding, she touched the bark of the grown up sapling.2

Maria laughed. 'Oh yes, we were so young, so stupid, weren't we? I couldn't believe you coaxed me into spray painting the whole school! I was almost breaking down when the inspectors came by!' She sighed. 'Such happy times, those were. We could forget everything, and just be carried away in the flow. Things were so much easier before I started to fight against the current.'3

Sympathetically, the wind whispered in her ear, but she shook it away. Now wasn't the time for sweet words. Hesitatingly, as if fearing that it would hurt her, the tree shook gently, the tips brushing against her smooth skin, leaving little red lines of blood. 4

'Of course..I remember... that... time....that was the time when you were taken away from me. He had no right to..He should've taken me away! I'm not good enough for you!' She hit the bark with a trembling fist. She didn't remember how long ago, but the love of her life was hit by a car. She held his hand when he lay dying in the bed, telling her to live her life the best she could, and he would always watch over her. She shook her head from side to side, a single tear rolling down her pale features. Maria had this fight with herself many times over, her guilty side always winning. She thought it was her fault for the death of Kain.5

'No, no, no...I know you tell me it's not my fault, but I hear it in your voice! The quiet despair and pity you try to mask so carefully, it wasn't there before the accident!' Slowly, she reached down and touched the grave that was at the base of the great tree. Tracing the letters, marked Kain Reid, she reflected on how unfair God really was. She should know better than anybody, but that was a conversation never to be spoken. Maria fell to her knees and embraced the grave, as if he would come and hug her tightly. The branches shook with strain to try and reach her, but they couldn't wrap themselves around. The single tear that had rolled down her face was soon joined by others. Once again, the memories flooded in, his pale face, half dead in that horrible white room. Their room, curtains closed, pitch black and Maria curled up, not moving, not thinking, barely breathing. There's no point anymore, now that he was gone. The world is so unkind.6

She sat there, all through the night. When the moon finally showed her face and the stars appeared to put on a show once more, she looked up. Bathing in the beauty, it triggered yet another memory. Maria and Kain were looking up at the stars, laughing and watching with each other. It was one of the most peaceful times of their lives, and they wanted nothing more than to spend it with each other. On that night, Kain looked at her, rolled onto his stomach, and said four words that changed her forever. 'Will you marry me?' That was all that was needed to be said that night. She smiled vaguely at the once happy times. But, no matter now. He was up there, in Heaven, in a happier place. She gave one more longing look at the sky, and slowly, her body faded away into nothingness. Just another lost soul searching for somewhere to belong, nothing but a ghost.