Spoken Word

'A new age is coming, of hope and joy...'1

Sarah climbed onto the railing, slightly swaying as the wind buffeted at her from all directions.2

She took a deep breath, confusion running like mercury through her mind, and closed her eyes.3

She jumped.4

It is said objects travel to the ground at 10 meters per second. Sarah was falling. From a 30 story building.5

It would be the longest, and last, fall she'll ever experience.6

***7

Sarah opened the door and stepped into her apartment, switched on the light and hung up her coat next to the door.8

Lightning flashed and rain fell as she moved from room to room in her empty apartment, switching on lights9

as she went along. Just as she was getting ready to make supper for herself, someone knocked.10

With an ease belonging only to successful career women, she answered the door to reveal her11

ex-husband, Jack.12

She expected him to look his dashing self, but instead he was wet, and red eyed.13

'Come in Jack, you're a mess'14

'Sorry for barging in like this but...'15

'What is it?'16

He pulled himself up and tried to look her in the eye, failing miserably.17

She wondered, if he was here, where's her son, who was visiting him.18

'It's John'19

'Yes?' she said with just an edge of worry20

Jack sighed, sobbed, and blurted it out.21

'He's dead' Jack cried, fresh tears flowing from his eyes.22

Sarah tried to absorb the words, images of her seven year old son flashed through her mind.23

'How?'24

Jack looked up, surprised by the question.25

'We were crossing the street one by one, I was teaching him the rules of the road. I..' he sobbed again,26

took a deep breath and continued27

'I never saw it coming, he was looking left and I yelled 'yes' to him, the truck tried to swerve but...'28

Sarah collapsed, her last thought.. ' yes '29

Sarah opened her eyes and saw the rushing ground. 30

Last night's news rushing through her mind.31

With one word, spoken by her ex, her most treasured belonging was taken from her.32

The will to live, her very being,ripped out.33

And she fell, her whole life played like a movie before her. She saw how with single words34

she affected people's lives, not by the handful but in the hundreds.35

If only she could go back, could change this one spoken word...36

As she plummeted to the ground, she yelled for all creation to hear...37

'NO!'38

John looked left and then to his father, who was standing at the other side of the road.39

He was looking at him with pride.40

'Yes John! Now come over!' he yelled, motioning with his hands for John to come.41

John obediently stepped onto the road, his eyes fixed on his father.42

'NO!'43

John stopped to listen.That sounded like his mother.44

He slowly gave a step backward, just in time to see a truck rush past him.45

John looked with fear at the receding truck,then to his father.46

'It's all in the spoken word'47