The one Left Behind
The stars, she has always wanted to see the stars, to go and travel and meet new people to fall in love with a stranger even. She wanted the whole world. She wanted to live until her heart exploded, until her mind was filled with all the amazing things the universe could give her.
"I had it for a while too, until the whole love thing messed it all up for me, when I said I wanted love I meant for it to be remembered. For me and my new love to run away together and start a family and be together also to rub it in my sisters faces, They always said I would end up alone with a dozen cats but I would showed them, at least I think I did anyway. If only I could remember my sisters, maybe that would help a little. I could never remember much anymore, I can barely remember my own name. People on this planet call me Ana but I can't remember if that's right or not. I can barely remember where I am most times; I guess that's why they always have someone with me, just to be sure that I don't hurt myself or forget when dinner is. The people, or whatever they are, are so strange on this planet. They don't talk too much, but they are rather nice and they take care of me so I don't pay much attention to them. The only thing I hate is when they ask how I am all the time, I'm fine…really. I just can't remember my own name and can't tell what's real and what is made up, and that's okay it makes life more interesting, kind of like a game... I know one thing for sure, I was in love. I loved a mad man in a blue box. He was odd and wore pinstripes and a bow tie and ate fish sticks and custard. I still remember the way he would smile at a new adventure, how he loved that blue box, how just mad he was about space and time and everything was amazing with him!"
Ha, it's strange to her… how clear his face is in my mind... How she can almost smell him, she would always wonder whether or not he was doing okay or not. She would wonder if he is even real, or maybe she just imagined the whole thing. Many times she has tried to ask the creatures on this planet about him but they just shake their heads and look at her with those sad eyes she always sees when they look at her. She doesn't care if he is real or not. She is positive their love was beautiful; at least she hopes it was…
"Every morning I go for a walk around the planet, I go one way in the morning and the other way in the afternoon when I walk before dinner. The people ask me questions every day, the same questions. How are you, How was the walk, anything new. I'm always fine, the walk is always lovely and nothing is new. I sometimes ask them questions every day. Like Is Ana really my name, why do I have to have someone with me all the time and who is the man with the blue box. They say that I said my name was Ana, and I have to stay protected they promised a powerful man that. They never answer the question about the blue box though. Most days are the same, walk, eat and meditate with the "people" but today I can feel it something is coming. Something new is coming."
She was jolted out of bed, something was telling her to wake up, but no one was there. She began to look around her dark room, what time was it? She moved to put on her jacket and her boots, she was missing both, but hadn't she left them on the chair when she went to bed. She walked out of her room, in nothing but a nightgown and; someone didn't come to get her for breakfast. She never missed a meal or anything for that matter. They were schedule people. She walked through the hallway as quietly as she could, she peered into every doorway to try and figure out where everyone was. She walked down the many stair cases to finally get to the main drawing room. Nothing. It was as quite as death, where was everyone, was she late for meditation, she couldn't be someone would have come and got her. She began to walk towards the dining room; usually there would be at least 40 people here at this hour, but nothing today. She was starting to get worried. She ran to the only place that she knew would have people… the prayer houses; she began to run as fast as she could... Through the halls and out the doors... Only she stopped right outside. Fire. AS far as she could see there was fire everywhere, she told herself to move to run away from the fire, her body moved without being told. She ran so fast she couldn't make sense of the different buildings being burned out. She ran until she reached the grand doors of the prayer house and walked inside, slowly. She walked inside the pitch black room, until she fell. She had tripped on something. She crawled over to where she remembered the candles were... She was shaking now, trying to light the candles. She remembered they were only lit on prayer occasions but it seemed to be an emergency. The room was slowly being filled with light; she still had to squint to see … she looked harder in the dark and saw all the people who cared for her, all the people on the planet on the floor in what looked like a slaughter.
"Ah no "she began to scoot backwards to try to get away from the slaughtered group. She hit the wall with a thud and closed her eyes... "Please please," her body began to shake from the cold and fear. She wanted to leave to just run away and leave. Instead she stood up and went over to one of the people she recognized, most of the time you couldn't tell one person apart from another but this one… He cared for her, walked with her, fed her. He was sprawled on the ground with his throat slashed and his voice box ripped out. She put her arm around him and held him.
" oh I'm so sorry" She didn't know why she was apologizing but she felt like she had to , she began to sob , her head falling against his forehead … what was she supposed to do.
"Someone please help me." She whispered to no one.
Suddenly someone was standing in the doorway of the house, a man or a boy; she couldn't tell who he was... But before she could ask him who he was he ran away.
"STOP! Come back!" She got up and began to make her way out, careful to not trip over the bodies, she ran as fast as she could. The man ran faster, she followed in suit… Did he do this to them? She would find out. He ran to a blue box in the snow... BLUE BOX. She knew that blue box... That means that is the mad man with the box. She stopped just short of the box where the man was standing outside the doors.
He turned to her slowly, she could see his face now... Has he always looked so young, is he the one she dreams about. He couldn't be, he is too young. She could see his face clearly now, even with the snow whipping around him, she could make out every feature, His boyish hair, the curve of his lips and the guilt in his eyes. She suddenly realized just how cold she was, remembering she was only wearing her nightgown…
Even through the cold, she could feel a ball of fury rising up from her stomach, she plucked up her courage and yelled at the boyish man…
"Did you hurt them?" No answer. "Did you do this? Why would you do this, they were peaceful people." She waited for an answer but it didn't come.
He did walk towards her and slip off his jacket to put it around her shoulders; he leaned into her and whispered. "I am so sorry I left you here, and I am so sorry for doing this."
He began to move away, but she grabbed onto his shirt collar and screamed at him...
"Why would you hurt them? They never hurt anyone, you're a monster." She was roughly pushed away from the man… Only to stumble and fall into the snow. She tried her hardest but she began to feel the tears start to run down her face, she turned her head away from the man, but then he told hold of her chin, knelt down, grabbed her roughly towards him and again whispered into her ear "I know it hurts but soon you won't even remember your own name, I can make all the pain go away…I just need you to hold still." He began to bring his hands toward her face...
"NO, I don't want to forget! Please." She ripped herself away from the man and tried her hardest to scoot back; he was still coming closer though.
"Please..." she was begging now the tears running freely down her face she felt His hands so warm against her cheeks, so real against her. He knelt down and held her face almost lovingly, he closed his eyes and she at that point figured she should too. She reached up to hold onto his hands, something familiar ran through her …"Please" she begged. She could feel the pain of thousands of needles puncturing her brain, the bright flashes of light behind her eyes and the warmth leaving her.
"Please."
