Never Had A Dream Come True
by Amber's Angel
~ * ~
Anna sat on the floor in her living room. She had just been walked home from a party, and was surprised to find that the house was quiet; her two sisters were asleep. She went to see if they were all right and found them sound asleep. Holly was seven, and argued all the time with Anna. Her other sister, Lea, was a very small baby; it was only a few weeks ago that her mother had given birth. Her parents had been having a quiet night in, knowing that Anna wouldn't be back until the small hours of the morning, and yet they had disappeared, just gone. But she had no idea what to do; where to go. She finally willed herself to get up and phone someone, but as she reached for the phone it rang in her hand. She almost dropped it in shock. She let it ring twice; pressing the top to her forehead and praying the call would give her some idea as to where her parents were. She finally made herself answer it.
"Hello?" inquired the voice on the other end. They sounded very formal.
"It's Anna. Who's speaking?" she said into the phone, hoping it sounded confident.
"I am a doctor, I work at Arrowe Park hospital. I'm afraid your parents are here." he replied, sounding sympathetic. Anna's face fell.
"What's wrong? Are they all right?"
"I'm afraid your father died a few minutes ago. Your mother is in intensive care."
"H…how did he die? How long has my mother got?" she whispered, sobs cracking through her voice.
"We don't know exactly. We suspect they both contracted the incurable virus that is going round at the moment. Your mother believes she will be gone soon, and she wants to see you. She hasn't got very long now. I'm sorry." He explained.
"Won't I get the virus too?"
"It only seems to be affecting adults; people over about twenty. I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"I'll…I'll come now, I should be there in about five minutes." she said, slowly putting down the phone. She then ran upstairs to check her sisters were still all right, praying they wouldn't wake if she left them. Then Anna whipped her bike out of the garage as fast as she could, and sped off down the road.
"Mom?" Anna whimpered, after she had been led to an overcrowded ward full of adults, all with the same type of symptoms.
"Honey, there you are!" her mother said, smiling at Anna. She started coughing violently and Anna took a step back in fright. She then realized how it must look, and remembered what the doctor had told her over the phone, and she reached over and embraced her mother, with tears in her eyes.
"I take it you've heard about dad then." her mother whispered hesitantly in her ear.
"Yes." Anna sobbed back.
"Anna, I need you to be strong, for dad's sake, and mine, but especially for your survival. I know I will die soon; there is no cure for this dreaded virus. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. I need you to look after Holly and Lea when I'm gone." Her mother said calmly, and quite shakily. Anna refused to face the truth.
"No, mom, you are going to…" she started, but was cut off.
"Here, take this." Said her mother, taking off her necklace with some difficulty; the necklace she had always worn as for as long as Anna could remember, and pushed it slowly into Anna's hands. It was blue, with silver round the outside; a 'ban the bomb' symbol.
"Mom, no! I have never seen you take that off before. Keep it." she had tears running down her cheeks, and pushed the necklace back in the direction of her mother.
"Anna, I insist. Take it." she retorted, and tied it round Anna's neck. She then cupped her frail hands round her daughter's. "It's my final wish." she finished, and noticed the ring on Anna's finger. "That's dad's, isn't it?" she asked, then realizing her mistake she changed it to "That was dad's, wasn't it?" and a tear came to her eye.
"Yes." she replied. Anna sat beside the bed for an hour or so, enjoying the silence between them both.
"You OK?" said her mother.
"Yeah, fine!"
"You had a far-off look on your face, and you didn't look too happy."
"Honestly mom, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! I should be the one fussing over you!" she sighed, and her mother smiled. A few minutes later, she looked straight into Anna's eyes.
"You know, I thought I would live to see you get married, have children even, but I won't now."
"How do you know I'll get married?"
"I can sense things like that. I think it will be sooner than you think."
"Mom, stop it!" she grinned, looking down embarrassed. They sat there in silence again, until some machinery started to bleep. "Mom! Mom! No!"
"Anna, you're a survivor, you'll be all right. I love you. Good luck!"
"Mom!" Anna cried, as people crowded round the bed.
"I'm afraid she's gone. There was nothing we could do, this virus is incurable. I'm sorry." said a doctor.
"You don't know what it's like! I've just lost both my parents!" Anna shouted as she flew into a rage, and stormed out of the hospital back home again. When she got back, she lay on her parent's bed and cried herself to sleep. She also made the most important decisions of her life.
"…They were the kindest people in the world to me, and I don't think anyone will ever replace them in my heart. Let them rest in peace together for eternity." Anna finished the speech she had been asked to make for her parents. She stepped further towards the makeshift grave; graves were in such great demand they couldn't be done properly. She laid some flowers on the coffins, tears streaming down her face, and then the earth was put back.
"Anna, are you all right?" said a voice that she recognized well. It was one of her parents' friends, cradling Lea.
"As good as I can be." she replied, looking up.
"Have you got anywhere to stay?"
"Yes." she replied, hoping she sounded truthful. She didn't want to go and live anywhere else just yet.
"Goodbye Anna."
"Bye." she replied, knowing she may not see them again. She took the sleeping Lea off them, and smiled at her; she was so peaceful, and blissfully unaware of what was happening around her.
"Come on Holly, we better get back soon." Said Anna.
"No! You're not my mother!" she retorted.
"Don't remind me!" she hissed back. She looked around her, and saw how many burials were taking place. She looked towards the grave next to her, and saw a boy standing there; the most gorgeous boy she had ever seen.
by Amber's Angel
~ * ~
Anna sat on the floor in her living room. She had just been walked home from a party, and was surprised to find that the house was quiet; her two sisters were asleep. She went to see if they were all right and found them sound asleep. Holly was seven, and argued all the time with Anna. Her other sister, Lea, was a very small baby; it was only a few weeks ago that her mother had given birth. Her parents had been having a quiet night in, knowing that Anna wouldn't be back until the small hours of the morning, and yet they had disappeared, just gone. But she had no idea what to do; where to go. She finally willed herself to get up and phone someone, but as she reached for the phone it rang in her hand. She almost dropped it in shock. She let it ring twice; pressing the top to her forehead and praying the call would give her some idea as to where her parents were. She finally made herself answer it.
"Hello?" inquired the voice on the other end. They sounded very formal.
"It's Anna. Who's speaking?" she said into the phone, hoping it sounded confident.
"I am a doctor, I work at Arrowe Park hospital. I'm afraid your parents are here." he replied, sounding sympathetic. Anna's face fell.
"What's wrong? Are they all right?"
"I'm afraid your father died a few minutes ago. Your mother is in intensive care."
"H…how did he die? How long has my mother got?" she whispered, sobs cracking through her voice.
"We don't know exactly. We suspect they both contracted the incurable virus that is going round at the moment. Your mother believes she will be gone soon, and she wants to see you. She hasn't got very long now. I'm sorry." He explained.
"Won't I get the virus too?"
"It only seems to be affecting adults; people over about twenty. I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"I'll…I'll come now, I should be there in about five minutes." she said, slowly putting down the phone. She then ran upstairs to check her sisters were still all right, praying they wouldn't wake if she left them. Then Anna whipped her bike out of the garage as fast as she could, and sped off down the road.
"Mom?" Anna whimpered, after she had been led to an overcrowded ward full of adults, all with the same type of symptoms.
"Honey, there you are!" her mother said, smiling at Anna. She started coughing violently and Anna took a step back in fright. She then realized how it must look, and remembered what the doctor had told her over the phone, and she reached over and embraced her mother, with tears in her eyes.
"I take it you've heard about dad then." her mother whispered hesitantly in her ear.
"Yes." Anna sobbed back.
"Anna, I need you to be strong, for dad's sake, and mine, but especially for your survival. I know I will die soon; there is no cure for this dreaded virus. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. I need you to look after Holly and Lea when I'm gone." Her mother said calmly, and quite shakily. Anna refused to face the truth.
"No, mom, you are going to…" she started, but was cut off.
"Here, take this." Said her mother, taking off her necklace with some difficulty; the necklace she had always worn as for as long as Anna could remember, and pushed it slowly into Anna's hands. It was blue, with silver round the outside; a 'ban the bomb' symbol.
"Mom, no! I have never seen you take that off before. Keep it." she had tears running down her cheeks, and pushed the necklace back in the direction of her mother.
"Anna, I insist. Take it." she retorted, and tied it round Anna's neck. She then cupped her frail hands round her daughter's. "It's my final wish." she finished, and noticed the ring on Anna's finger. "That's dad's, isn't it?" she asked, then realizing her mistake she changed it to "That was dad's, wasn't it?" and a tear came to her eye.
"Yes." she replied. Anna sat beside the bed for an hour or so, enjoying the silence between them both.
"You OK?" said her mother.
"Yeah, fine!"
"You had a far-off look on your face, and you didn't look too happy."
"Honestly mom, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! I should be the one fussing over you!" she sighed, and her mother smiled. A few minutes later, she looked straight into Anna's eyes.
"You know, I thought I would live to see you get married, have children even, but I won't now."
"How do you know I'll get married?"
"I can sense things like that. I think it will be sooner than you think."
"Mom, stop it!" she grinned, looking down embarrassed. They sat there in silence again, until some machinery started to bleep. "Mom! Mom! No!"
"Anna, you're a survivor, you'll be all right. I love you. Good luck!"
"Mom!" Anna cried, as people crowded round the bed.
"I'm afraid she's gone. There was nothing we could do, this virus is incurable. I'm sorry." said a doctor.
"You don't know what it's like! I've just lost both my parents!" Anna shouted as she flew into a rage, and stormed out of the hospital back home again. When she got back, she lay on her parent's bed and cried herself to sleep. She also made the most important decisions of her life.
"…They were the kindest people in the world to me, and I don't think anyone will ever replace them in my heart. Let them rest in peace together for eternity." Anna finished the speech she had been asked to make for her parents. She stepped further towards the makeshift grave; graves were in such great demand they couldn't be done properly. She laid some flowers on the coffins, tears streaming down her face, and then the earth was put back.
"Anna, are you all right?" said a voice that she recognized well. It was one of her parents' friends, cradling Lea.
"As good as I can be." she replied, looking up.
"Have you got anywhere to stay?"
"Yes." she replied, hoping she sounded truthful. She didn't want to go and live anywhere else just yet.
"Goodbye Anna."
"Bye." she replied, knowing she may not see them again. She took the sleeping Lea off them, and smiled at her; she was so peaceful, and blissfully unaware of what was happening around her.
"Come on Holly, we better get back soon." Said Anna.
"No! You're not my mother!" she retorted.
"Don't remind me!" she hissed back. She looked around her, and saw how many burials were taking place. She looked towards the grave next to her, and saw a boy standing there; the most gorgeous boy she had ever seen.