Life Can Be Heartless
Aunt Liddy sat uneasily in a chair in the hallway of her home. Una should have been back from the Glen long ago. The five o'clock train had passed through the station; she'd heard it whistle. It was only a short walk from the station. She jumped as the front door opened.
"Una! What happened?" she cried, alarmed.
Una stood in the doorway, with the inky blackness of the night forming an impassable wall behind her. Tears streamed down her sooty face, making paths along her cheeks. Her hair was ragged and limp, and lay in long strands about her shoulders. From her thin frame her dress draped, filthy and torn, whilst her hands were clenched desperately by her sides. Her chest heaved with exertion and each gasp was a stab in the heart.
"He's dead," she choked hoarsely, "Dead. Lost. Dead. Shot by a bullet. They didn't tell me, I found out by myself. Oh, it's just not fair! How could it be so cruel? How? What have I done to deserve all this pain? After everything that happened... Oh, I just want to die." The final word uttered with forced passion. With that, Una burst into a vale of tears. Her heart cried out in agony and her spirit begged for the mercy of the gods, though all in vain. Her tears welled up from the depths of her soul. Unknown realms poured forth their sorrow.
Una slammed the door behind her and stumbled incoherently over to her waiting aunt. Collapsing at the elderly woman's feet, she let all sadness she had kept bottled up over her short life run freely from her torn spirit. She had been to hell and back far too many times. Aunt Liddy gathered the broken girl into her arms. Then she too wept at the unfairness and cruelty of life, for she had had much to bear in her time as well. Cradling her niece in her tired, old arms was not enough. She crushed her poor body to her breast and closer to her heart. They sat there for many an hour; and they were not alone, for the stars above them wept too.
Short, but it is meant to be. I hope you like it. LMM's ideas and everything. I just extrapolated on my own points of view. Thank you for all your reviews. Mrs Walter Blythe, AmericanGirlAnne, hester gray, Account not found and all those others who had kept faith with this story for so long, but whose names my memory won't recall!
Always keep faith
Do not be afraid to cry.
A Forgotten One
