Prompt: Reinvention
Words: 562
Characters: Jean Sylvester
Its yellow and red print fluttered in the wind as the waves thrashed against the shore, reaching out for her, to touch her, and with just that tiny touch, to call her out and pull her in and swallow her up, never to be seen again.
Her family had always warned Jean about that line. That mysterious, ever-changing line drawn in the sand.
"It's not safe," her grandmother had said.
"You can't swim," her father had rationalised.
"It looks like fun, but it's sort of like Pop's medicine looks like fun." Sue always explained things the best. She never spoke down to her. "If you eat her tablets, you get sick and then you die. If you go in the water, it gets too strong and we never see you again."
Sue had been with her always, even as a small child. They'd skipped along that line, screaming as the cold water licked at their toes, laughing as they piled sand on top of their grandfather, smearing ice cream over the other. And she felt safe. Sue always made her safe. Sue was always there to protect her.
One day, she wasn't looking where she was going and she walked into the water. It was freezing cold and it stole the ground from beneath her feet. She fell down in the sea and screamed and cried. It was going to take her away, take her far out, far away from everything that she'd ever known, to this strange place like where Alice was after she fell down that hole. She would be taken out into black, eternal black, eternal emptiness, and it would steal her soul and she would never be found again.
But Sue was there. Sue was there to look after her. Sue put her arms under hers, and pulled her out, and carried her back into the warmth, into the sun, and she dried her off and sat with her in her lap, and sang Pure Imagination and Hushabye Mountain and Edelweiss. And she felt safe once more.
Now, she stood knee-deep in the water, no longer that little girl, inside or out. She knew what was coming – she just had to say goodbye, had to let go.
"Jeanie!" Just like that day so many years ago Sue ran forward in panic, but instead of letting herself be picked up, she stepped back.
"It's okay, Susie."
"If you go out there…"
She was so cold, so calm… so ready, yearning, just to… to move on, to leave this all behind. The shore was done and dusted, and it was time to test the unknown. "I'm not scared."
"I know you're not, Jeanie. But, if you go, I'll never see you again."
Another wave pushed into her back, pushing her forwards, towards Sue, into her outstretched arms, but she slapped them away, digging her feet deeper into the sinking sand, under the mud that swirled into the current and wedged into the bottom, firm as rock. "You will see me. Just not for a long time."
There were tears streaking down her face. She didn't want to hurt her – but she had to. It was time.
"Love you, Sue."
Then she let herself go, let herself fall into the current, each wave crashing over her taking more and more of her old self away, leaving nothing but freedom and memories.
Hi everyone :-)
Again, it's been way too long... I started uni back two weeks ago. Much catching up to do (prompt-wise - I'm pretty good so far with study, believe it or not!) but I'm working on it. I've also been working a heap, and I've been arranging music for this semester, and I'm also organising a camp for my music society (which is SO MUCH FUN!) and... yeah, to make things short, I have no time.
So... I don't know. One of my clients, Tim, died last night and I found out today. I didn't know him well, but he was this gorgeous little thing. He was deaf, absolutely tiny - probably the size of my 10 year old sister - but he had a beautiful smile, and he was very communicative, even if he couldn't say or sign or... anything. And so, this just sort of spun out of me. You know when some things just HAVE to be written? This was one of those. I think because I feel like I need to acknowledge that mortality does exist, and sometimes it does slap us on the face. *shrugs* It was great to write this anyway. Especially because I'm in an empty house. I think I can sleep now :p
(Oh, and its needing to come out was why again I've switched the order. I do have maybe half of the last prompt done though. Hopefully in the next few days. Have to fit it around study and choir and fencing :p )
Thanks to everyone still around for these! Shout outs to WhatKatyDidNext, MyMagentaPeach, Tara621, and PenMagic!
Like it? Hate it? Want my dog to mistake my fingers for her bone? (And not her squeaky chicken. She liked her squeaky chicken. I think she worries a little about her squeaky chicken because it makes noise and she goes over to check on it whenever it does, and picks it up so carefully so as not to hurt it...) Please let me know!
Keep smiling! :D