Crash

A Story by Daniella Raven

Just a bit of nonsense I made to pass the time.

Through a murky window, Alyssa could barely see the outside world. A grey, dense fog hovered through trees and buildings, bleaching her room in dim light. Thankfully, the less light, the better, for the room itself was a pure, starch white, which unsettled her eyes in the summer, constantly making her squint.

This morning, however, she was at ease, staring blankly through the window, hands in her lap, head resting against the wall. Her hair was short, a dull brown, bangs covering blue-green eyes, and her dress clung loosely to her skin, the same white as her room. She sighed silently, biting her lower lip out of habit.

There was a knock on Alyssa’s door, and she turned her head slowly to face it.

“Alyssa, you’re already awake?” a sweet, quiet voice asked. A blonde woman walked in calmly, pushing a food cart near Alyssa’s bed. She placed a tray in the girl’s lap with a smile. “How do you feel?”

Alyssa swayed her head side to side.

The woman gave a thumb up, patting Alyssa on the head. She looked down at the floor, spotting a brown stuffed bear near the under of the brunette’s bed. Leaning down, she picked it up, placing it near her. “Alyssa, Little Jack doesn’t like being away from you, take care of him, okay?”

Alyssa nodded, hugging the bear close to her.

“Little Jack was given to you by a special friend, do you remember who?” the woman asked, tilting her head.

Looking at Little Jack, Alyssa swayed her head once more in a “so-so” motion. She remembered barely, only knowing that she liked the special friend a lot. The stuffed bear was soft and made Alyssa feel better whenever she held it; so naturally, she barely let it leave her side, the only times it would ever disappear was in her sleep, as she tossed and turned restlessly. Before today, she would discover Little Jack on the floor alone and helpless, crying hysterically when she could not reach him and frantically clicking a button over her head, hoping that the blonde woman would come and help.

“What made you so calm, Alyssa?”

She pointed out the window, down at the street. A group of boys were dribbling a basketball as they walked down around the corner. Somehow, it made her feel nostalgic.

The woman nodded, and stood from Alyssa’s bed. “Alright, you should breakfast now, okay?” she suggested, walking to the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

BBC NEWS

“Earlier today the court case of Jeremiah Hankinson had begun and they are now in the process of going over the case from last week. Down in Edinburgh a car crash had devastated the families of a teenage couple, Alyssa Lucille and Trevor Collins. Hankinson had ran a stop light and crashed into the couple’s car, while Trevor Collins was under the influence driving. While both survived the crash, Collins had passed two days later in the hospital, while Lucille is recovering from physical and mental shock…”