Alone

Rose is alone. Alone, alone, alone.

Alone

5:50 P.M.

            Rose clung to the rocks as if it were gold, while her body dangled in the air. She was just a foot away from the brim of the canyon. But this didn’t matter. Just a brief moment ago, Rose and John were together, alone, in love. Once alive to the beginnings of love; life seemed to seep out of her soul. Separated. Alone. She now understood why people called the bridge: the Bridge of Distraught.

            Rose looked down and saw the bridge that she crossed to get to the canyon. It now appeared as a tiny piece of stick. Only a faint sound could be heard. In fact, she grew more fearful by hearing the obliterating impact of the bridge more so than the threatening roar of the thunder and piercing impact of the rain.

            John . . . he . . . he is dead.

            Dreadfully alone.

            Rose returned her gaze at the sharp jagged rock she was holding onto. Crimson blood flowed between her thumb and index finger, but she maintained a strong grip, despite of the rain soaking the rock’s surface. She panicked.

            I guess this is it.

            Nearly hyperventilating, she closed her eyes and breathed ten long breaths. Emotion flooded her, but she stopped herself from crying these brief few seconds. All the memories: dancing, laughing, and talking to each other �" gone.

            “JOHNNNNNN, I LOVE YOU!” she cried.

            Silently, tears streamed down on the sides of her cheeks. She wished John would be the knight in shining armor and rescue her from the deathly pit of Hades, but this seemed to be a different story �" a miserable one.

            All alone.

            John sacrificed himself for her. She crossed the bridge before the soldiers would be able to strike her. But it seems that the soldiers actually did strike her by cutting the ropes that held the bridge over the canyon. When she crossed the bridge, she looked back to see John one more time, but was not aware that her left foot was still on the bridge. She fell �" and she could not get herself out of this hole.

            While recalling the events that just happened, she heard a distant voice.

            “OMMMMMME ACKKKKKKK!!!”

            All at once, she ignored the rock’s slicing pain upon her flesh and tuned her ear to hear the voice.

            It’s John. It must be John. JOHNNNNN!

            “COMMMMMME BACKKKKKK!!!”

            John’s cry echoed back to Rose. No wind, no rain, nor even thunder could block John’s cry. Love seemed to triumph over nature these few moments. Rose was now crying.

            Alone.

            “I will come back, I will come back, John,” she muttered to herself.

            All at once, strength returned to her, and she pulled herself to the brim of the canyon. If one could see the sight of this, you would assume that Rose made the Olympics team, crazy; insane. Her head and chest were above the brim of the canyon, and she gripped a rock that was near the canyon brim’s surface, in order to lift herself up. With all the strength she could muster, she suddenly thrust her torso onto dry land.

            I did it.

            She thought about telling John that she was safe, but she did not want to startle him by getting him to make second thoughts.

            “I am coming for you, John!”

            That statement sounded foolish to her. Yes, she could find John, no doubt. The catch is if she could find him before the gallows welcomed John. There was no way for John to escape the soldiers unless . . . . So there was a way.

            Rose now became aware of the lightning flashing around her, and the burning brush here and there. If there was no rain, Rose would have perished in the fire that was now being extinguished.

            After this revelation, Rose lifted herself off the ground onto her two feet. She appeared to be confident and strong, but inside, she was an emotional wreck. Immediately, she lifted her right foot than her left foot. Gradually, she lifted her feet faster and faster and faster to reach the destination: Faith Bridge.  They called Faith Bridge for a reason; no one crossed the bridge because crossing it looked ridiculous. She did not understand this, but she would soon understand why.

            I must reach John. I must. I must. I must. He gave his life for me.

            Thoughts were racing to her mind �" thoughts all about John. Marriage, children, a happy life . . . . The thoughts seemed more like wishes that would never come.

            Alone.

            However, another distant voice bounced into her head and interrupted her train of thought. The voice sounded desperate.

            “I LOVE YOU ROSE! DO YOU HEAR ME? I LOVE YOUUUUU!”

            I love you too.

            Distracted, Rose tripped over a rock, and fell in the muddy ground, face first. Instead of lifting herself all at once, she lifted only her face. Two feet in front of her, she saw three separate pieces of paper which read,

            I

            LOVE

            YOU!

            Slowly, she lifted her right hand from the mud and lightly grabbed the three pieces of paper.  She closed her right hand and brought it close to her side. She then lifted herself onto her feet. Either this was a lost woman looking for something, or a woman off to war or maybe both.

            “I LOVE YOU TOO, JOHN! I LOVE YOU!

            She paused and looked at the other side of the canyon, hoping to see John. Impossible. The rain blocked all visibility, and the clouds showed no sign in halting the rain.

            The only option was to run for her life �" John’s life. If she did not reach John, her life would die with John’s. Finally, she saw a long stretched object: Faith Bridge.

            “I’m coming, John. I’m coming.”

            BOOOOOM!

            The thunder shook the ground.

            Alone.

 

Reviews

[Cherry Lai^_^♥~~]

Powerful chapter...

[Coyote Poetry]

A strong chapter. I like the emotion and powerful desires in the poem. I could feel Rose hope and desire for life for John. A surprise ending to a excellent chapter.
Coyote