Suppressed

his was something I wanted to do. I wanted to experiment with Personification and this is what came of it. A sad story...

                                                   Suppressed

    In a matter of seconds, I was enveloped in flames. She continued to fuel the fire with gasoline as I lay, unable to move in the charred barrel, silently screaming in agony. I felt my love for her disappear with the rising smoke.I kept wondering why she would do this to me. I thought we were best friends. I thought she cared about me like I cared for her. We did everything together and now it's ending in such a sick, cruel way. Now I realize I never held a special meaning to her. I spent my entire life watching other's love and be loved. Love does despicable things to the human heart. Love did this to me. This is a story about a story who was living in his own fairy tale. 

     I never found my purpose in life. I was born in a tiny little cottage in a tiny little town I didn't know the name of. My father was an amazing man who spent time with me every day. He would write little notes to me each day. Each note was a  continuation of the last, growing into a magnificent tale. Father called them "Chapters." He asked me questions about how the story should go. Sometime's he would hit the table in frustration when he couldn't think of anything as I sat, in front of him, scared of what would happen next.

    One day, he left the house for many days. He never said where he was going, but told me the story was finished. It was so exciting. I waited eagerly for his return, but when he did, he didn't even speak to me. He kept talking to a woman on the phone, talking about the story. Every now and then, he would scribble something on a piece of paper, then toss it in the garbage. He did this a few times before he'd lock himself in his bedroom. I would sit, dumbfounded by the TV, wondering what was happening.

    A week later, the woman on the phone came to our house. They talked about the story again, but then something terrifying happened. Father picked me up, and handed me to the woman, saying, "Don't let me down." I could only stare blankly at my surroundings as the woman put me in the back seat of her car and drove away. That was the last time I saw my father's face. I was scared, but he was smiling so I knew everything would be okay. 

    When the car stopped, the woman took me into a building and sat me on a table in a board room. There were many people staring at me as if I were expected to perform some sort of magic trick. The woman then explained the story my father told me and the people smiled when she finished. I still didn't know what exactly was going on. I heard words like "publishing, copies, best seller.." but I didn't know what any of it meant. They left me in the room that night and many nights thereafter.

     One day, I was taken to a huge building in the middle of nowhere. There were boxes filled with..me? Thoughts began to swirl around me. Am I not the only one of my kind? There are others like me? Did father tell others our story? Suddenly,  I was taken to a man. He began to dress me in something he called a "paper back cover."  Completely confused and feeling more depressed with every moment, I began to cry but no one could hear me. When father spoke, I could hear him. I heard his sobs, his sighs, his laughter..but he could never hear me. Why should it be any different now? I thought. Stricken with sadness, I silenced myself.

     

     It had been months since they moved me to this place. There are many like me here, but each of us are different in our own way. People sometimes take me home to hear the story my father wrote, but they always bring me back. I've seen many things here. Many things that could create wonderful stories of their own. 

    I remember one day, a girl was walking past me when she saw a  boy. When the boy realized it was he whom she was staring at, he smiled. She blushed shyly and the boy introduced himself. David worked at a grocery store and Eli worked at the library. David thought Eli should come by sometime and say hi. The two of them talked about a lot of things, before exchanging phone numbers and leaving. A few days later, David and Eli returned, this time, together. They were laughing and smiling happily as they walked around holding hands. A woman told them to be quiet, but it just made Eli giggle louder. Everyday, the two of them would sit at a table across from me and read or talk. After a few weeks, I was moved to the other side of the room. I rarely saw them after that. 

    Years later, I was sitting in a bookstore when David himself walked past me. I smiled and he stopped. He said "Oh look what we have here. You're coming with me." Willingly, I left with him. We spent the day at his house. I sat on the couch watching him play video games until it was time to sleep. The next day, David said he had a quick stop to make. We parked by a huge two story house and a girl came running toward the car. It was Eli. The two of them hugged and David said "Look who I brought. Do you remember where we were standing when we first met? I saw this in a bookstore yesterday and I thought you might like to have it." I have to admit, that even melted my heart a little bit. Eli squealed in joy as she brought me in the house. 

    For months, Eli spent every day with me. She loved to talk on the phone  while reading my favorite story. When it rained, she would make coffee and sit next to the window. When she was sad, she'd cry, tightly hugging me. It made me want to cry too. I hated it when Eli was sad. I couldn't imagine who in the world would make her so upset. 

    After awhile, she would just stay in the house. I didn't see David much at first and then not at all. It all happened so fast. Eli and I were laying on the couch watching TV, when her cell phone rang. She was instantly upset about something. I could hear David on the other end. He was yelling about something. Tears began streaming down Eli's face as she slowly put the phone down. After minutes of total silence, she turned to look at me and the loving look that I once adored changed into something completely different. Pure disgust was reflected in those beautiful green eyes and I felt it consume me. 

   Abruptly, she stood up and took me to the kitchen. She searched the cabinets until she found a box of matches. Before I knew it, we were outside and she angrily slammed me into the barrel next to her garage. Eli looked at me one last time through glazed over eyes, tears still racing down her cheeks. I could smell the left over gas and with one quick motion, she struck a match and threw it on top of me. 

   In a matter of seconds, I was enveloped in flames. She continued to fuel the fire with gasoline as I lay, unable to move in the charred barrel, silently screaming in agony. I felt my love for her disappear with the rising smoke.I kept wondering why she would do this to me. I thought we were best friends. I thought she cared about me like I cared for her. We did everything together and now it's ending in such a sick, cruel way.

   Now I realize I never held a special meaning to her. I spent my entire life watching other's love and be loved. Love does despicable things to the human heart. Love did this to me.