Gone

A short part I came up when my psych asked me to decipher a photograph

The sky was dark and brooding. Strong gusts of wind blew shook the trees and leaves rustled. It was cold and there was an ominous atmosphere. This was especially so for Lori. 

"She's gone! She's gone!" 

John was on his way to work, it was not less than 15 minutes after leaving the house that he was intercepted. He turned at the sound of the familiar, frantic voice shouting for him. Lori's face was pale, her hair dishevelled and her bloodshot eyes swelled with tears. "Maddy's gone! She's gone!" 

Their daughter Maddy had packed little with her and left in the night. But little did she know she was not just leaving a note, she left grief and sorrow in the hearts of those around her too. Which daughter would leave their parents frantically searching the entire city for her? Which daughter could bear to cause such grief and mayhem?

Maddy had been together with a boyfriend that didn't love her, with parents she felt she was a burden to and heaviness in her heart that she could never fully get rid of. Her boyfriend used her for sex, and now that she was pregnant, she didn't know what to do. Her parents were poor and struggled to support themselves, let alone deal with Maddy’s new found situation. She also did not have friends, was bullied in school and most importantly, she didn't feel loved. 

The letter was stained with marks where tears had fell, the writings on it scribbled and shaky, as if it was written with a trembling hand. On the letter it read "Forgive me, don't think about me anymore, don't love me anymore, but know that I'll never stop loving you guys.”

All the colour faded from John’s face. Words had left him, rendering him speechless and blank-eyed. The winds threatened to stir up a storm. He could barely hear, let alone answer his helpless wife’s question, “What are we to do?”