Heartbeat

The girl heard music all her life. The beautiful tune played softly every minute of the day. One day when she was twelve, she realized it came from the necklace she wore every day. It was small and heart-shaped, and it was a deep black that shone like it had been well polished. She found out her necklace opened, and when it opened, she found a tiny music box inside. After that day, she cherished the necklace even more than before.

The girl never had any friends. She was shy and very quiet, and whenever anyone tried to talk to her, she wouldn’t answer or she’d shrink away and run. The other kids just decided to leave her alone. They ignored her most of the time, and the girl was very lonely. The only friend she had was the forest in her backyard. Every day after school she would go into the forest and climb the trees or read under their shade. Her favorite place in the forest was on the banks of a little creek surrounded by tall rocks and trees.

One day the girl went into the forest, humming softly to the tune of the music box. She zigzagged in between the thick trunks of the trees and hopped over roots, twisting her way through the thick undergrowth to get to her secret place. When she arrived, the spun around in the waters of the creek, humming along to the music. Her pale hair billowed in the breeze as she twirled. When she climbed out of the water, she thought she saw a shadow slip over the top of the rocks. She just shrugged and and went over to a thick sturdy tree, humming away. She grabbed the lowest branch and pulled herself up. She clambered onto the branch, then snaked up the tree like a squirrel. She reached the top and looked down at her beautiful secret place. The resin from the tree coated her hands and shirt. She looked out at the rest of the forest and was surprised to see how far it stretched. “I’ll see it all someday.” she promised. And with that she slipped down the tree and onto the ground.

She remembered the shadow on the rock, and she was curious about what it was. When she looked again, a small head poked over the top of the rocks. It was a cat, and the girl loved cats. She smiled. “Here, kitty kitty!” she called softly. The cat ducked away and padded along the tall rocks.

The girl wanted to follow the cat. She grabbed the jagged surface of the rocks and began to climb up to the cat. The jagged edges provided hand and footholds for her small hands and feet. When she reached the top, the cat had darted farther along the rocks. She got unsteadily to her feet and began to tiptoe along the rocks, calling softly to the cat. Whenever she got close, the cat would dance away out of her reach.

Tiny shards of rocks slid out from under the girl’s feet every time she stepped. They tumbled from the high tops of the rocks onto the flat ones below. The rocks began to get more and more jagged, and more and more skinny, but the girl was focused on the cat, who padded nimbly on the rocks. Suddenly, it leaped sideways, and the girl turned to follow.

Suddenly, the rocks dropped away. The girl became very unbalanced, standing right above the rocks far below. Fear shot through her, and the music began to get louder and louder. She teetered on the edge of the rocks, rock shards showering down from under her feet. The music continued to get louder and louder, until it was almost deafening. Then, with one more tip of her body, she was falling down… down… down…

The girl hit the rocks below with a great impact. Her head slammed against one of the rocks, and she fell unconscious, her pale brown hair spread above her head like a blanket. In her unconscious state, she hoped someone would come for her, but no one ever did. She lay for hours, and with every slow minute that ticked by, the music became more and more quiet. Then, as her heart beat for the last time, the music box hit one final note and went silent.