A Hug of Healing

Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eyes

She was sitting at the table. Her eyes blank as she looked out the window. Her soul was broken, shattered by the long years of taking the punches. There wasn't anything left for her to hold onto. Her best friend found someone who was capable of being empathetic and supportive no matter what. Her older sister had new friends who were there when she couldn't be. Her parents had each other. She had no one now.

Her twelve foot wall finally drove everyone away. No one could be friends with someone who wouldn't let them in. No one wants to fix a broken, lost soul. They want someone who can reassure them that they are indeed the best. They want someone who can boost their ego. No one wants a broken soul. 

So she finally gave up. She took all her masks and threw them away. She didn't cry; no tears came out when she tried. She didn't collapse like people though she would. Instead she pulled herself together enough to get to the chair. Now she is done. Everyone who was broken is fixed and have people who can fix them better than she ever could. There's no use for her anymore. No one to put her back together. 

She sat there until someone gently touched her shoulder. Normally she would jump and look to see who it was; she didn't care anymore. Yet, she couldn't help but notice how warm they were. The person moved into her eyesight. She didn't recognize them in the way most people recognized each other. His face was foreign, yet his presence was not. 

This was the same presence that was there on her hardest nights. The same one that always disrupted her internet connection when she tried to procrastinate her homework. This was the same presence that was there when she woke up to someone holding her hands. Yes, she knew this person, but not in the way most people knew others.

She looked into his face and saw kind, compassionate eyes. Large gentle hands gently grabbed hers and pulled her to her feet. Then there was a smile of sadness and understanding before the warm, gentle arms wrapped themselves around her. She was pulled to the man's chest, held there with comfort. 

She stood there for a few moments, confusion the only emotion that she could feel. Then she understood. This embrace was allowing her to break. It was giving her the privacy and comfort someone needed to allow them to truly fall apart. 

After ages of not crying she felt tears streaming down her face. Sobs escaped her body as she started shaking. The arms didn't let her go. As she broke the man kept her shattered soul close, Keeping the broken pieces close so when the time came he could help put her back together. 

She didn't know how long they stood there. She didn't care much. She took the time desperately needed to be broken. Then, with help, the pieces of her broken soul were put together. Piece by piece, one at a time. Once she was whole she finally emerged from the embrace. 

Her guardian angel stared at her with the same compassionate brown eyes. She whispered a faint "thank you". The angel smiled in response. Then she blinked and he was gone. Not leaving her, just returning to the state he was in before. Going back to protecting her from evil.  He was still there, she could feel him there. A loving feeling that would never go away.

Reviews

[Twilight]

Despite the sad start, this short story ends warmly; on a positive note. The protagonist almost becomes a reject, feeling alienated and practically alone; as if trapped by that tall wall - which seems like a barrier to her social progress.

Eventually, a strong guardian angel gently invites her into his warm embrace. I noticed that the protagonist had coped up to this point, without crying; so she deserved a fresh beginning..?

Thanks for sharing.