Light and Darkness

E   l   e   v   e   n

Light and Darkness

 

Claire

            “Wow. This is just a bit much to handle.” I said with a slight shake of my head.

            “Well, wait till you hear the whole story. It’s gonna be like BAM! Your head might even start to spin. It’s quite a lot to take in frankly. I don’t even know how we handle it most of the time.” Jesse said using a lot of expression.

            “You don’t have to make it sound so bad, Jess.” Irena dived in lightening the conversation just slightly.

            “Yeah, Jess, we have it pretty good compared to some, wouldn’t you say?” Avery stated.

            “I suppose I could say that, but then it defeats all the excitement from what we get to go through.”

            “It’s an adrenaline rush not excitement.”

            “What’s the difference?”

            “Excitement adds fun into the equation. I wouldn’t exactly put the words adrenaline rush and fun into a sentence together.”

            “Ya just did.” Jesse said. Avery tilted his head in a ya-know-what-I-mean movement. “Man, what’s gotten into you lately? Have you been hanging around Irena too much, or what? You’re starting to get all dull on me! I guess it was only a matter of time before it happened.”

            “What can I say? One of us had to grow up sometime instead of joking around with meaningless things and trying to find a way out of everything that needs to be done. At least I am mature and contain some responsibility.” Avery responded simply with a biting edge to his voice. Whether it was the statement or his tone, it shut Jesse up for the time being. I couldn’t describe it, but it felt as if my heart was hit. Hearing Avery say that made me reconsider him for a moment. I don’t know why that was. Maybe it was the pained expression Jesse had in his eyes, the truth in Avery’s, the intervention in Irena’s, or the hopelessness from mine that reflected in all three of theirs. I knew Avery caught on which probably led to the following remark.

            “I’m sorry, Jesse, I wasn’t expecting to lash out at you. You know how stressful our job is; it’s hard enough let alone with all the other environmental factors that contribute to our health as well.”

            “I know. I just wish I had my old brother back. He was always there when I needed him. Now I’m not so sure he still is.” Jess whispered under his breath half hoping to be heard and half not.

            “I’m gonna work on it along with a lot of other things that need some fixing.” Jesse returned a slight smile in response although it was sad as if still hurt by the way this conversation had gone. I didn’t know what I could have said that would have helped so I stayed quiet watching and waiting. Apparently Irena decided now would be the time to make an announcement.

            “Oh! I forgot to mention that I talked to the doctor and he said he was going to let you leave on the condition you make sure you rest the arm while you’re at home – no trying anything that’s going to land you back in here with a worse condition – and take the painkillers. He says in normal situations he usually has the patient here for four days to make sure everything goes well, but you’re healing rather rapidly so he’s going to let you go home as long as you follow the ‘Doctor’s Prescription.’” She stated proudly.

 

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     At last I was home. I was in my own bed. Avery and his siblings left so I could rest and my mom settled me in with a glass of warm milk. I sipped it graciously since my nausea subsided and felt content as I fell back into a slumber. A dream unfolded abruptly beneath my eyelids. I saw a beautiful land rich in color. Quaint little cottage like houses sat on hills with an abundance of life all around. There were crystalline structures, gardens, and fountains. There were gemstones placed on buildings and hidden deep in the ground to discover and enjoy. Everything sparkled in the bright light that was being emitted from a palace in the distance towards the north. The stones cast an array of colors on the objects around them. People were gathered together in a crowd singing lovely tunes and dancing along to them. Children ran after one another laughing and adults chattered with their neighbors as butterflies fluttered around the roses and tulips. It was a paradise. Everything was one in unison. It all revolved around one and the same thing. That was the light. There was no darkness anywhere. I could feel this light flow into me and wiggle around tickling my insides like butterflies had found their way in. For the first time I noticed there was no splint on my arm and I felt no pain; I felt better than okay, simply fantastic. A smile spread across my face and I had trouble keeping myself from dancing right along with the other town’s folk.

            A little girl with blue ribbons in her hair grabbed my hand and led me to the middle where a new dance was beginning. She began the routine, but then stopped once noticing I wasn’t following suit. She started again slowly and I followed with perfect precision. The moves came right out perfectly as if I had danced this dance all my life spending years to perfect it until this very moment. I twirled and spun right there in front of all these strangers, except they didn’t feel like strangers and it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Their innocent and pure spirits made my own want to join in and be the same.

            Without any warning the sky gradually started to grow dark towards the south. Lighting flashed back and forth. The light tried to overcome the emerging darkness, but it didn’t prevail. The darkness approached us rapidly with a force of gusty winds being led by a pitched black horse with blood red eyes galloping in full throttle towards us.  It did not stop. It was a phantom rushing through the crowd with the darkness follow behind it. I looked around me to see people disintegrating, the plants and trees were withering to nothing, the fountains had dried up, and there was nothing left anymore. No life. Nothing, only the feeling of death remained. Visions of people dieing, natural disasters, pain, turmoil, tragedies, loss flowed across my sight. It was all around me and all that was left. I collapsed to my knees, hiding my face so as to not see anymore of the vulgar images. Hot tears streaked across my cheeks and hit the ground.

            Then I heard the sound of hooves galloping once again and I felt my heart beat quicken and my head being forced up to view the devil’s horse looking into my eyes with his own. I felt exposed and I knew I had been seen. Fear overcame me and I panicked not knowing what I could do. Once again the horse did not stop it was tearing towards me ready to pound me into the ground. By now it would be too late to stop. I would die today. Things turned into slow motion and I saw the muscular horse’s leg lift and get ready to come down onto me. A flash of blinding red light flooded within in the instance and his foot came down onto the hard ground.

            I jerked up awake. I was alive. Sunlight poured through my bedroom window and I was relieved. I was sweaty in my pajamas that were twisted tightly around my body. Looking at the clock, I saw that it was the last hour or so of daylight and that I had to meet Avery in an hour. I moved my arm and a flare of pain went up it. I held back a scream by gritting my teeth. Looking down, I saw the splint once again back where it was. I felt dirty. I washed up briefly and got ready as fast as I could with my disability.

            Excitement rippled over me and I could barely contain myself. I had been waiting for the answers to my questions for so long. Only a few more minutes now and then I would be on my way to discovering everything that was happening to me. The time was rapidly approaching.

 

© By Amanda Gloth