One More Fight

We’re driving along a narrow stretch of road. Just me and my dad; he’s driving me home from play practice �" something I know he simply despises. On one side of the truck, my side, is the dense edge of the wood that covers the hills in our valley.  Its fall so all the leaves are on the ground and the trees stand tall and bare. I like fall the most; you can see everything and walk everywhere, and the temperature is perfect.  There’s no other car or truck on this road, there very rarely is. But that doesn’t matter now, what matters is the heated discussion flaming between my dad and me.

He seems to think I lied to him; again. Or so he says. He always thinks I lie to him, even when I’m screaming the raw truth right into his face. For some reason he just can’t except the fact that he may have been wrong so he blames everything on me. I should be used to this, I should be used to the way his voice screams evil words of hate. But for some reason they always tickle that part of me that hides the hatred and violence I long to keep hidden from the world. When he yells at me for no good reason I can’t help but defend myself and yell back.

                His words sting and I feel the prick of tears threaten to spill from my eyes. I know that if I cry he’ll just use it as fuel and go on about how I’m too weak for the world. I decide that if I don’t escape soon, this will all result in just another scar on my arm and another night spent contemplating my end.

                I tell him to stop the truck, but my words come out as a whisper against his. I say it again, this time much louder and wait for his retort. As expected from the back of my mind he gives me a short no before continuing his rant. Tonight though, I won’t take that for an answer. I turn to him and use my hidden voice to overpower his; telling him to slow down and let me out. It takes a few more moments but I soon push enough buttons in his system to make him realize there is no use in fight anymore. He abruptly stops and I throw open the door, grabbing my back pack, and slamming the door behind me.  The engine roars as he hits the gas pedal, speeding away from me standing in the middle of the road. I can’t help it as I scoop a stray rock from the ground and chuck it at the fading truck.

                I don’t wait to see where it lands or even if it hits its target, instead I turn and go the opposite direction. I walk for a while, letting my mind catch up to what just happened. Despite no one being on the road I turn off into the woods so no one will see me as I break down and cry. I start to run, wanting to get farther away from the road and the truck that holds the man who is supposed to love me. Finally I find a spot where the bramble thins out and all that surrounds me are a few trees and golden leaves covering the ground. In the middle of the clearing stands a great willow tree; its branches swinging down to the ground. I step through them and collapse against the trunk; the branches creating a sort of wall, separating me from the outside world.

                It is here that I let all the feelings of depression and hatred over take me. In my mind I long for the friends that once surrounded me and the love that was taken away from me. I cry for all the time I didn’t get to spend happy or alive inside. I just sit and let all memories pour from my eyes as sobs shake my body. That is how I stay for I don’t how long, before I look up and find that the light sky has turned dark. All around me shadows fall and frost begins to set in. My pants are soaked and my gloves hold no use against the cold, but I stand and begin to walk back to the dreadful road. I know I’ll have to walk another five miles before I get to the road that leads down to my house. By the time I get there it’ll be pitch black with no light to keep me going straight. But I know how to get home; I’ve been on this road more times than I can remember.

                There are a few houses along the way, a couple bridges, spots I can stop and take a break. I know my dad will be drunk and passed out on the couch so no hurry to get there. I let my mind wonder as I walk along the median. I think of when I was little and my mother didn’t have to work every hour of every day, of when my father still treated me with love and devotion. Then I think of the friend who helped me and took care of me when bad things happened. The friend I began to love but had to let go when he moved half way across the country, leaving me to fend for myself.  I think of how different my life would be if all the disappointments that overtook me never happened. Lastly I remember a song my grandmother used to sing to me. A song she sang when she was in the hospital, dying of cancer, and trying to get me to know that it was gonna be alright.

                I close my eyes for a second and recall her voice singing the words and the gentle way her hands cradled me as I laid curled up beside her. I feel her frail hand stroke my cheek and her breath brushing my face. I start to sing softly the words that remain forever in my mind.

Sound the bugle now

Play it just for me.

 As the seasons change

Remember how I used to be.

 

                I remember her sweet perfume mixed with the smell of hospital and medicine, I hear beeping coming from the machines surrounding us.

 

Now I can’t go on

I can’t even start.

I’ve got nothing left

Just and empty heart.

 

                I think of how she fought the cancer for months on end. She never wanted to give up, even when it made her sick and sad and lost. She never gave up.

 

I’m a soldier

Wounded so I must give up the fight.

There’s nothing more for me �" lead me away

Or leave me lying here.

 

                I remember her telling me how even when she was gone that she would always be with me, watching over me. That I just had to remember.

 

 

 

                I continue walking down the middle of the road, singing the song I will never lose.  Nobody ever drives down this road so I know I’m safe, nothing can touch me as I fly through happy memories. I close my eyes and dream of her standing in front of me, whole and healthy. Glowing with the light of a strong hearted woman. A light appears behind her, becoming brighter and brighter as it comes closer. I think of it as the light from heaven that followed her down to where she stands now. I smile and wish with all my heart that I could have just another moment in life with her. So I sing louder, hoping maybe it will draw us together.

 

Then from on high

Somewhere in the distance

There’s a voice that calls

Remember who you are.

If you lose yourself,

Your courage soon will follow.

So be strong tonight

Remember who you are.

 

The light in front of me grows ever brighter until it surrounds me. Then I’m flying, flying high with her hand in mind and I can hear her singing with me now, the last words to her song. Our song.

 

You’re a soldier now

Fighting in a battle to be free once more.

Yeah that’s worth fighting for.

 

 

Reviews

[Kyle]

This is beautifully done....i like this style. I stayed with it and it kept my interest nicely....i like the layout of the write too.

[nicolo]

I sometimes think that without a dialogue, a story would be up to no good. But this time, I was wrong. :) And also they you way you leave things for the reader to fill in.

[Jessica Renee]

okay first off Bryan Adams is a wonderful musician. you're also very good at imagery and description. especially in the lines: "I tell him to stop the truck, but my words come out as a whisper against his. I say it again, this time much louder and wait for his retort." i also like that the subject matter is not too cliche. however, there are vague ideas that you leave unsupported throughout the story. you just sort of throw the thing in there about your friend without explaining much about it. also the grandma could be alluded to in the beginning. overall though i liked it.

[Olive Belikov]

Thanx for the reviews :) and the song is real and supper good so if u wanna look it up u should. It's called Sound the Bugle by Bryan Adams. It's actually from a Disney movie called Spirit. Anyway , thanx!

[paradise]

OhI love this story its so beautiful espicaially tht song i lolve it i am so happy u sent me tht read request

[Sunflower 20]

great story! i loved the way you never mentioned any dialogue, that was very clever. the ending leaves you smiling and what a great song to include! very, very well done. thank you for the read request :)