Post by ~Xx:Tainted:xX~ on Oct 17, 2007 17:49:21 GMT -6
The Fire’s Lullaby
What is this place? It’s so dark…so quiet….so empty. All I can see is my misty breath and my veins spreading out like spider webs against my pale chalk-white hands. Slowly, in an almost dreamlike state I curled up into a ball wishing I knew where I was. That’s when it came to me…it hit me like a bullet. Last night’s events came bursting through my mind…I knew where I was…and I didn’t like it…not one bit. My eyes closed as I pictured their faces, Zina’s serious, but kind gaze and Luna’s outgoing smile. Had the made it out? No…that would have been next impossible…but then again they weren’t here…I was alone. I gulped as guilt rose up my throat like bile. If it wasn’t for me Zina might have made it out. Holding back tears, I began to laugh bitterly…at least I hadn’t made it out…if I had…I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt. For the first time in a long time I prayed…harder than I even thought I could…I hoped that will all my heart they had mad it out…even though I knew that like every other good thing in my life they had met their ends...and it was all my fault. Slowly at first, then more rapidly I began to cry…until it got to the point where tears gushed off my colorless face, a waterfall of pure sorrow. My vision blurry, the darkness seemed to spin around me. Everything shimmered as the darkness morphed into a large white out sitting on the shore of my small lake. This was Echo Pond twenty-four hours ago…this where my story begins.
The roaring laughter of children as they splashed though the water rose into the air, the sound was joined by an angelic voicing, echoing across the lake. Away from the others, standing on the shore was Luna, singing the lullaby I knew all too well. She was the youngest, only five and was afraid of water. Zina and I sat further down on the rocky shore, listening. Zina had light brown, messy hair, totally different than Luna’s long and elegant black hair. In fact if it weren’t for their sparkling green eyes…no one would ever guess that they where brother and sister. Randomly, one of the others thought it would be funny to push Luna into the water. She instantly panicked…screaming and splashing, her brother, quick and quiet darted over to her and pulled her out of the water. He set her down beside me and instantly made his way back towards the boy. Rapidly, their voices rose like a swarm of angry insects. Then there was a sickening crunch as the boy punched Zina in the face. Yelling angrily a plump old woman lumbered out of the house. Two things happened at once…the boy whipped around to face the woman and Zina’s hand connected with the back of the boy’s skull. Her face as red as a cherry the woman dragged both of them back to the old house, past the sign that read in bright red letters: Echo Pond Orphanage.
Later that night I lay in my hard, rusty bed shifting restlessly back and forth. I was dreaming…bright red flames started up in front of me and the smell of smoke tainted the air. Fear clawed at my heart like an angry bear as I choked on smoke. Suddenly a scream pierced through the crackling flames, sending a thorn strait through my heart. Sweat rolled down my neck as I shot upward. Gasping, I sat there trying to figure out where I was…the air was thick…too think…fear consumed me as I realized the smoke was still lingered. The hair on my arms stood on end as I realized that my dream was more than just a dream. Strengthening my horror the same scream echoed from my dreams…it was a scream I’d know anywhere. “Luna!” Jumping out of bed, I screamed her name. Stumbling, I made my way to the door, already hearing the crackle of flames. I carefully opened the door. Even more smoke burst into the room, burning my arms.
Blindly, I made my way through the smoke. I felt the fire before I saw it…it was sending waves off heat through the room. Before I knew what was happening bright orange flames licked at my feet. I jumped back into the smoke, choking and gasping. Smoke stinging at my eyes I tried to peer through the fire…then a loud CRACK made me look upward. “Nikka look out!” screamed an all too familiar voice. A shadow jumped out of the smoke, pushing me to the side. With a crash part of the roof caved in landing right where I had been standing, where the shadow was standing now. Fear gripped me as I forced myself to walk forward. Sure enough…even though I knew it was him…I screamed when I saw Zina’s blood stained face. Rubble covered him from about the waste down…but somehow…he was still alive. Throwing a small wooden pole off the pile I tried desperately to free him, but there is only so much a kid can do. Locking his calm gaze with mine Zina said, “Go Nikka! Leave me! You have to help Luna and get out of here!” My gaze hardened as I glared at him. “I’m not leaving you! I’ll be back…I promise.”
Giving him a final glance I turned and ran, towards his sister’s cries…knowing this could quite possibly be the last time I ever saw his face. Goodbye… I thought as I navigated through the flames. “Luna…Luna!” I called her name. Then I heard my name…muffled against the loud crackle of flames. I ran towards the sound, “Luna?”
“Nikka! Nikka help me!” she screamed. Glancing around wildly, I tried to find the young girl. Finally I found her…she was stuck in her room, the top of the door had caved in along with part of the roof and was impossible to get out. Peeking through a crack I saw her terrified bright green eyes. “Hold on Luna!” I tried to comfort her. I stood back, I couldn’t let her die…no she was too young…too innocent. Adrenaline and anger pulsed through my veins, like the venom of a snake…I couldn’t believe this was happening…not to us…not to her. I began my grueling work of freeing her from her fiery prison. Time did not exist as I slaved away…I have no idea how long my burst of energy lasted, all I know is that my some miracle I had managed to free her. By the time we made it back to Zina my adrenaline had been replaced with hopelessness…there was no way we’d be able to free him.
Luna and I exchanged glances and got to work. Somehow this whole thing felt unreal…like it was not actually happening to me…as if I was watching a show on television…it was a weird feeling…such emptiness. After a countless amount of minutes, I fell back exhausted…my hands where raw and bleeding. Turning my head, I realized I could see Luna; I shot up, only to find her in Zina’s arms. One of the sweetest sounds I’d ever heard rose above the flames...it was Zina…he was singing. His voice was even better than Luna’s…and it seemed to be calming the tried little girl…it was having an effect on me too…an icy calm was settling over my body. His eyes flickered to mine…both of us knew that they wouldn’t have enough time to find us…or put out the fire…both of us knew we where going to die…and strangely…both of us accepted it. Our short lives had been far from perfect…both of seemed older than when we had met a year ago. Was it really just a year? Zina and I had bonded when we first met…that bond would never die…even if our bodies did. Then I realized he was crying and that he had stopped singing. “Goodbye Nikka,” he whispered his voice hoarse. Wrapping his hand in mine, tears rolled off my face. “Goodbye Zina.” Luna stared at us her eyes wide and filled with confusion and fear. She didn’t quite understand death…she pulled herself closer to Zina who started singing again. The fire kept drawing closer to our little band…until it came threateningly close. When the flames reached my feet I was prepared for the pain, I bit my lip at moved upward. I don’t know how long it was…but it seemed like an eternity until I seeped into sweet unconsciousness.
I sat there alone for awhile, thinking of that fateful day, the day that I had finally lost everything. I would give anything just to see them again…just to hear their voices. A familiar sound drifted out of the never-ending darkness…it was their lullaby…his sweet, soothing voice. At least, if I was dead…I wouldn’t have to endure anymore pain...I could spend all of eternity searching for the ones I call my family…searching for Luna and Zina. I headed towards the lullaby and for the first time in along time…my footsteps where certain.
What is this place? It’s so dark…so quiet….so empty. All I can see is my misty breath and my veins spreading out like spider webs against my pale chalk-white hands. Slowly, in an almost dreamlike state I curled up into a ball wishing I knew where I was. That’s when it came to me…it hit me like a bullet. Last night’s events came bursting through my mind…I knew where I was…and I didn’t like it…not one bit. My eyes closed as I pictured their faces, Zina’s serious, but kind gaze and Luna’s outgoing smile. Had the made it out? No…that would have been next impossible…but then again they weren’t here…I was alone. I gulped as guilt rose up my throat like bile. If it wasn’t for me Zina might have made it out. Holding back tears, I began to laugh bitterly…at least I hadn’t made it out…if I had…I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt. For the first time in a long time I prayed…harder than I even thought I could…I hoped that will all my heart they had mad it out…even though I knew that like every other good thing in my life they had met their ends...and it was all my fault. Slowly at first, then more rapidly I began to cry…until it got to the point where tears gushed off my colorless face, a waterfall of pure sorrow. My vision blurry, the darkness seemed to spin around me. Everything shimmered as the darkness morphed into a large white out sitting on the shore of my small lake. This was Echo Pond twenty-four hours ago…this where my story begins.
The roaring laughter of children as they splashed though the water rose into the air, the sound was joined by an angelic voicing, echoing across the lake. Away from the others, standing on the shore was Luna, singing the lullaby I knew all too well. She was the youngest, only five and was afraid of water. Zina and I sat further down on the rocky shore, listening. Zina had light brown, messy hair, totally different than Luna’s long and elegant black hair. In fact if it weren’t for their sparkling green eyes…no one would ever guess that they where brother and sister. Randomly, one of the others thought it would be funny to push Luna into the water. She instantly panicked…screaming and splashing, her brother, quick and quiet darted over to her and pulled her out of the water. He set her down beside me and instantly made his way back towards the boy. Rapidly, their voices rose like a swarm of angry insects. Then there was a sickening crunch as the boy punched Zina in the face. Yelling angrily a plump old woman lumbered out of the house. Two things happened at once…the boy whipped around to face the woman and Zina’s hand connected with the back of the boy’s skull. Her face as red as a cherry the woman dragged both of them back to the old house, past the sign that read in bright red letters: Echo Pond Orphanage.
Later that night I lay in my hard, rusty bed shifting restlessly back and forth. I was dreaming…bright red flames started up in front of me and the smell of smoke tainted the air. Fear clawed at my heart like an angry bear as I choked on smoke. Suddenly a scream pierced through the crackling flames, sending a thorn strait through my heart. Sweat rolled down my neck as I shot upward. Gasping, I sat there trying to figure out where I was…the air was thick…too think…fear consumed me as I realized the smoke was still lingered. The hair on my arms stood on end as I realized that my dream was more than just a dream. Strengthening my horror the same scream echoed from my dreams…it was a scream I’d know anywhere. “Luna!” Jumping out of bed, I screamed her name. Stumbling, I made my way to the door, already hearing the crackle of flames. I carefully opened the door. Even more smoke burst into the room, burning my arms.
Blindly, I made my way through the smoke. I felt the fire before I saw it…it was sending waves off heat through the room. Before I knew what was happening bright orange flames licked at my feet. I jumped back into the smoke, choking and gasping. Smoke stinging at my eyes I tried to peer through the fire…then a loud CRACK made me look upward. “Nikka look out!” screamed an all too familiar voice. A shadow jumped out of the smoke, pushing me to the side. With a crash part of the roof caved in landing right where I had been standing, where the shadow was standing now. Fear gripped me as I forced myself to walk forward. Sure enough…even though I knew it was him…I screamed when I saw Zina’s blood stained face. Rubble covered him from about the waste down…but somehow…he was still alive. Throwing a small wooden pole off the pile I tried desperately to free him, but there is only so much a kid can do. Locking his calm gaze with mine Zina said, “Go Nikka! Leave me! You have to help Luna and get out of here!” My gaze hardened as I glared at him. “I’m not leaving you! I’ll be back…I promise.”
Giving him a final glance I turned and ran, towards his sister’s cries…knowing this could quite possibly be the last time I ever saw his face. Goodbye… I thought as I navigated through the flames. “Luna…Luna!” I called her name. Then I heard my name…muffled against the loud crackle of flames. I ran towards the sound, “Luna?”
“Nikka! Nikka help me!” she screamed. Glancing around wildly, I tried to find the young girl. Finally I found her…she was stuck in her room, the top of the door had caved in along with part of the roof and was impossible to get out. Peeking through a crack I saw her terrified bright green eyes. “Hold on Luna!” I tried to comfort her. I stood back, I couldn’t let her die…no she was too young…too innocent. Adrenaline and anger pulsed through my veins, like the venom of a snake…I couldn’t believe this was happening…not to us…not to her. I began my grueling work of freeing her from her fiery prison. Time did not exist as I slaved away…I have no idea how long my burst of energy lasted, all I know is that my some miracle I had managed to free her. By the time we made it back to Zina my adrenaline had been replaced with hopelessness…there was no way we’d be able to free him.
Luna and I exchanged glances and got to work. Somehow this whole thing felt unreal…like it was not actually happening to me…as if I was watching a show on television…it was a weird feeling…such emptiness. After a countless amount of minutes, I fell back exhausted…my hands where raw and bleeding. Turning my head, I realized I could see Luna; I shot up, only to find her in Zina’s arms. One of the sweetest sounds I’d ever heard rose above the flames...it was Zina…he was singing. His voice was even better than Luna’s…and it seemed to be calming the tried little girl…it was having an effect on me too…an icy calm was settling over my body. His eyes flickered to mine…both of us knew that they wouldn’t have enough time to find us…or put out the fire…both of us knew we where going to die…and strangely…both of us accepted it. Our short lives had been far from perfect…both of seemed older than when we had met a year ago. Was it really just a year? Zina and I had bonded when we first met…that bond would never die…even if our bodies did. Then I realized he was crying and that he had stopped singing. “Goodbye Nikka,” he whispered his voice hoarse. Wrapping his hand in mine, tears rolled off my face. “Goodbye Zina.” Luna stared at us her eyes wide and filled with confusion and fear. She didn’t quite understand death…she pulled herself closer to Zina who started singing again. The fire kept drawing closer to our little band…until it came threateningly close. When the flames reached my feet I was prepared for the pain, I bit my lip at moved upward. I don’t know how long it was…but it seemed like an eternity until I seeped into sweet unconsciousness.
I sat there alone for awhile, thinking of that fateful day, the day that I had finally lost everything. I would give anything just to see them again…just to hear their voices. A familiar sound drifted out of the never-ending darkness…it was their lullaby…his sweet, soothing voice. At least, if I was dead…I wouldn’t have to endure anymore pain...I could spend all of eternity searching for the ones I call my family…searching for Luna and Zina. I headed towards the lullaby and for the first time in along time…my footsteps where certain.
