Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #14 May 2015 | Page 32

Before you die you are supposed to have your life
flash before your eyes, a moment in time to review
what you are losing. Jenny was no exception, but her
focus was on her recent past. The series of images
documented her climb towards Hell on earth. A Hell
she was now escaping.

citedly around. Mother fretted that the retro sweet stall
was in the wrong place. Jeff’s mother fought to keep
her hat at a jaunty angle in the growing breeze. Lots of
laughter, champagne, wine, lots of love.
Then, the world stopped turning. The crowd silenced
for a second. Screams, shouts, crying and wailing
broke out amongst the guests. The best man appeared
stunned as he delivered the unbelievable news that Jeff
had fallen down the ancient stairs in the entrance: neck
broken, he had died instantly.

She saw the moment she met Jeff. The bright, shiny
bar, steelwork gleaming, glasses clinking, a busy hum
of bright conversation. The bar was full of happy,
beautiful, stylish people having fun; brittle laughter
and cut glass voices surrounding them, as they bonded
in a private bubble of mutual lust.
The next image showed a gorgeous spring morning, the two of them lying sated in a bed covered in
sparkling white linen, croissants, and coffee perched
precariously by their intertwined limbs. Jeff laughed,
popping morsels into Jenny’s open mouth, followed
by deep kisses and languid lovemaking.
Then she saw the wedding. Nothing but the best
would do, six bridesmaids, two flower girls, a castle with a moat, the open air ceremony. Their colour
scheme was wine and coffee accents with brilliant
white everywhere, in the flowers, linen, damask
waistcoats and bridesmaids’ gowns. Jenny remembered choosing menus, the torture of seating plans,
the selection of her simple antique lace dress. She also
remembered a joyful, boozy evening making table
decorations together with Jeff and the bridesmaids, her
band of sisters.
Jenny waiting at the castle, their friends and family
gathered at the gazebo. Flower girls and pages ran ex-

Jenny had stood frozen as the world went crazy, as
time stopped. Her mind had known what was happening but refused to see anything more to come. Jeff was
her soul mate, the other half of her that she had been
unaware was missing till they met. She knew her life
was over. She could not—would not—stay in a world
without Jeff. She could see the others, but they didn’t
matter. She walked towards the moat. No one stopped
her; they were too wrapped up in the tragedy of the
moment; Steve, the best man, sat in a boneless heap,
sobbing, surrounded by people who had no idea what
to do to make the unthinkable not be true.
Jenny did the only thing she could; veil removed,
flowers discarded, she entered the ancient moat headfirst, arms held out before her as if in an embrace. As
the green water closed over her head and covered her
beautiful dress in its icy fingers, the soaked fabric instantly dragged her towards the unseen depths. Jenny
drew in a lungful of algae stained water; she made no
attempt to fight the darkness that enveloped her. When
you’ve just lost all that matters to you it feels good to
lose the dull weight of lost dreams.

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