flames and ash
fading
ghostly
Abigail ran her fingers through the earth, letting the soft dirt fall from her grasp. The cold winter air nipped at the young girl's nose, leaving her eyes watery. Only, the tears had been falling long before the cold wind had whipped at her pale face.
Turning her head upwards, she looked up into the sky. White clouds floated peacefully, moving along the blue canvas, making her smile. Her lips curled upward and for a moment, one blissful moment, Abigail forgot the reason as to why she was alone in the forest at all. She took this peaceful moment to inhale, sighing softly. The smell of pine and soil filled her body and she felt as if she were one with the forest.
Looking back at the ground, she felt her heart plummet to her stomach. There, half sunken in the hole she had dug, was a box full of treasures. Of course, Abigail knew they were worth gold because she had been the one to put them in the box. Deciding to break away from her past, she had gathered important items that represented 2014, and now here she was. Not sure how to rid herself of the previous year, but sure she could hide from it, the ground was her escape.
Not being able to bear the thought of moving on, Abigail threw herself forward, fumbling with the key to the box. Unlocking the small wooden chest she paused, admiring the few items she had stored in it. The moment was shattered when the memories surfaced, reminding her why she was burying the unused binkie, the locket that held a picture of her and her older sister, the engagement ring that never turned into more, and the chipped car keys that hadn't been used since last April. It had been a rough year. Her mind began to fall into a trance of flashbacks making her taste bile in the back of her throat. These memories would be the death of young Abigail.
Picking up the locket, she wrapped her small fingers around the cool metal. Holding the small necklace to her chest, she closed her eyes. Images flooded around her, overwhelming her. The best friend since birth with long brown hair and crystal blue eyes, identical to her own. All the birthday parties, the hugs, the fights, the boyfriends, they all had something to do with her. She was always involved, always the life of the party. And now she was gone. Her beautiful sister’s life was taken last Spring on Highway 55. To this day she had never been able to get behind the wheel of any vehicle, hence the car keys in the box. Her pathological fear had been ruling her life for too long and Abigail had decided she was done with that. Throwing her keys in the box, she let them rest there, promising her dead sister that she would drive again. New car. New set of keys. New life. Looking back at the locket in her hands, Abigail thought about keeping it and holding onto it forever, but just like the rest of the world she needed to move on and let go.
Abigail placed the locket back inside the box along with along with a few tears. She could feel the link between her and the necklace breaking but taking a deep breath she knew that the bond between her sister and her would never ng brown hair and crystal blue eyes, identical to her own. All the birt.
By Savannah Stroebel