Life changing moments

Submitted into Contest #28 in response to: Write about a date that was so terrible you’ll never forget it.... view prompt

2 comments

Creative Nonfiction

Life has a special way of teaching us to realize that we need to feel grateful for what we have. It was a chilly December morning when I got the call. I partly opened my eyes to see the caller ID. It was him. I was smiling to myself internally as I picked up the call and mumbled over the phone chirpily. He had a serious tone and I could only hear muffled voices. I immediately woke up to his abruptly trembling voice. The call was immediately cut and I tried calling him back but couldn't reach him. I got antsy and was expecting him to call back but the call never came. I tried reaching out to his friends asking his whereabouts, that's when I found out that he went out paragliding the day before and never returned the night. I panicked and was on pins and needles. It was just two days back that we celebrated our 100th day anniversary. It dawned upon me that those muffled voices were distinct to his. I didn't expect such an unfathomable event could befall on us. I could hear his voice echoing through my mind and my tears start rolling from my eyes. I couldn't believe it. Judging by the voices from the background it became evident that he was stuck in a forest area. I had to find him somehow but didn't know-how. I called up to his best friend Sam and we started searching him all the way through the Augustine forests. I harked back all the things we did together and It made me feel out of sorts. One of the incidents that vividly came to my mind was the time when we went on our first date. I was wearing a pretty yellow dress printed with small red roses and he was wearing a plain white shirt with casual Jeans. We decided to meet in the park near Augustine Forest. That was the first time that he confessed his feelings to me. Going through the woods we found a silver-colored jacket being torn into pieces. It had traces of blood and smelled like his perfume. I recollected him telling me that only beautiful people happen to make the best meetings and I was one of the special things that have happened to him in his life. I looked all over the nearby places to see whether he was there. But we couldn't find him. we called out to him and even that was in a void. The entire afternoon went by and we became aghast and tumulted. Reminiscing him gave me more pain and I didn't want to lose him, not just yet. Being worn and beat, I staggered to find traces of him and my despair was becoming high. As we progressed our search, we came across a wire and when we took it we found an iPhone which was similar to his phone. I tried switching it on but couldn't. I informed Sam that he has to be nearby somewhere and I searched for him frantically. We started calling his name out loud so that he could hear us and respond. I started feeling numb and my grit was beginning to dwindle. What if I never got to see him?.

As we began to retract our path back I heard a faint, low cry coming somewhere behind the thorny bushes; I was frightened and took small fragile steps towards it. It was him. He was barely managing to let out a cry and his body was bruised badly. Though my joy upon finding him was breathtaking I could equate it exactly to the excruciating pain and turmoil that he was experiencing all alone. I was placated and at the same time felt grateful that I got to see him. I clung to him ever so tightly and was weeping all over him. It took us nearly weeks to recover from that incident. That incident forever will remind me to feel grateful for all the things I have and It will still be one of the terrible days that will always haunt me forever.

February 09, 2020 06:14

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

2 comments

Rhondalise Mitza
03:57 Feb 20, 2020

It could have been a tad bit longer, but other than that it was pretty easy to read and held attention well.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Ryan LmColli
19:51 Apr 08, 2021

What a lovly story meaningful and intense!!! Follow and like mine Lump the trump!

Reply

Show 0 replies

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in the Reedsy Book Editor. 100% free.