The Queen Witnessed

TW⚡- References made to physical violence, blood, gore and murder.

He left. The hues of yellow, orange, pink and violet that He left behind in the horizon began to die. The clever ones, pink and violet merged into a majestic mix of stygian and persian blue. However, the half-witted ones, yellow and orange, remained loyal to the sky’s ruler of the day. In the foolish belief that He would return, they waited and waited. Afterall, belief turned into denial, and denial into tragic death. The skies decided to shed their warm tone colors, for they were anticipating the queen of the night. This time, Her entrance would be special as She would illuminate the heavens in full glory, which only happens once in thirty long days. 

Eager in anticipation, the skies continued to darken and brought along the queen’s favorite pal, feathery gray clouds. Twinkling stars began to emerge in the sky and glimmered proudly, as if they were distant snowflakes frozen in time. The stars began to shift apart from each other, leaving behind an empty, dark plot of sky among them for Her arrival. Not even celebrities on velvety red carpets receive the royal treatment that She received. 

Finally, the lifeless horizon was revived. Her majesty’s beams kindly stroked the waiting stars. The clouds were signaled. With their feathery fluff, they firmly held Her hand and pulled Her up from the underworld. In all Her glory, She was here. 

The heavens admired as She illuminated the night sky. They all gazed at Her eternal beauty. Her skin was glowing and Her craters were Her beauty marks. Quickly, the clouds took their positions around Her and She shone, like a pearl from a cracked open oyster. Beneath the sky, the waves of the sea roared and crashed upon the beach sand, excited that She had finally arrived. 

As usual, it was breathtaking to see Her, but something was missing. It was a puzzle complete from all sides, but missing its centerpiece. Joy. Her face was missing an elegant and joyous smile. Her usually twinkling eyes appeared to be shallow and lifeless. After what had happened thirty days back, there was no way She would have the same glee as before. The stars, clouds and skies watched as the Queen began to get lost in her thoughts. 

Unknowing of how to escape from the downward spiral, She accidentally looked down at the patch of beach sand that was freshly hit by the sea’s cool water. The same patch of sand that was stained red, exactly thirty days ago. Her bleak eyes were now filled with panic. She blinked in rapid succession as images flashed in her head. That night. Although it began as naive as this night, it ended in disaster. 

(30 days ago…)

Like every once-in-thirty-days special event, the Queen was lavishly welcomed by the stars, clouds and skies. The waves of the ocean fan-girled at Her charm. But at the shore, there was a sinister view. The town's most favorite, ambitious, intelligent and kind lad, Mathew Peters, innocently sat on the beach staring beyond the waves, into the end of the dark, unvisualizable horizon. Unlike his usual self, he seemed upset, fed up and even hopeless. The queen carefully watched and shone her subtle radiance upon the boy from above. The boy turned his gaze and saw a vivid seashell shell, half buried in the sand. He picked it up and used the end of his worn-out blue hoodie to wipe the sand from it. He held it in the dry palm of his hand and saw its brilliant orange and white spottings. “Thanks” he said, holding the conical shell up to the Queen, as he gently caressed its pointed edge. “Let’s see if at least you can make it to the other side”, he sighed as he threw the shell into frothy ocean. She continued watching from above. He got up and dusted his slightly torn track pants. 

Just as he turned to leave, a shadowy figure approached him. The queen's eyes widened. It happened all too quickly. The sharp sound of a knife piercing the boy’s chest. Blood oozing. Screams of agony. Gasps for a last breath. Tears struggling to drop out of his blood-shot eyes. His body struck the sand. Brine, burnt away the last bits of life in his open eyes. The ocean washed away the boy’s soul and ambition to the other side. The purest of sand and water tainted with his thick blood. His eyes still open. Undeserved death. 

The Queen stared at the lifeless body as the undistinguishable figure vanished into the town. The Queen Witnessed. The Queen Witnessed a murder. The clouds hugged the Queen, to provide Her comfort from the tragedy She had mistakenly viewed. 

(Back to present)

Just like on that night, the loyal clouds covered the Queen’s sight of the beach, protecting Her, saving Her. “The incident would be unforgettable, the killer would be unforgivable”, wondered the Queen as her heart throbbed. The memory was etched in Her head and it could not be erased until the killer was penalized. The stars caressed Her, as if to tell Her that everything was going to be alright. She sighed and diverted Her attention to a small creature, majestically moving on the shore below.  

The creature placed its front paws forward, while its hind paws would perfectly follow the prints left behind by the former ones. It walked carefully, leaving behind a straight line of clean paw prints on the beach. Its whiskers were ever so slightly tingling, its head scanning the environment. After a while of thorough investigation, the feline sat down upon a pillowy plot of soft sand. Its tail is entwined around its legs in a protective gesture. The pawed creature looked above at the sky’s pearl with its mesmerizing emerald eyes. The Queen’s dull radiance shone at the ends of the figure’s smooth and delicate coat of black fur. The wide eyed being purred at the spotlight it received from the heavens. For some reason, the animal had the same robust ambition in its eyes that Mathew had. The resemblance was uncanny. Although it was taking a toll on Her to endure, the Queen continued to watch. 

The wide eyed creature was entirely black, except a ring of gingery beige around its neck. Rightly guessed by the Queen, the ring was no ordinary discoloration, but it was a collar. “Midnight, pet of Mathew Peters” read the tag. As She registered these observations, the perky eared creature turned behind, almost in a signaling manner. From behind it emerged the figure of a fair, tall, yet plump girl. The clouds watched as they realized that she was familiar. It wasn’t long before they knew. She was Abbigail, Abby for short. 

Both Abby and Mathew were reserved introverts, with no family and no home. The only place they called home was their school. Both of them were driven by intellectual curiosity and thirst for knowledge. It was almost natural for them to become the thickest of friends. Having no one else but each other to depend upon, they both grew up being the support system for the other. The clouds remembered how they heard Abby and Mathew talk about a variety of things including the quantum physics behind building a time machine, if going vegan is the best way to reduce your carbon footprint and even predicting when robots will replace humanity. In recent months, however, the clouds heard skillful, composed, and healthy debates turn into aggressively heated, even livid arguments. 

The clouds turned away from their train of thoughts and the rest of the heavens focused on the girl below. Abby walked on her toes, almost as if she was allergic to the beach. She placed a towel on the patch of sand next to the animal and sat upon it, while adjusting her flowy, lavender skirt. “I am here, Midnight”, she sighed, while petting the feline. “I am only here because of you. You’ve been leading me here every night since Mathew left us.” she sadly smiled, looking at the resting creature through her vibrant hazel eyes. “It all seems like a fever dream, you know? He was here all along, and now he’s no more. That’s the thing with death, it seems almost surreal until it strikes.” she softly said as her dark eyebrows quavered. She shut her eyes and her mind traveled through memories. She went back to the day of her school’s scholarship announcement. 

(A few months before…)

Abby’s school had an impressive gathering for the announcement. An empty stage was waiting to be honored by a bright and deserving student. Matching the energy of the event, the day was a rather lovely one. The king of the day was feeling unconditionally humble and allowed the clouds to take a little bit of the spotlight. The weather was warm and hopeful, the same way how Abby had felt. Abby had worked day and night for years together for this moment. The moment when all her hard work would pay off. The moment when she would be given a scholarship to continue her higher studies. However, the announcement would be quite unexpected. 

As the Principle got onto the stage and began to address the crowd, Abby’s mind fluttered with thoughts. “How should I react?”, “What should I say”, “Oh I just hope I don’t trip on the stairway to the stage.” Just as she got lost in her thoughts, a voice brought Abby back. “Good luck” whispered Mathew from the seat next to Abby’s. “You too,” Abby smiled. “With that being said, now I will announce the student who has been accepted for our first-ever scholarship scheme!”, sparked the principal. Abby crossed her fingers. Her cheeks were now pink in excitement. “We proudly announce” the principal paused for suspense. Abby’s heart pounded in anticipation. “Abbigail Campbell, Abbigail Campbell, Abbigail Campbell”, she whispered almost in a manifestational manner. 

“Mathew Peters!” the principal exclaimed. Abby’s sweaty, crossed fingers loosened. Her hands dropped to her lap. Her rosy cheeks were now pale. She turned to look at Mathew, but he wasn’t there. She scanned the seats near her, just to see a smiling Mathew walk up to the stage. Her eyes were blinded by tears, sorrow, and greed. Her heart was still pounding, now, with anger instead of anticipation. Her mind raced. Was she just betrayed by her best friend?

They were all down the drain. The years of hard work. Months of sleepless nights. Endless books read. Thousands of used, inkless pens. Hundreds of notebooks filled with thoughts, ideas, connections, and knowledge. Her surroundings were a blur. All she could hear was the radiating cheers and claps from the crowd, wide smiles on their faces. Although deep down Abby knew that Mathew deserved the scholarship, she was blinded by the wound that failure had left behind in her tightened chest. It was almost natural to blame Mathew while facing the mental blur that Abby was facing. 

“I am going to handover the mic to Mathew to speak a few words of wisdom.” The clapping had stopped and the crowd waited. Abby looked up, and stared directly at Mathew. Jealousy burned her ability to appreciate her friend. Their eyes met one another. Her eyes asked him how he could betray her. There was guilt in his eyes, but he smiled at her in a reassuring manner. It was like he was about to fix everything. Or maybe make things worse… 

Mathew walked to the podium, adjusted the mic on the stand and began. He was going to save his only friendship. “Um… Thank you. That’s all I can say. Ugh, how do I? If you haven’t realized by now, speaking is not my strong suit.” he said, as he brushed his fingers through short hair shyly. The crowd chuckled. Abby rolled her eyes. “Okay then, let me jump straight to the point. I am truly grateful that I have gotten this opportunity, but I think that there is someone who deserves it more than me. It’s my dear friend - Abbigail Campbell, just Abby. I know that she is capable of using this to improve her skills and one day even help the town. So, Principal, if you don’t mind, is it alright if I decline this scholarship and offer it to Abbigail?” Grateful, she would be? How about just the opposite? 

As Mathew finished, the crowd's cheers were gone. They all stared at Abby. You know what’s worse than being booed? Helpless, awkward silence. The audience didn’t want to make the effort to drive the girl away because they thought she was not worth their time. Abby soaked in the essence of the dreadful atmosphere. Somehow, the Lord of the day was shining brighter than before, almost as if to tease her. “Well, Mathew, that was… um ve-very nice of you. You have a big heart. We can get that done if th-the girl is fine with it.” stuttered the principle, unwillingly searching for Abby.

Abby turned bitter. Her hands were clenched in fists. Her long nails dug into her red palms. She felt betrayed by the only one she could trust. “Mathew. He was the cunning snake all along? Slithering around her for the best moment to do this?” Abby thought. “Um- you there, are you the girl?” the principal asked, staring at Abby. 

“Yes, I am. It’s Abbigail Campbell. And before you ask me, no, I don’t want the scholarship”. She hissed and stormed off.  

(Back to the present)

Abby opened her eyes and tears uncontrollably flowed down. They cooled off her soft cheeks. Some ran down her elbows. A couple had made their way to her white shirt. Midnight meowed in a comforting tone and placed its paw on Abby’s skirt. “Well, I think we should leave right now. It’s too dark already” she sighed and ran her cold fingers down the feline’s back. She stood up, wiggled her toes to get the sand off, dusted the towel, and neatly rolled it to take back home. Just as she bent down to pick the creature up, her shirt’s collar loosened and revealed a necklace. Realizing this, Abby looked down and held the neckpiece in her palm. She adjusted the piece to view the pendant; a rare, beautiful conical seashell, with strangely familiar brilliant orange and white spottings. The Queen took a deep breath in, eager in anticipation. 

“He didn’t get to see you reach the other side, huh?” Abby smiled, vanishing into the town.