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Sad Fiction

In an early day of April, bloomed the magnificent flowers of earth. A lone tree stood still in a field of flowers, underneath it lies a beauty whose face is in peace, with low breaths, her eyes slowly fluttered open and it was in the of the shade of the deepest seas. It was beautiful, indeed, but it shows no emotions as it is dull.

She sat up and looked forth in the horizon, with a few blinks in the eye, she stood up. Wobbling on her thin and weakly legs, using the tree to push her up, she was able to stand up steadily. And as usual, she went straight to the gates of that garden, she sneeked out and run off to the streets. Food stalls were everywhere, and her stomach have been growling, which she can clearly hear. Slowly and steadily, she approached stall with breafs displayed on it, she crawled down and reached for the pieces of bread she could see and took as much as she can carry. She went out from below and walked away without being noticed. Happily munching on the food that she have, not minding the dirt it had, it was still edible and tasty. In the distance she saw kids running around, faces filled with joy and whose surroundings were full of laughter. She approached them and looked at them closely, how can she be like them in her state? She thought. 

A kid, a litlle bit taller, noticed her and waljed up to her. He waved and smiled to her, and asked--

" Hi, what's your name? " he's voice was very clear and joyous.

She shyly backed off and looked around, she'd never been talked to by the people around her. Maybe because of how she looked and how she acts. But this boy was different, as his eyes do not see differences in every humans existence.

She ran away and the boy call up to her, a voice which faded as she run off further away from that place. 

In the distance, from where she came from, the boys' friends run up to him in clear worry. 

" What had happened? Who have you called just now?" A friend of his asked.

" Did you not see a girl I was talking to? She just ran off." the boy answered.

" No, we did not, why'd she run off tho? "the other boy asked.

" I don't know, really. She must've been very shy." the boy answered once again before being pulled by his friends to play more.

Panting hevaily, was the state of the girl, she looked back fearing that the boy had followed her. She did not wnat any company, she had already shut off all doors to converse and interaction with her. Walking mindlessly, she bumped into something solid and flopped down on the ground with a thud. Opening one eye, she looked up and saw a tall figure of a woman. She was about to run away when the woman held her hand, she tried to squirm and shout but was shushed.

" Hush little girl, i have no interest in hurting you kr some sort, I just wanted to checked if you were hurt from that nasty fall." the womans' voice was calm, and sincere. 

Folks of different gender looked at them and went off to their own businesses when she just warmly smiled at them.

" Little child, do you have a home?" she asked.

What is home, really? The little girl thought, is it the protection the walls give off, or the warmness of the food served with love. How can one, who was casted away by her own family, know what a home is.

Basing on her silence, the woman had thought to bring her inside her house which was a few steps away. The little girl did not know nor did has she ever met this woman before, but there was something in her that calms the waves of fear inside her heart.

" Sit here, child, I will prepare food that will warm you up. " the woman said and went off to somewhere in the house.

The little child just looked around, observing the place of a stranger. Books piled up in a corner desk, papers here and there. Rosaries dangled by the window, and a small statue of what christians see as 'God', she must be catholic.

The woman came back in, with a bowl of soup, a bread and milk. And before she gave it to the little girl, words that she could not understand came out from the womans mouth. Then the woman set down the food and lightly pushed it to her.

" Eat, you must've been very hungry."

She munched on the food, not minding table manners and eating etiquette. She has been hungry for days. But no matter how much she ate from that food, she didn't get full and ignored it until the woman asked her a question she did not expect.

" How long has it been--

Since you died? " The womans voice rang Throughout out the walls of that house. 

The girl stopped on munching, and with a confused look, she face the woman. Sadness spread across the womans face whe she just realized.

" You did not know?" pain could be heard as she let out those words.

The little girl could not find the words to respond, how can she do so?

" I am a Median, I can see, hear talk or simply interact with those who have died but whose souls have wandered among the living. " The woman said..

" Did you not notice how no one could see you? Catch you or talk to you?---"

She cut her off and said.

" A boy..... Aboy had t... Talked to me.." the little girl said as tears had slowly gathered arround her eyes.

" How long has it been? How long have you been doing this?" The woman asked once more.

" I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!" she hastily stood up and made the chair fall.

" Shhh, child, Calm yourself. I mean no harm, I just want to help you be at peace." her warm voice had once again reached the little child's heart.

She slowly sat down again. And sulked at what could possibly be true. But the boy, the boy had talked to her.

" There are those who can see your kind, those who do not see you as anything different than the living, those who are pure in heart and conscience." she continued.

" Tell me child, where do you go back to?" she asked.

She did not answer back and just stood up, walked up to the door and looked back at the woman as if telling her to follow.

They had walked for a few minutes until they reached the field of flowers and up to the only tree in there. The cold breeze of the night blew strands of the womans' hair. She walked up to the tree and felt its trunk, it was warm. When she looked back at the child, it had already disappeared.

" Who's there?!" a voice from the distabce shouted.

 Three figures came running up to her with flashlights in hand.

" What are you doing in our land?" The old woman asked the Median.

" I feel a soul of a young child in this tree, tell me, have you lost a child recently?" asked by the Median which made them shock.

---

" It has been a few years since we've lost Elle, we tried to look for her, we did our best." The father could not continue as he broke in tears.

" Elle's sould could not be at peace, she remembers her last memories as the worst there is. She thinks that you casted her out, and do not wish for her to come back. I saw what had happened to her through her eyes."

" A tragedy had ended a beautiful soul, which made the flowers bloom and the tree to be lush." the Median continued.

" We must bring forth peace unto her, even tho she may never be back home. At least we may be able to let her free from the guilt she has for leaving you very early." she ended.

Her words brought tears to the eyes of the family. 

After the conversation they had, the lone tree was abolished and the ground below was dug up. The remains of the lost girl have been found and was brought back to her home.

" Souls of those who wander far could never return, they will stay close and yet could not go back to where they once lived when they were alive. A sad reality it is."

June 17, 2021 08:13

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