Ruby Red

It was a beautiful crimson day with nothing to lose. After all, this time I would finally get to the one I had been longing for.

Sapphires, jewels, and emeralds all glistened so smoothly beyond the arid land before. Dozens and dozens of merchants scrambled around each other dancing in multitudes. Today, I could finally see her.

Plazas and buildings towered upon me, but I could only think about how our love was surely meant to be. Arising from the early days of birth and finally scavenging to the days where we were wrong. Facing challenges as if there was no one to ever face them for us. We lived life together as if we were the only souls on this Earth.

Soon we realized that life was coming down on us, falling and crumbling. Soon she had to depart on a trip to far above, and traveled to a far away land. Although she was doing many crucial tasks and was away for so, oh, so long, I still wanted her. I still needed her.

Today was the day I finally made my way to the far away land to surprise her. Dreaming about the minute we would lock eyes, and realize, "My love, there's my love."

I raced according to the map and men's advice. She was shooting a movie; that's what many people told me. A story about unrequited love scrambling to survive the depths of mother Earth.

About two months and a fortnight ago, she was in my arms. Fluttering around in a meadow near the outskirts of our town, she was there with me. That night was the night before she would depart for her job. Depart to a land where the memory of me didn't exist.

I remember standing there solemnly letting the image of her laugh, the color of her skin, and the way she smelt be ingrained into my mind. I really didn't want her to leave. I pushed this thought to the very corners of my mind. I would need to support her and trust her. Our story would continue some day. I would need to treasure her laugh for a while and continue my job which was delayed. Then slowly but surely we would be successful enough to be on our own, together. We would start a family with a daughter just as fair as she was herself. Our son would inherit her emerald eyes. The most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. I haven't cared for any other's eyes, but her eyes were surely the most beautiful nonetheless.

Oh, I loved her.

Finally reaching the location the map proclaimed was the one, I hid behind people, lamps, and other items. I wanted to see her today, and then go to rest. I wanted to do the perfect thing for her; I wanted to surprise her tomorrow with a beautiful whole day. Today, I just yearned to see her. I wanted to see if she was happy.

There were many hundreds of people on cast and crew duty, but none of them were her. I scurried around trying to locate her, but someone nearly hit me with a prop. I fell to the ground and as I turned to see who had hit me, something happened.

Suddenly the lights went dark.

Slight harmonies filled the stage. I slowly regained my balance and looked at an outline of a person in awe. She was wearing a silk and ivory dress. Meters and meters of fabric carried out before her as she scurried through a meadow.

It was her. She was more beautiful than ever and the happiest I have ever seen her in all my life. Though the part she was playing was a detrimental and careful scene, her eyes glistened. She was truly happy and danced gracefully.

I continued to admire, her slumping against some boxes, until someone else came into view.

A man came out onto the stage and looked at her as if she were the one. She carried on with her dance before falling into the man's arms. A tug of weight plummeted to the soles of my feet as I watched them stare into each other's eyes. What was going on. No, this is completely wrong. This is just for the movie...

But, she was so happy. They continued to hug each other lovingly. It was too real. Too pure. I turned my head to face the workers and saw them staring at them passionately. I turned back to her on the stage with her beautiful green eyes sparkling in the spotlight.

Alas, there was clapping. I heard a deep voice proclaim, "Cut." I watched her. She didn't move.

I turned away as the commotion started and headed to the motel which I was going to stay before I came back. Tears started to fall down my eyes. The moment that we shared together was no more. It was now a tale of them as if we never sat in those daisy plains ourselves a plethora of times before. Many more thought it was theirs.

As I laid in bed, the only thing that came to my head was the thought of her. I tried to tell myself it was all an act. She was starring in a movie. She only loved me. I was the only one that only loved her. With my heart aching, I fell into a deep sleep.

Images of her flowed through my mind and my dreams. It was beautiful and grand, but then the man came into the picture. It slowly turned into a nightmare. One of the worst nightmares yet. I used to dream of losing her and would cry about them to her with her caressing me. But, this time when I woke up, there was no one to comfort and caress me.

I woke up to the birds chirping delicately outdoors as the beautiful crystal windows reflected rainbows into the plain and messy room. Gentle salty breezes flew to my nose. I slowly waved it away as I already had too much to do with salty tears that night. Nonetheless, I got ready, ate breakfast, and prepared some flowers and her favorite pastry to give to her. She wouldn't have forgotten about me, at least, I think?

I fought back tears as I opened the rough but beautiful structured marble doors of the building that were covered in all sorts of vegetation. As I scanned the ethereal area with an array of color of lights stumbling in, I noticed that many people were there all readied with jewels upon jewels with tie suits or long formal dresses of every radiant color.

I ignored them, for I wasn't there for them. I scavenged around until I found the room I had been looking for. Her name was upon the gold entrenched door. I knocked, but there was no response from her sweet voice. The voice I could listen to all day rant and ponder about the great mysteries of life and how lately everything has been going well. I missed her voice. We had stopped sending letters or face-timing because she had been busy. I just want to be with her again.

I knocked again, and there was no sound. I slowly opened the door, and the room was empty. Immediately though, the scent of her perfume hugged my nose as I tried to hide my disappointment. Walking in, I realized that her picture frame of us together a couple of years that she had shown up on her table wherever she went was not up on any piece of furniture. I ignored my hypothesis that formed in my mind, and instead, placed her pastry and her flowers, beautiful rich daisies that she loved, up on her vanity.

I decided to tidy up the room while she was away. As I was finishing placing the ruby red dress up onto a hanger and away on the stand, I heard footsteps coming towards me about to enter the room. I surely couldn't escape now, so I decided to hide. This wasn't the way I wanted to meet her after so long without her.

Ignoring the guilt in my heart, I saw a soft hand open the door, and my heart started to flutter. Butterflies started to dance around in my stomach. Oh, she looked around and her emerald eyes shimmered brighter than before. Her soft voice murmuring to herself enchanted me, and I wanted so desperately to hug her again. She was so perfect.

Then I heard another voice, and another hand opened the door wider making their way in. The door closed, and I saw the man that she had been acting with hold her gentle and sweet hand. Suddenly, it wasn't so easy to breathe anymore. Many times before my breath would be stolen away, but instead it was a deadly and painful type of breath that I tried so desperately to hang onto.

"My love, are you ready for the ball tonight?" He whispered into her ear, pushing her long hair back.

I watched to see what she would do. What my love would do.

"Yes, my love. Very much so. It was such a blessing meeting you," she whispered while laughing her beautiful laugh into his ear. She then looked around the room and saw the pastry and flowers.

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" She squealed, jumping into his arms. "How did you know that I absolutely adored these pastries! Oh, and these flowers. I love these. They are absolutely magnificent. Oh, you truly have been listening to me."

She then whispered a very faint, "I love you."

I watched that man look extremely confused and startled, but soon he smirked and hugged her back. After a while, they left the room.

Silently, I trembled out of the room trying to keep the tears from falling. This pain. It was like no other, for I had never lost someone I loved so desperately. I had yearned for her and only her since I was born, and I even demolished my heart in the process. Soon enough, a tear fell from my eyes. "Okay, only one tear. Only one tear."

I told myself I should leave to go home. I should go back and pack all of my stuff and leave this jewel of a town. Something held me back, though. I don't know what it was, but it was strong enough for me to not let go of her just yet. I wanted to see her one last time. I wanted to hold her one last time before I retreated to the place we called home. I wanted to leave that place afterwards. I didn't want to stay at home. I wanted to go somewhere far, far away. I didn't want to bother her, my love. It would sting too much. It would hurt too much.

After a couple of hours of trying to rest, of trying to enjoy my visit, the sun finally set. I put on my best suit and tried to present myself the very best way that I could. It hurt, but the ball was starting. I wanted to see her one last time.

It was a beautiful dark night. Those kinds of nights that you would want to explore. The nights that would implore you to come up to them and treasure them. The nights that would be so lonely themselves, for all the stars would leave the night behind. I wanted to comfort it and caress the night sky, for they had lost the ones that they loved and treasured so dearly themselves as well.

I walked up onto the grand stairs and let the guards open the door for me. After a couple of minutes of drinking a crimson red liquid, someone came up onto the mic and started speaking. I ignored him until he called her name.

I jolted out of my seat and saw her and another man holding each other come onto the stage with glistening smiles that implied that they have many tales together. Floating to the front, I saw everyone laugh and smile as if they were truly meant to be the ones. They were the main characters in the story, and many people dreamed of their characters finding love like such, but it broke me to see people love them together in real life.

That wasn't even the worst part. It was seeing her laugh and be so happy with a man that wasn't me. Where did I go wrong; I am not good enough? I could love her a million times more than anyone else could willingly.

She got the mic and she started thanking everyone in her heart, but she didn't recall my name. She soon said the word "firework show," and I remembered the time she told me when we were eleven, "I don't think I'll ever like fireworks, you know. No matter how important something is, I'm not going to stay if they have fireworks. I hate them." She then looked at me that day, smiling softly, "I think I hate them more than I hate you."

Fireworks started blasting into the middle of the room whose ceiling soon opened and transcended. I watched her try to paste a smile onto her beautiful and radiant skin as she tried to hold onto the man. The man shooed her away and started chanting and yelling loudly. She looked even more worried then, and that's when she started looking at the crowd.

Those emerald eyes locked with mine. She ceased and continued to stare at me, for a second, looking petrified when suddenly a profound scream erupted. One word, but it sprouted pure pandemonium: fire.

Everyone scurried past me and I struggled to keep my balance as people pushed me out the door. Suddenly an pudgy old man shouted something inaudible while collapsing onto me.

"What did you say?"

"The actress is still inside, lad!"

And that is when I felt the biggest jolt I have ever felt. I rushed to go inside when I felt a tug. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to save her!"

"No, you don't! Save yourself, young man. You have a long life ahead of you!"

That's when I thought for a second. I replied back solemnly while he still gripped my arm tighter than ever, "She is my life."

Suddenly, ruby red was all I could see around myself. There was absolutely nothing but burning heat. Puffs of smoke filled my lungs as I tried to scream her name. I couldn't hear anything and scavenged all over the building. Everything was on fire. I could save myself. I could leave and let this place burn. I dropped to the ground coughing violently, and I couldn't see.

I laid there visioning my life. Is this how it was going to end? Ruby red around me? All of a sudden, images and memories of her filled my mind. Took control of it and threatened to kill me if I did let go.

We were six-years-old, her and me. She had fallen on the ground and had a ruby red gash on her knee. She was sobbing quietly when I had found her. We had been playing hide and seek, and I didn't care so much about winning anymore. I helped her up and helped her to her mom's house. She had a bandaid, and we had been given juice. Sitting on her coach, she whispered, "Thanks for rescuing me. You're a true hero."

"Of course. I would save you all the time if I could."

Her emerald eyes enlarged. "Really? But, I feel so bad. You always save me, and I never save you."

"You save me all the time. You're my best friend."

"Always and forever! Will you always be there to save me?"

"Always and forever."

I woke up. I heard her scream. Suddenly the pain I was feeling didn't feel so capable anymore. I ran around the burning building yelling her name. I then heard another scream. Soon, I found her. She was on the ground with her hair around her. She was gasping and tears were falling from her eyes. Then I saw him. He looked at her, and as she turned to look at him, he ran away. She started sobbing even more.

That's when I moved forward quickly trying to take the materials and props off her. She had her head down coughing violently. I carried her carefully while smoke entered my lungs and eyes more than ever now. I was almost there to the entrance and to those magnificent marble steps when I felt something.

I looked down and her emerald eyes were staring at me. I felt a surge of emotion rush through my body. She grabbed me and started crying tremendously. Through her gasps of breath I heard, "I'm sorry." She cried even louder, and I started feeling drops and drops of tears run down my face.

"I will always love you. I will always love you the most," I sobbed, running my hands through her hair.

Suddenly I heard a crack. I looked up and saw the building on fire rush down towards us. I quickly pushed her out the door and onto the marble steps where she fell down to safety.

What I felt was excruciating. The last thing I heard was her scream. A terrible scream. I wanted to comfort her, to say that I was fine and I wasn't going to leave her, but I couldn't. She sobbed mercilessly as my body felt terrible urges of war and heat. But, the only thing I could do was smile.

Her sweet voice echoed loudly, and I was blessed to hear her voice, whether it be a sweet "I love you" or a threatening holler warning me of death.

I perished, but I hope any love for her never did.