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Christian Fiction Sad

Amanda startled awake. She panicked before realizing that she was safe in her bedroom. Someone had tapped her shoulder, or so she thought. Her eyes darted around the room. Even though it was dark, she saw neither shadows nor any evidence that someone was there. She listened for any noises, but all was quiet. When her body calmed down and she came to her senses, she figured she must have been dreaming. Her phone was on the night stand next to her, and she reached for it. As she did, she felt something on top of it. Despite it being four in the morning, her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Amanda turned on the light. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted, and that’s when she saw it. It was nothing more than a white piece of paper. It was a normal sheet of printer paper that had been tri-folded. There was no envelope or any words on the outside. That’s odd, she thought. She didn’t remember putting it there, but maybe she had slept walked or something. She opened the paper and saw that it was a letter addressed to her. The words were neatly written in what seemed to be a gold gel pen. She laughed to herself because she remembered the crazy gel pen era. She began reading letter and couldn’t believe what she saw.   


Dear Amanda Banana,


May I still call you that, or have I lost that privilege? It almost doesn’t feel right anymore, but if I don’t utter your name one more time, I fear I’ll lose you entirely. I want you to know, no, I need you to know that I’m sorry. They may be just hollow words, meaningless; they’ll break when you read them. I am at a loss; however, how else does one apologize? I could fill this page with one thousand words, and it wouldn’t fix the pain I’ve caused. No amount of balm will heal you entirely except time, I suppose, although you’ve probably heard that from too many well-intentioned people.

 You tried to be stoic, but I know you better than that. The way your pink bottom lip protruded into a pout was ever so slight, unnoticeable to the untrained eye. The sparkle in your deep brown eyes vanished, and hints of tears gleamed in the corners. You waited until you were alone to breakdown. Then, the walls took a beating. You pounded and pounded until you were nothing but a heap on the floor. If I had been there, you would have never fallen. You’re angry with me. I don’t blame you. I would be angry too. You see, there’s a chasm between us now. It’s one of my own making. It wasn’t right, but alas, here we are. You are on one side, and I am on the other. It’s a Grand Canyon void. I wanted to take you there. You’ll have to go without me. Take lots of pictures. It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful. I’m sorry that your black dress dulled your vibrancy. It swallowed your petit frame, yet you’re strong. You’ll go on. I want you to live the rest of your life in color again. 

You must know that I tried to fight for you, for us. I pray you don’t think I gave up. My boxing gloves were on, but my hands were useless. My helmet was on my head, but I wasn’t hurt there. My armor was insufficient for what ailed my body. I was defenseless. I’m not making excuses, but I fought hard. I won some battles, but the war was far greater than I could have imagined. My body was ravaged from the inside; it betrayed me. In the end, I was a shell of the man I used to be.

If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it as long as I did. You were my rock, and I am indebted to you. I never saw you complain, and you always had on a brave face. You were a comfort in my darkness. Remember when we went to the fair? I had never seen someone so good at dart balloons. I spent more on that big teddy bear than I would have at the store, but it was worth it to see you light up. With teddy in tow, you convinced me to ride on the rickety Ferris wheel. I never trusted carnival rides. When we got stopped at the top, you had to hold me tight to keep me from having a panic attack. You had to bear hug me. Get it? You know you loved my humor. The best part was your laugh. The minute I was back on solid ground, I kissed it. Your laughter was contagious and soon we were both on the ground in a fit of giggles. I am flying higher than the Ferris wheel now, but I am unafraid.   

They say that as one dies, the last sense they lose is hearing. I could hear you. It may be the only time that I wasn’t selectively listening, just kidding. In all seriousness, I know you love me. I love you too. Don’t second guess your words or your actions because I am nothing but grateful to you. I’m grateful that I got to hear your angelic voice singing to me once last time reminding be to Be Not Afraid.    

I will see you again, my love. Until then, I’m sorry for leaving you alone in the world. I’m sorry for dying. You do not need to grieve for me anymore. It’s okay to move on. My spirit will always be with you, but it’s okay to find new love. Remember me fondly, but don’t be sad. Words cannot adequately describe what it’s like here because it’s beyond what humans can fathom, beyond what we can sense on Earth. I can promise you this though, I am no longer in pain, and I am at peace.   


P.S. I think you’re really going to love it up here. Just promise me it won’t be too soon. 


                                   With love from above,

                                    Emerson 


Amanda traced the words with her fingers one more time before re-folding the letter. She clutched it to her heart. For the first time since she lost Emerson, a calmness had settled upon her. An odd sensation it was, but she knew it could only be one thing, peace. Armored with renewed strength, Amanda knew she would always miss Emerson, but now she could see past the black dress to a colorful future ahead.

October 21, 2021 04:23

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8 comments

Howard Seeley
04:33 Oct 22, 2021

I enjoyed the description given in the letter. One point of advice: Try not to begin sentences with nouns or pronouns. Example: She panicked before realizing that she was safe in her bedroom. Try: Panic rose within her, before Amanda realized she was safe in her bedroom. Keep up the good work. :)

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Kate Winchester
11:46 Oct 22, 2021

Thanks for the feedback! I will keep that in mind for my future stories. 😊

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Galen Gower
01:09 May 30, 2023

My standard disclaimer is that I'm just another person and offering my opinions as a reader and you may or may not agree with anything I say. It's all subjective, so disregard anything you don't like. I don't offer suggestions to hurt anyone's feelings or anything, but I apologize in advance if you take any exception. I only offer the kind of feedback I wish to receive when someone reads something I have written. I want honest and constructive criticism, so that is what I offer. First, it struck me that you have a story to tell here, which...

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Kate Winchester
01:47 May 30, 2023

I really appreciate the feedback and don’t worry, I don’t take any offense to suggestions or critiques. That’s how we learn. It’s funny because sometimes I think my stories are too dialogue heavy, but I do see how it could enhance the story. I do talk to myself so it wouldn’t be hard to imagine Amanda doing the same. I think you’re right in that I missed an opportunity to add more tension. I think Emerson wanted Amanda to know that he was ok but I didn’t think about the consequences of him reaching out so that would be a great place to exp...

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Amanda Lieser
17:30 Mar 02, 2022

Hi Kate! Of course this was a beautifully crafted piece! I really love the way you chose the letter and added the detail about hrs black dress at the end. It gave me real “PS I Love You” vibes. One thing I might have changed is to break up the letter with what Amanda is doing or how she is reacting to the letter-is her heart pumping? Are her palms sweating? Can she feel her heart breaking? Overall, absolutely beautifully crafted. Ps. I loved that you used the name Amanda. :)

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Kate Winchester
21:48 Mar 02, 2022

Thank you! I agree that adding in her feelings would enhance the story. Hahaha, it’s a great name 😉

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Ally Kate
01:07 Dec 10, 2021

I love this so much! The pace right from the beginning is perfect. I was reading as fast as I could wanting to see what happened next. And even the letter, I was like WHO WROTE THIS I NEED TO KNOW (in a good way). The imagery in the letter is also beautiful and very vivid - especially love the fair and carnival ride images. I had theories of who the letter would be from, but was not expecting that! It was a great surprise and very bittersweet and nostalgic. I could go on. Great story!

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Kate Winchester
01:15 Dec 10, 2021

Thank you!!

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