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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Love stories / Romance
- Subject: Memory / Reminiscence
- Published: 04/20/2014
The Pendulum of Love and Sadness
Born 1989, M, from Baden, CanadaThe cold air was brisk as the fall settled in. Robert’s breath shimmered in the air while he relaxed under the maple in his backyard. This particular High School student was away from school. The monotony of it all bored him to tears and forced him to leave from time to time.
Robert rested under the maple tree and wondered what he should do on this great day. He lifted up his head as if he already knew the decision. An excited expression filled his face.
“To the river,” the answer so obvious now that the words escaped his mouth. He jumped up to his feet and opened the gate to the front of his house. The river was not far. The river might seem like an odd place to go, but for him it was a special place, a place to mourn. His girlfriend Alexis died there and he wanted to take time to remember her.
They were a couple at the beginning of High School. In Grade 9 he met the person that complimented him perfectly. Alexis was rash and sometimes abrasive while Robert was shy and quiet, but like they say, opposites attract. She was the one who stirred his passion for life more than anyone; however their happiness was cut short.
A suspect for a murder in town was chased by police into the same area where Alexis and Robert laid together by the water. They first heard some shots in the distance and wrote it off as a car backfire. Unfortunately the murderer found them and shot Robert in the shoulder. While he writhed in pain the murderer grabbed Alexis and pointed a pistol to her head. One of the cops believed he had good shot. He fired his gun and Alexis was hit multiple times in the chest. The murderer ran into the forest and the police chased after him.
Robert dialed 9-1-1 and frantically tried to describe what happened. Once off the phone it was only a few more moments until Alexis took her last breath and whispered her love for Robert. Robert replied in kind and his tears dropped to her cheeks. He clutched her in his arms and then she was gone.
Robert’s eyes welled up as he reminisced about the tragedy. He felt that if he didn’t get emotional her memory would be tarnished. Then to his surprise there she was a short distance away in the forest. As if nothing had happened, there she was, Robert was taken aback. He rubbed his eyes, but she wouldn't leave. Robert questioned his sanity. He pushed himself up with his arms and started to run to where Alexis was. She quickly backed up and ran into a cave. Why would she run? Robert thought. Tears trickled down his face. He ran until he was in front of a cave. He heard Alexis scream, “Robert Help Me!”
He ran into the cave and searched desperately for her until he found her in front of a giant hole in the ground.
“Alexis what are you doing? Ho…..How are you still alive? I clutched your lifeless body in my arms.” Robert questioned hoping to get some grasp on reality.
“Robert Help Me!” She screamed again as she let herself fall into the hole. Robert dashed and tried to grasp her arm but he was too late. The rocks underneath him gave way and Robert started to fall.
Down the hole Robert fell, darkness enveloped every inch of his body. His heart raced uncontrollably. Pictures of his life flowed through his mind. His first dog, Ralph, a tiny brown Shih Tzu, his sisters Amy and Becca played happily in their pool, and finally Alexis. Once the image of Alexis left his mind he hit the bottom and blacked out.
He opened his eyes, he was simply astonished that he could do such a trivial thing, he fell for what seemed like hours. How did he survive? He looked down and realized that he was being cushioned by a giant green leaf.
“Well that’s convenient” he said aloud.
He drop-leaped off the leaf and looked up to see where he had fallen from. He couldn’t even see a spec of light from the surface, the hole he came through was just complete darkness. Just how far did I fall? He thought to himself.
“Alexis!” He called out, hoping to find his beloved again.
“Alexis!” he called again and again as he walked deeper into the hollow cave.
He finally came to the entrance of a giant cavern that was littered with small houses. Perhaps she’s over there. He quickly made it over to the houses, but he only found emptiness. No one was in the homes, no one was on the streets. No one was anywhere no matter where he looked. He came up to the square in the far end of town. A statue was rested in the middle. There was a message inscribed along the statue.
“Here lies the last of us, a memorial to commemorate our lives inside the Earth. When the wars of men became cold and the mushrooms of death penetrated our very lives we decided to flee to the depths below; however we were trapped and our lives discarded.”
A shudder went down Robert’s spine as he felt someone’s hand on his shoulder.
“Alexis is that you”? He then looked back and saw her.
Robert trembled with happiness, “Alexis... but how?” He asked her knowing the answer couldn’t be anything short of extraordinary.
“Robert, my love, I wanted to show you my last secret, the last piece of my heart that I couldn’t reveal to you. I loved you so much but I always believed you would think I was crazy for saying I was born underground.” A truer statement could not have been said, of course he would have thought she was crazy, but he loved her.
“Alexis, you were my heart, there was nothing you could have said to make me love you less.” Alexis smiled brightly.
“How do we get out of here, Alexis?”
Her smile gave way and she said quietly. “I can show you the way follow me.” She gripped his hand and brought him to a very small hole in the wall.
“We’ll have to crawl from here on.”
He followed her and felt a breeze as they continued to crawl through the tunnel. It opened up into a similar hole as before, the only difference was the incredible wind shaking the giant leaves that saved him before.
“Get on the leaf and it will take you away.” Alexis said with a scratch in her throat.
“Why can’t you come too, I need you with me. How can I continue to go on without you?” His heart was in a vice as if being crushed. Why was she leaving him for the second time, why couldn’t she come with him?
“I can’t, I want to be with you. I will always be with you in spirit but I no longer exist on the surface, I belong here with my people.”
“Your people? No one else is here.” There was no sound but the whisper of the wind down here, what was she talking about?
“The dead do not rest down here, the people continue to live their lives as if they never ended, redemption is here and each one of us must wait until we are allowed to leave this place. So Robert please leave this place”.
He was on the leaf deeply conflicted about whether or not to leave. Robert grasped her hand. “Can I stay here with you? I can’t live without you”.
“I’m sorry, you can’t, you will never survive down here, this place will twist and distort your heart. Goodbye Robert, and live your life to the fullest, I did and so should you”. She removed his hand from hers and all that was left of their bond together were a few teardrops. The leaf then suddenly ripped and he found himself flying quickly up the tunnel.
“ALEXIS!” He screamed.
He arrived at the top of the hole he fell from earlier and the leaf dissolved into the air making him tumble to the ground. He went back to his home and wept uncontrollably. But as time passed he realized that the love they shared should be celebrated, not mourned.
“I’ll always remember you, Alexis” he said while gripping a photo of her to his chest. "I’ll always remember you.”
The Pendulum of Love and Sadness(Jason)
The cold air was brisk as the fall settled in. Robert’s breath shimmered in the air while he relaxed under the maple in his backyard. This particular High School student was away from school. The monotony of it all bored him to tears and forced him to leave from time to time.
Robert rested under the maple tree and wondered what he should do on this great day. He lifted up his head as if he already knew the decision. An excited expression filled his face.
“To the river,” the answer so obvious now that the words escaped his mouth. He jumped up to his feet and opened the gate to the front of his house. The river was not far. The river might seem like an odd place to go, but for him it was a special place, a place to mourn. His girlfriend Alexis died there and he wanted to take time to remember her.
They were a couple at the beginning of High School. In Grade 9 he met the person that complimented him perfectly. Alexis was rash and sometimes abrasive while Robert was shy and quiet, but like they say, opposites attract. She was the one who stirred his passion for life more than anyone; however their happiness was cut short.
A suspect for a murder in town was chased by police into the same area where Alexis and Robert laid together by the water. They first heard some shots in the distance and wrote it off as a car backfire. Unfortunately the murderer found them and shot Robert in the shoulder. While he writhed in pain the murderer grabbed Alexis and pointed a pistol to her head. One of the cops believed he had good shot. He fired his gun and Alexis was hit multiple times in the chest. The murderer ran into the forest and the police chased after him.
Robert dialed 9-1-1 and frantically tried to describe what happened. Once off the phone it was only a few more moments until Alexis took her last breath and whispered her love for Robert. Robert replied in kind and his tears dropped to her cheeks. He clutched her in his arms and then she was gone.
Robert’s eyes welled up as he reminisced about the tragedy. He felt that if he didn’t get emotional her memory would be tarnished. Then to his surprise there she was a short distance away in the forest. As if nothing had happened, there she was, Robert was taken aback. He rubbed his eyes, but she wouldn't leave. Robert questioned his sanity. He pushed himself up with his arms and started to run to where Alexis was. She quickly backed up and ran into a cave. Why would she run? Robert thought. Tears trickled down his face. He ran until he was in front of a cave. He heard Alexis scream, “Robert Help Me!”
He ran into the cave and searched desperately for her until he found her in front of a giant hole in the ground.
“Alexis what are you doing? Ho…..How are you still alive? I clutched your lifeless body in my arms.” Robert questioned hoping to get some grasp on reality.
“Robert Help Me!” She screamed again as she let herself fall into the hole. Robert dashed and tried to grasp her arm but he was too late. The rocks underneath him gave way and Robert started to fall.
Down the hole Robert fell, darkness enveloped every inch of his body. His heart raced uncontrollably. Pictures of his life flowed through his mind. His first dog, Ralph, a tiny brown Shih Tzu, his sisters Amy and Becca played happily in their pool, and finally Alexis. Once the image of Alexis left his mind he hit the bottom and blacked out.
He opened his eyes, he was simply astonished that he could do such a trivial thing, he fell for what seemed like hours. How did he survive? He looked down and realized that he was being cushioned by a giant green leaf.
“Well that’s convenient” he said aloud.
He drop-leaped off the leaf and looked up to see where he had fallen from. He couldn’t even see a spec of light from the surface, the hole he came through was just complete darkness. Just how far did I fall? He thought to himself.
“Alexis!” He called out, hoping to find his beloved again.
“Alexis!” he called again and again as he walked deeper into the hollow cave.
He finally came to the entrance of a giant cavern that was littered with small houses. Perhaps she’s over there. He quickly made it over to the houses, but he only found emptiness. No one was in the homes, no one was on the streets. No one was anywhere no matter where he looked. He came up to the square in the far end of town. A statue was rested in the middle. There was a message inscribed along the statue.
“Here lies the last of us, a memorial to commemorate our lives inside the Earth. When the wars of men became cold and the mushrooms of death penetrated our very lives we decided to flee to the depths below; however we were trapped and our lives discarded.”
A shudder went down Robert’s spine as he felt someone’s hand on his shoulder.
“Alexis is that you”? He then looked back and saw her.
Robert trembled with happiness, “Alexis... but how?” He asked her knowing the answer couldn’t be anything short of extraordinary.
“Robert, my love, I wanted to show you my last secret, the last piece of my heart that I couldn’t reveal to you. I loved you so much but I always believed you would think I was crazy for saying I was born underground.” A truer statement could not have been said, of course he would have thought she was crazy, but he loved her.
“Alexis, you were my heart, there was nothing you could have said to make me love you less.” Alexis smiled brightly.
“How do we get out of here, Alexis?”
Her smile gave way and she said quietly. “I can show you the way follow me.” She gripped his hand and brought him to a very small hole in the wall.
“We’ll have to crawl from here on.”
He followed her and felt a breeze as they continued to crawl through the tunnel. It opened up into a similar hole as before, the only difference was the incredible wind shaking the giant leaves that saved him before.
“Get on the leaf and it will take you away.” Alexis said with a scratch in her throat.
“Why can’t you come too, I need you with me. How can I continue to go on without you?” His heart was in a vice as if being crushed. Why was she leaving him for the second time, why couldn’t she come with him?
“I can’t, I want to be with you. I will always be with you in spirit but I no longer exist on the surface, I belong here with my people.”
“Your people? No one else is here.” There was no sound but the whisper of the wind down here, what was she talking about?
“The dead do not rest down here, the people continue to live their lives as if they never ended, redemption is here and each one of us must wait until we are allowed to leave this place. So Robert please leave this place”.
He was on the leaf deeply conflicted about whether or not to leave. Robert grasped her hand. “Can I stay here with you? I can’t live without you”.
“I’m sorry, you can’t, you will never survive down here, this place will twist and distort your heart. Goodbye Robert, and live your life to the fullest, I did and so should you”. She removed his hand from hers and all that was left of their bond together were a few teardrops. The leaf then suddenly ripped and he found himself flying quickly up the tunnel.
“ALEXIS!” He screamed.
He arrived at the top of the hole he fell from earlier and the leaf dissolved into the air making him tumble to the ground. He went back to his home and wept uncontrollably. But as time passed he realized that the love they shared should be celebrated, not mourned.
“I’ll always remember you, Alexis” he said while gripping a photo of her to his chest. "I’ll always remember you.”
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