Say No More

• Chloe Brownlee, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2014

The soft howling of the wind echoed through the empty halls. A once effervescent woman was perched upon a stained, blue chair, her face depicting one of disbelief. Her mouth was slightly parted as she breathed shallow and uneven breaths, the rest of the world as oblivious to her as she was to them. They didn’t matter, nothing did.

Her shivering could not be explained by the cold, instead, it was brought on by a twisted turn of events. She sat there unmoving, questioning why bad things happen to good people.

She could not determine the amount of time that she had sat, wrapped up in her own thoughts but she did notice that at some stage, a thickly woven blanket had been gently placed on her shoulders.

Brushing a wayward lock of auburn hair from her pale face, she felt a wetness on her cheeks. She hadn’t noticed that she was crying.

Slowly regaining her surroundings, she quickly noticed the stares of pity from those around her and immediately wished that she was back in the safety of her own thoughts. A nearby bystander, filled with empathy, had considerately brought her a cup of tea to drink whilst she waited. As he approached she did not move. He waited for her to acknowledge him, however, it was as if her body remained sitting in the chair, but her soul had already moved on.

He seated himself next to her, in hopes of offering comfort by relieving her of her solitude. As he picked the skin around his damaged fingernails, he was crippled by her pain. He felt despair and anguish roll off of her in waves and felt powerless to help. He, however, remained by her side, a stranger that refused to over look those in need. Although he wasn’t sure that his presence was helping, he took comfort in the knowledge that he was trying.

She was subconsciously aware of the constant beeping that had at some stage, filled the air. The beeping felt symbolic of the other constant that she was currently feeling; her pain. Anxiety flooded her system as she realised that she may receive the debilitating news, that she was alone, at any moment.

Doors opened and the outline of a figure became clearer and clearer as it neared. As if on cue, the pitter patter of rain sounded outside. Her heart sank with the noise, as if it was a sign that the news she was about to receive was her worst fear.

The kind man, that sat beside her, looked on at the scene and took note of the man’s expression. His heart sank immediately.

The man then uttered the few words that were to change the woman’s life forever.

“I’m sorry. We did everything that we could.”