Walk

• Lyssa Stevens, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2015

His hair whisked in the harsh winds of that evening. The rain hit him like bullets trying to stop him in his path, but he was constantly wondering why he could feel. He could feel the rain that left marks upon his cheeks and the wind that felt it was tugging at his hair. He could feel the goose bumps that rose from his skin.
He tried to think about what was happening, but he didn’t have the energy to muster up anything. His arm felt numb as it lay limp against his side while his feet were throbbing from the walk he had just endured.
Someone past him, rushing through his shoulder, but he didn’t make any movements. He looked back at the woman that had just ran past him in an attempt to find shelter.
His mind started racing with the thought of his worst nightmare becoming a dainty daydream that he couldn’t wake up from. His body shook but his body couldn’t create the tears that he so desperately wanted to soil the earth.
His body crumbled underneath the invisible weight that sat upon his shoulders as he just screamed and shook. He wished that he could cry at least once more, to release the stress and sadness that had welled up.
His eyes stopped blinking as he just stare at the people passing by, walking through and over his body. He didn’t feel it anymore like he once did. He felt like he was stuck in the same spot and wasn’t allowed to move, not that he could if he tried.
He felt like that hope was just a word, a word full of un-kept promises and lies that keep you hanging on by a strand. Yet, that was the feeling he felt when someone sat next to him and place their gentle hand on his knee.
He quickly looked up and saw a small child that didn’t look a day over six. He looked around, checking to see if someone else saw her, but they seemed to walk over her as well. His heart broke to think that this small child was in the same position as him.
He cautiously held her like she was porcelain as he rocked her soothingly. His breathing was shaking as he thought about what happened to this girl’s family and how she had gotten to this position.
The rain feel on them both as his heart broke for this small, delicate thing that he held so carefully with his own arms. He looked at her rosy face and the small slip of a smile that held her face up. Seeing her adorable smile, a smile of his own appeared. In a world where they were together stuck, she could still see the beauty in the world around her.
He gently caressed her cheek, pacing a genuine kiss upon her head and held her, not wanting to let go as he whispered a gentle and soft “I’ll save you.”