a short story based on a picture. |
"Seasons" Elliot stormed out of his apartment, slamming the door and stomping down the stairs. The shrill, angry voice of a woman called after him, “Don’t even think about coming back!” Elliot’s feet pounded on the concrete as he barreled his way down the sidewalk, and away from the fight. His heart was racing, as anger coursed through him. It was their first fight. He couldn’t even remember what had started the argument; it wasn’t important anyway. What was important was that he left. He had never walked out before. Elliot made his way down the street, weaving through people on the sidewalk. All he could think about was his anger and pain. He was hurt by Rachel’s harsh words, and he had retaliated with his own hurting words. He replayed their argument over and over in his mind, focusing on the stinging words that were thrown back and forth. His face burned with his rising anger, as he focused on his pain. In his blinding anger, Elliot didn’t even notice that he had entered the park. His pace slowed a bit, as he realized where he was. His gaze turned to the beautiful scenery, as colorful leaves crunched under his heavy boots. His mind was calmed just enough for him to take in his surroundings. He turned onto a familiar path, and breathed a saddened sigh. Before him, Elliot saw a bench surrounded by the beautiful fallen leaves. He paused, as his breath was caught in his chest. Suddenly, he felt a great sense of remorse. This was where he had met Rachel. He had been walking his basset hound, Rusty, in this park that chilly October day. The normally docile and calm dog had become quite excited when it saw Rachel. Rusty pattered over to her, his big ears flopping against his head, and what was unmistakably a smile on his face. Elliot followed Rusty to the girl, and stopped in his tracks when he took his gaze away from Rusty to see what had excited the dog so much. He saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. Her beautiful brown eyes were what entranced Elliot the most. He stammered an apology to her, and introduced himself. She laughed and told him her name was Rachel. They sat down on a bench and talked, knowing they were in love. Elliot stood staring at this bench, his heart filled such emotion. He suddenly felt as though he had traveled back in time, to that first moment when he saw Rachel. Autumn had always been associated with change for him. The end of one thing, and the beginning of another. When he met Rachel, he had been in a very painful time in his life. He had lost someone very close to him. Rusty was a sort of therapy for him, helping him heal his emotional wounds. When he looked into Rachel’s eyes, he knew his healing had truly begun, and a new season of his life was about to begin. He was filled with a sense of hope and new beginnings. He felt all of those emotions rush into his soul, and he was just about to turn back, to go back to his apartment, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Elliot turned and stared into Rachel’s beautiful, entrancing eyes. Elliot and Rachel opened their mouths, and uttered the exact same phrase: “I’m sorry.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Word Count: 566 Written for:
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