When its over

I ran along the stony road shouting to my best mate Danny to pass me the football. For hours we had been playing, time was flying by, and it was almost as if the entire world stood still to watch us. Danny once again winding me up about my disastrous day, I had for the second time fallen asleep in science. Then out of the blue I heard a scraping noise, I glanced up to see what it was, I presumed that it would just be my fat ginger cat sharpening her claws on the slate roof as she so frequently spent Saturday afternoon doing. I saw a blurry blue object fall. I felt a sharp pain, then nothing; there was nothing anywhere, no light. No sound, just a black abyss that encased my heart in stone.

As my eyes slowly began to open I again felt the sharp pain that controlled my body before. It was dark; I could see only the blur of the orange street lights. My eyes began to slide back into focus. I called out in need,

“Danny! Danny help!”

I waited for a reply, but I didn’t receive one, my heart sank into my stomach. I’d never felt so alone as I felt now, it really scared me. I feebly attempted to assume an upright position but as I expected I failed miserably. Something was different, it felt different, it even smelt different. The soft smell of Jasmine seeped into my nostrils, luring me into its sweet trap. I obeyed, obediently putting on foot in front of the other. I wandered unknowingly into the old oak forest, the fragile twigs gave way under my huge feet and the leaves slid past my bruised cheeks. Droplets of rain bounced of my nose and smacked against the muddy floor. A sheet of fog began to descend over the forest like soot into a fire place. The temperature rapidly began to drop, roughly taking my body to the ground with it. My mind slipped it into the same cold darkness that I had the misfortune of feeling before.

I woke with a burning pain in my left ankle and with one hell of a headache. For the second time in what I guess was a day I had to try and work out the same old questions; what happened? Where was I? The fog was covering me like a blanket, only it was making me cold as opposed to keeping me warm. I had somehow moved, I was no longer where I fell. I sat up and looked around. The forest was denser now, with vines creeping into every available space. Then I saw it, the metal chain that was holding me hostage. I followed the chain as it led towards my body; a huge loop was carelessly clasped around my ankle. I was trapped. Thoughtlessly I pulled my leg towards me, spraining my ankle as I did so.

A couple of hours had passed since my last attempt at freedom. I had now taken to just looking around for anything that may be able to free me. Whilst I had been held prisoner, the same question had been whizzing round my head, demanding an answer. Who or what had done this to me? My ankle was still throbbing and had begun to swell. The air froze in seconds, the animals stopped dead, a dry mist came out from behind the trees and one white foot dressed in tatty purple ribbon appeared, soon followed by the other foot and the strikingly thin body. Long black hair flowed to her waist and a torn black dress hung round her neck. Her eyes were like black holes and evil streamed round her creating an invisible shield. Her icy voice pierced my heart as she spoke,

“Do you know where you are?!” she hissed.

I remained silent and very still hoping it was only my imagination playing tricks on me.

“You are in my world!” she continued, “the rift, the place between life and death. While you’re here you play by my rules. You are still who you are only now you are nothing but a soul, your body is in a white hospital trapped in a coma... however whatever injuries you obtain here your body suffers. If you die here you die there. You have to escape to be free, but to be free you must get past me!”

In a flash of purple light she was gone.

Time had moved on since my encounter, my hands were still shaking and my body was still stone cold. I knew I would have to somehow escape for I couldn’t remain here forever. The gaps in my mind were beginning to fill, the siren, my head and why I was alone. I looked across the floor and a white sparkle on a rock caught my eye. Then it hit me, I could smash the chain that was holding in place. So I leaned forwards and started to take hold of it and pulled it towards me. I held it in my hand, feeling its strength, pulling the chain tight I hit it as hard as I could manage with the rock I had just picked up. Shakily I pulled my hand away again to see what had happened, half of the chain had snapped but the rest remained in place. So I thought to myself one more blow should do it. This was my chance of freedom! Willing with all my heart that the chain would break fully I struck the chain again. This time bits of rock flew everywhere, I was free! Joy overcame me it was a huge triumph. Now I only had to find the way out. I attempted to stand. My ankle was screaming out in pain. I could barely walk; barely able to walk I had to limp round like a lame dog. My mind was telling me that I had done more than just sprain it.

I wandered into another section of the forest. It looked different. There were odd white flowers wrapped around a fig tree, it didn’t seem anywhere near as bad as the part I had just come out of. The air froze again, only this time I ran, ran faster than I had ever ran before, bad ankle or not. Brambles sliced my legs as I ran past. The mist was chasing me and so was the feeling of death. The green of the leaves, the black of the night and the light of the moon began to swirl into one huge mass of colour. My legs were numb from fear. I turned around to look where the woman was, I couldn’t see her but I felt her presence. Sharply I turned my head round so that I was looking where I was running. A tough bramble caught my already painful ankle and landed me on my hands and knees in front of the very woman I had desperately been trying to run from. She remained silent, her purple lips remained unmoved and her white face expressionless. She bent her knees and went into a crouching position. Her cheek was so close to mine that I could feel ice pressing up against my face. Her lips began to move and she said,

“You may have escaped the tree however you shall never escape from me! There is but one way out and you are going the wrong way about getting to it. I will be watching you wherever you go. “

With that she was gone, the mist melted away into the sky it was almost as if it was never there, the flowers sprang back to life and were once again in full bloom. Again she had left me with nothing but really confusing information. I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to do or why she wanted me to do it, maybe she thought taking me away from everything I know and loved was all one big game.

After walking around a bit more I could still feel her eyes following me where I went even though I could no longer see her or feel the cold of her body. Walking around was the only thing that was making me feel even slightly relaxed. I knew I should have probably sat down and thought about what she had said a little more so that I could hopefully be able to work the way out of here. She had said that I must escape, escape?! How could you escape from a world?! It was ridiculous, all I could do was pray that soon I would wake up, realise that it had been nothing more than a childish nightmare, however soon – to my despair- I realised that for me this would not be the case. What I was experiencing was too real for it to be a dream alone. I continued to walk around; I found a lot of things that I would normally find somewhat interesting but today I could not had cared less. It was almost as if I couldn’t bear to look at them with the same fascination as I once used to. As I expected I found nothing that would be of assistance in my last chance of freedom.

I fell to the ground in despair and felt so close to crying, no one was there, all of my life I had had someone by my side, waiting to catch me as I fell. No one was here this time so I just hit the floor. All the time I had been here I had been willing someone to walk up to me and help me up off the floor and out of this mess. Is that not what parents are for?! I looked up to the sky, searching for something, what? I don’t know just something. A shooting star shot across the sky, leaving behind it a wonderful feeling. It was magic. I closed my eyes and wished, wished so hard that for a second I thought it had become real. Waking up in the morning, smelling the burnt toast that my brother tried to cook for me, walking down the crème carpet to get into the kitchen, sitting there eating it enjoying it all because he made it. Just for me. Mum’s soft voice soothing all my uneasy thoughts, Danny fighting away my fears. Even the smell of my sisters’ deodorant was important now. I opened my eyes and it was all gone, just like when I woke up in this place. Grief and sorrow took hold of me, tightening its grip as each memory span through my head one after the other.

I had been sat in the same place for ages, just thinking. My life before was great I loved most of it. The only bad thing I can remember was going to school, knowing that they would be there waiting for me. Just to kick me and hurt me. Their faces swam in front of me as hate filled their eyes. I never understood why they did what they did to me. I just avoided them, I’d go home and just sit crying about it, people have never realised what damage things like that can do. Teachers just say it’s over now, move on. Move on where? There is no where left to go, it will always be there no matter what happened. It’s in my past, its part of me. I remembered how many times I had been tempted to just give it all up. I didn’t though and that’s what matters, I’m still here still fighting!

The sun began to rise above the harshness of this cold forest, warming it with its glow. I looked at my ankle, which to my delight was no longer hurting. I could even stand on it with no pain what so ever. I wondered what was happening. I caught sight of a path which was leading deeper into the forest; my head told me not to go but my heart made me. I was enchanted by its sudden appearance but it was more than welcome. I followed the path, followed each turn as though I would die if I stepped off. The path changed colour as I went along. From white to a deep green. I looked straight on, and in the distance I could just about make out the shape of a necklace that was dangling in the tree, swinging from side to side as the tree swayed in the breeze. I ran up to it. The silver chain, the heart pendent and on the back was engraved “Mum we’re always with you xx” I remembered giving this to mum. The memory of giving this to my mum flooded my head and dragged me under its spell.

Mum was sat in the living room; her eyes were red as they always were back then, after dad walked out on us. Dad left her for another woman, he came home one night and failed to do so the next. Mum explained to us (between sobs) that he had rung her. He didn’t even have the decency to come and talk to her about it face to face. He always was a coward and always will be. Me, my brother and sister saved up for ages to buy this for mum. We went into a jewellers one day and got it for her. The message on the back was from us all, reminding her that no matter what we will always love her. That night we went into the living room where she sat and handed it to her. It was in a black box tied with a pink ribbon. She looked up at us all and took it, pulled the ribbon delicately and as she opened the box her face lit up as it had never done before. She drew us all close and we all sat watching films and having a laugh. She wore that necklace every day since.

Right now all I wanted was to be back there. One last hug. I knew I would never get it. It was never coming back, things started to become clearer now. I knew what I was working towards. I wanted to turn and run back. I didn’t want to leave not now not ever! I couldn’t turn back anymore as it was too late. What was done was done, it’s over. I stood there just holding pendant close to my heart. I felt its warmth. It gave me the courage to carry on. The path was becoming brighter now the sun was rising further into the sky, things were changing, only for the better. I had to let go now, follow the path and from there on in I’m gone.

I continued along the path searching for other things like it. I’d been wandering for a while now. Maybe I wasn’t ready yet, but I kept going. On the floor in front of me I found my brothers football. It was his favourite, signed by all the Liverpool football players. I held it in my hands. Pretending he was here with me. I began to regret not spending enough time with him, I should have been there for him more, should have been there for him when things went wrong. He knows I love him and he loves me. I wish we had been closer. I wish we had gone outside and played games, gone on trips to the beach and built sand castles together. I’d missed my chance but I always knew he was there and I will forever be there no matter where I was. I was missing him already, but I know that some day he will be here with me again.

I wasn’t ready to go on, not yet anyway. I sat down under an old oak tree remembering the happy times, remembering why I loved them all. It was hard. I finally began to understand where I was and why I was here. I know who the woman was. She was trying to help me. She was my guide not my enemy. Things are happening because how I feel changes I become closer to achieving my goal.

I stood up once more, taking to the path like a swan takes to a lake. I knew I was almost there, it was almost time. There was something hanging off a branch in the trees. I didn’t have to look at it to know what it was. It was my sisters dream catcher. It was showing me that I will always be there in her dreams. I was a part of her life. This was the last thing. I touch it its over, the end has come, I pass and go to where I really belong. I raised my hand, stretching out my fingers, lightly touching the shell in the middle. The dream catcher lit up in a white light and out of it stepped the woman I saw when I came here. This time she was different. Her hair was blue and her dress was shiny white. Her voice was soft and she spoke

“You know why you are here and where you are going. All the time you have been trapped inside your own mind, unable to move on. Your family will remember you for the person you are, you will never be forgotten. Everything I have said has been true, you have defeated me, and I am in you. There was only one way out and you now know that. It is your time to move on and it will be so. When I leave you, you will go. Your heart will stop beating and your family shall know it’s done. I leave you now to go on in peace.”

White light swallowed me, carrying me safely away into a place where I am loved and where I will meet my family once again. I am Oliver and that is my story.