I had hated her long before I knew her. But, now, I held her body in my arms. Once my greatest enemy, she was now just another broken soul.
A burning city was the backdrop of our struggle. Embers danced in the sky like dying stars as I held her close. It mirrored the feelings in my heart. "I really thought you could save me," she whispered, her voice trembling with a ragged desperation. A painful hope. "Yeah," I said. I hadn't slept in four days, and I was beginning to feel it. "So did I." Why had we fought for so long? All the blurred lines between right and wrong, faded gray. Two weary souls bound by a cruel, twisting fate. Her breathing was getting more labored. Each inhale a reminder of the hope they shared. Each exhale a reminder of the grim mortality that both separated and connected them. I looked into her eyes. They had once been so bright and defiant, like the flames that lit up the night sky. They now smoldered with a glimmer of remorse. A flicker of regret. A moment of realization. "Why did you do this?" I just wanted to hear her voice. I didn't care if she lied this time, I just wanted to hear her speak to me. She hesitated, eyes drifting to the ruined city she'd been fighting to conquer. "I thought this would be the way to change things." "It's never too late to change, you know," I squeezed her hand. The sweat on her palm was cold and slick. "Maybe make some amends." The sound that escaped her was a bitter sort of laughter, drowned by the sounds of distant sirens. "You're so sweet to say that," she said, placing a weak hand on my cheek. "You might be scared to admit it, but it is too late for me. I've gone too far, hurt too many. You can't redeem me." I knew she was right. There was no fault in her logic. She hadn't just been battling me, it would appear. Rather, she had also been battling her own demons within. Doubts and fears that had whispered dark promises for change. It was as though I was seeing her for the first time. "You don't have to accept that," I said gently. "Maybe I can't redeem you. But, maybe you can redeem yourself. I can't define you. Because to define you would be to limit your power." For a moment that felt like a lifetime, I held her close. "Thank you," she said, her voice a harsh whisper in my ear. "For trying to save me, even when I didn't deserve it." I kissed her. "Maybe I did save you. Maybe things could have been different if I had saved you sooner."
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AuthorLawrence Henry is an aspiring author with more caffeine than time. BTW, here's some of my thoughts on a few varied subjects. Archives
July 2023
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