Life

Annie woke in a cloud of grey fog that never seemed to end and that smothered the reality of the world.  She touched her brown ringlet curls and felt her face – eyes, nose, mouth, and tiny little ears that were buried beneath her soft hair.  She was a young girl, only a child, and she felt beautiful.

            Annie’s memories of the world were few and far between.  Most were sounds, because sounds were beautiful.  Colors excite children, but they run to the melody of their mother’s voice.  Annie remembered her mother’s voice.  It was the best memory she had. 

            Slowly, the fog began to clear, and she found herself sitting on a bed of flowers, pink and purple and dancing in a light breeze.  Wanting to dance like them, she pretended she was a ballerina, pointing her toes and twirling.  As she did, the sun peered through the fog and poured a spotlight on her, a dancing princess.  Annie felt like she could fly if she wanted. 

            She fell down on her back in the flowers, giggling and smiling.  She wore a white dress, brilliant against any other color, and that dress alone made her feel like singing.  A sweet little tune escaped her lips.  The fog was gone, and she danced in the sun.

            A man joined her in the flower bed, a man with sparkling skin and kind eyes.  His voice was a soft boom, like a whisper over a loudspeaker.  She knew his name, she knew his importance in the universe, but she ran into his arms, unafraid, and called him Daddy.  He picked her up and set her on his shoulders.  In his hand, a lollipop appeared, and he gave it to her.  She giggled and squealed with delight, and he spun her around like an airplane. 

            “My daughter,” he said, taking her down and holding her hand.  He looked her in the eyes and pointed at the sky, the trees, the flowers, and spoke whispered words like a secret.  “This is all for you.  This is your kingdom.” 

            For a moment, she looked at the world, and she remembered her life – pain, burning, and fear.  Then, she felt it all taken away, and she swayed back and forth in the breeze like a flower.  A beautiful ballerina flower.  And she would never be sad again. 

            Somewhere, deep below Annie’s kingdom, there was another world where people suffered and waited for the absolution Annie had already received.  A woman lay in a bed, hard and institutional, waiting for her own destiny to will her away.  Instead came a doctor with a few simple words.  Amazing what a few simple words can do. 

            “Ma’am, it’s done,” he said.  “You are no longer pregnant.”

            And one day, she would bury a box in the ground with a beautiful name written on it, empty.  And she would know the truth and tearfully whisper, “Good-bye, Annie.”