Tiny Stories And Concepts

Hiding

Despite everything, Anna Lee's apartment just felt more cluttered. She sat alone at the counter, a drink in one hand, and her head resting in the other. Tears would have been appropriate, if she was a crying type of girl. The little space was dark, she hadn't bothered to turn on the lights when she came in. It would only worsen the headache that pressed into the back of her eyes. She kept her gaze down, staring at the glass, one of the few things, it seemed, that didn't remind her of Charlie. Breathing deeply, she tried to calm her raging mind. Flush away the painful dreams and memories. An image of Charlie's smile flashed to the front of her thoughts, and something inside her finally snapped. With a despairing shout she flung the glass away from her, where it smashed against the wall. A sob broke through, a testament to the misery that gripped her heart. Of course this would be thething to finally break her. Tear apart the steeled woman who had survived somuch. Love is wicked. She stood suddenly, turning on the spot, her throat choked and her eyes streaming, frantically looking for anything that reminded her of Charlie. The first thing she spotted was a delicate ceramic vase. It had been a birthday gift. In two strides she had snatched it from its place of honor on her shelf, and with continued gasping sobs, threw it as hard as she could to the floor, where it shattered just like the glass. She swiped at the picture of them together off the side table, threw the flowers she'd gathered when they walked through the forest that day off the balcony, and tore open the stuffed bear she bought at the fair they performed at. She sank to her knees, the balcony door still open, a breeze of freezing air making the dark and destroyed home feel like a prison. Her hand wrapped around the necklace shewore, the crystal that always had symbolized their connection, and ripped it off. She stared at it for only a second before tossing it away in disgust. Her breath still came in racking sobs, making her body shake, as she pressed her forehead to the wooden floor, curling up against the world and the emotions that had begun unraveling her life.