Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.
Unknown
Puffs of air escaped the small girl's mouth. Dark eyelashes fluttered against a pale cheek. Snow began to gather around the petite body that laid broken on the ground. Blood seeped out of a wound in her side; the surrounding area painted a deep red. The girl couldn't tell whether it was her body or the air that was growing cold, all she knew was that the frayed worn sweater she adorned did nothing to combat the temperature.
Tears froze as they fell. Breaths became heavier. Her eyes begged too close. Heavy lids made it harder to stay awake. The fight against her own body was an uphill battle. She didn't need to win the battle, merely postpone the inevitable defeat.
She just wanted to see the sunset one last time.
Light was beginning to fade behind the horizon, the sky coated in a soft pink. The muscles in her face twitched. Her body had froze yet her heart still smiled. A heart that was beating in her ears. A soft thump, thump thump echoed throughout her mind. She wasn't used to the serine nature of her heart beating; whenever she had heard her heart before it meant something terrible was going to happen. Now, it meant peace.
As the sun faded behind the skyscrapers, taking the painted sky with it, her eyes smiled. At least her final moments were something she was able to control. The thumping began to slow and her eyes began too close. She supposed that she should be scared of death, scared of the unknown that she was about to face. That fear never surfaced. Relief flooded through her. No more remembering, no more looking over her shoulder.
She would be free. Truly free.
Her heart was a low thrum. It was a waiting game at this point. She knew it would only be another minute at the most, her internal clock assured this.
Noises could be heard at the entrance to the alleyway. They sounded dull and far away, meaningless unintelligible sounds that she no longer cared for. She no longer had to care, her mind screamed she was dead and her heart reminded her that it was only going to be a few more moments.
Thump, thump, thump.
Perhaps that was the sound of her new life calling her. The air began to warm around her, her body feeling weightless. Some higher power must have felt sorry for the life she was dealt and was now giving her soul another chance at happiness. She hoped that if she was granted this chance that she would be able to forget the pain of this life.
She just wanted to forget.
Warmth consumed her, her petite body filling with hope. The pain was about to end, it was more than she deserved.
