Silver Ribbons

Thursday, 17. April 2008, 10:26:05

She stood there, glowing in the darkness, eyes closed, her veil like a silver mist, falling gently over her face.

The gloom surrounded her, almost caressed her, and was filled with shadows, darker or lighter in vague patterns.

I stood where I could see her, hoping she would open her eyes, and I could make a sign or send a gesture that would make her change her mind.

She just took a deep breath and waited, eyes closed, arms limply at her sides. She was one of the special ones. She knew it. They all knew it.

But I was not one of them, and I had no say. For me to even make a sound was unacceptable. No, they would not be cruel to me. No more cruel than they would be to a bothersome child. i was not sure what they would do, but I knew I would not like it.

So, was I a coward? Was I wrong to stand silently and watch them slowly bind her up? Like a silver ribbon, the bindings were slowly - oh too slowly! - wrapped around her from her feet to her neck. Was I cruel to want them to get it over with? The beautiful deadly ribbon went around her neck... and again... and again.

Her neck was one of the lovely long necks you see on models, but she was not so thin. Of course she was perfect, or she would not have been here in the first place.

I knew the bindings were tighter than they looked. They were just beautiful, but that didn’t make them less tight. Too tight now. I saw her breaths coming in quick little gasps.

I couldn’t watch it. I slowly backed away, and left her to her fate, to her choice, to her destiny.

I had thought I could watch, but now, no. I would have cried out for her. I knew she would not make a sound until the end, and then the bindings would be so tight that she could not make even a tiny sound. Of course that is why they had told me that the girls did this gladly and never cried out.

I walked out through the gloom and dark halls. Behind me... nothing. Nothing had changed except that I would never see her again. I would have an empty place that was filled with only memories.

Tomorrow would be full of light and sound. They would be so happy, so full of joy. There would be dancing, feasting, festivals and lanterns. But she would not be there. Of course her picture would be everywhere. So lovely.

But was the celebration real? Or were they just happy that it wasn’t one of them?

How could their hearts be so different from mine?

The gloom followed me, slithering and bumping and echoing.

I could feel it following me into the night, and the shadows whispered her name.

DrizzleAngel’s Shadows