Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Speak Easy 169 : Over the Valley


      Jane didn’t have many friends.  That was okay.  She didn’t really need them.  She was busy enough with her imagination.  It was the only place she could escape her father’s grasp.  She would pretend she was a butterfly flitting from flower to flower without a care in the world instead of the damaged goods she really was.   Still when she met Phillip she hadn’t expected for them to be so much alike. She had been in the meadow behind her house in hot pursuit of a brilliantly blue butterfly when she had first seen him taking a piss on the big oak tree on the edge of the woods.  She had watched transfixed, losing sight of the butterfly in the process.  As far as boys went, he was classically handsome.  Still she had been a bit leery of him.  After all, he was not only a boy but a stranger.  Where had he come from?  She had lived here all her life and had never seen him.  She would have remembered.  Phillip was like no one she had ever seen before, as if he had been dropped here from somewhere else entirely.

      Their eyes had met when he had finished and the heat that instantly warmed her cheeks seemed to warm his as well.  Awkward!    The smirk that quickly followed his initial look of surprise was classic.  In embarrassment, she had run away and his hearty laughter had followed her.  As fate would have it, they met again the next day at school.  He was the new kid, and as soon as their eyes had locked instant recognition had caused her cheeks to grow hot once again in embarrassment.  She had played it cool and continued to draw butterflies on her notebook as he watched her from across the classroom.  When the bell rang, she made a beeline for the door only to have him pursue her and finally catch up outside her locker.

        “Did you like what you saw?” he asked boldly. 

         “You are sick, whatever.  Just leave me alone.” She had begged. 



       It was then he had slammed her locker shut and forced her to look at him.  At that point he hadn’t known the horrors she had endured at her father’s hands, although she believed it was as obvious as the nose on her face.  What she had seen in his deep brown eyes was the offer of friendship and even the recognition of understanding that he couldn’t possibly have had then.    Eventually she learned to trust him and believe he could be the knight in shining armor that would save her from the atrocities she faced nightly at home.  From that day on, they had been inseparable.  Rather than having to confess her secrets, he somehow seemed to instinctively know so she didn’t have to.  He was her friend, her savior, her partner in crime.  From that day forth, they were like two peas in a pod, their fates entwined as destiny ordained. 

      They met daily in the meadow.  They lay on the grass amid the wildflowers and watched the clouds chase lazily across the sky sometimes seeing tigers and other times bears.  They dreamed of escaping the personal hell that awaited each of them at home.   They consoled each other, and as the years passed shared the unthinkable truth and the shame neither of them could ever truly escape.

          The last day she saw him there, he was more tortured than she had ever seen him.  She understood his angst, had went through it herself, but she couldn’t have predicted the way events would finally play out.  He seemed especially agitated that day.  Finally the clouds and gentle warm breezes had lulled him.  He was quiet, brooding, seeming almost a million miles away.   She had blown off his mood, thinking it would pass.  The next day, she had found him there hanging dead from a tree, the evidence of his father’s most recent beating shadowing his skin in horrific detail.  Tears clouded her vision as she watched the police cut him down.   It was that day she chose to escape her private hell and run away.  If only this epiphany had come sooner.  They could have run away together, plucked up courage and sought help.  He would still be here with her.  It was the only thing she regretted, the possibility she could have saved him and in the process saved herself. 







44 comments:

  1. So tragic, yet so beautifully written, Kathy. Blessings, my friend!

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    1. Martha, I am so pleased you enjoyed it. Not sure where these stories come from. I just sit down at my computer and out they come. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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    1. Lyssa, it is a sad situation and unfortunately happens way too much scarring to many young people beyond recognition forever. Thank you so much for stopping in to read and for your comments. I appreciate it so much! ♥

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  3. The ending is so sad. What would she do without him?

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    1. Kalpana, find someway to go on. Thank you so much for stopping in to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  4. Sad indeed, if only she had acted sooner

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    1. Pat, exactly. Thank you for stopping by to read and supporting this itch I have to write with your kind comments! ♥

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  5. =( I loved it, but the story makes me want to go punch the kid's dad. Where it counts.

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    1. Crystal, I am with you! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your lovely supportive comments! ♥

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  6. How tragic and sad. Sniff. And yet, I'm sure many teens suffer silently with abuse like these two.

    http://cattitudeandgratitude.blogspot.ca/2014/07/ubc-day-9-each-day-is-new-beginning.html

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    1. Cathy, the sad thing is that this fiction is probably reality for many more than we can imagine. That is what is sad. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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  7. Holy crap! Good one, GigglingTW.

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    1. thewizardsword.com, I am so pleased you liked it! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your encouraging comments. ♥

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  8. Oh... a poignant story!
    But I liked the way you described it...

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    1. shellymona, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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    1. Meg, so pleased it deserved a wow factor from you! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  10. Wow, that was like a punch in the gut! How horrible for the two of them... I so wanted them to find their happily ever after :)

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    1. jannatwrites, I need to work on happily ever afters. Lately, I just come up with the most depressing stuff. Starting to worry a bit about my mentality. I am pleased you enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments. You are always so kind and encouraging when it comes to my writing. I really appreciate it. ♥

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  11. So very sad...yet so well written.
    A fine job!

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    1. Joe, sorry for the sadness but happy you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  12. This is so sad....only if they had escaped before :-(

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    1. Amrit, if only. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  13. Beautifully written and so poignant!

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    1. celinejeanjean, Thank you. I am so pleased you enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  14. Oh, what a tragic story. I hate knowing that there are kids out there who live this reality every day.

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    1. Suzanne, me too! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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  15. I liked the earthiness of this (the romance begins as he's taking a piss) and the matter-of-factness of the style. It gave the story an unflinching impact.

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    1. Sue, I am so pleased you enjoyed it. I never really think of myself having a particular style. I just write. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  16. This hits hard at the end, and I agree with Sue -- you're straightforward style is what carries it off.

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    1. pinionpost, wow. I am so pleased you liked it! Really I am. Thank you so much for stopping by and especially for your encouraging comments! ♥

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  17. If only she had mustered up the same courage a few days earlier...

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    1. Reshma, if only. Thank you so much for stopping by to read and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  18. Such a sad story. If only.

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/2014/07/i-support-israel.html

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    1. Joyce, thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments! ♥

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    1. love Happy Notes, I am so pleased you enjoyed my story. Thank you for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  20. This reminds me of so many kids who have suffered like this one. So very sad and unnecessary -- very well written, as always

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    1. Carol. I am pleased you enjoyed my story. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥

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  21. Child abuse happens every day in this country. I can only hope with each generation the cycle is being broken so it's happening less. We feel so helpless to do anything, but I wish we could put an end to child abuse worldwide somehow.

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    1. Stephanie, I am with you. If only all forms of abuse could be stopped. If only people could live happily and in peace. I hope I was able to spread awareness with this story. It does happen, and oftentimes to people that you would least expect. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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  22. OMG!! What a sad tragic story! My heart goes out for her. A very well crafted gripping story, Kathy!

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    1. Shilpa, I am so pleased you liked it! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments! ♥

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