Mini Tales: Blood

Red. Red was everywhere. Kelly never realized how dark blood could be. She also did not realize how sticky it was. It poured from her knees. Scrapes covered her hand. The blood was chalked up with dirt, creating this strange mud. She could feel the gash in her head pulsing. It matched the rhythm of her heart beat. She laid on the ground, blood continuing to pool around her. She gazed up at the sky and observed as the clouds rolled over her. As the shock faded, she began to scream in pain; she called out for help. Her voice echoed in the distance. But nobody came. She kept yelling and yelling, until, her breath left her. Her body couldn’t take it. Everything went black.

When she woke up, everything in her body ached. Her muscles begged for relief, but there was none to be found. Now she knew that nobody was coming. Nobody had heard her cries. With the last pieces of strength she could muster, she rolled over and sat up. She could feel each strand of blood soaked hair rip as she peeled up from the ground. Her head throbbed. She placed both of her damaged hands on the ground.  She could feel little bits of gravel seep into the cracks of her hands. She pushed up and her head spun in circles. Finally, she stood.  She ripped her pants and wrapped the cloth around her head. She hobbled down the road looking for any signs of life. All she saw was lush green fields that surrounded a thick gravel road. She followed the road around, for miles she walked and walked.

Suddenly, she saw a small lake. She limped  as fast as her wounded body would carry her. Once she reached the water she fell in. Her wounds burned at first but then began to cool. She held her breath and sank to the bottom. She looked up as the sun shimmered through. Everything looked better at the bottom of that lake. She longed to say there, watching the sun dance through the water. Bubbles filled the space around her, as she released the air from her lungs. She floated to the top and inhaled deeply. She crawled out of the water and laid on the shore. She gazed up and allowed the sun to dry her skin.

She remembered the fall. She took the risk, and jumped, hoping it would save her. Instead, she plunged down until her body slammed on the ground. BOOM! She could feel each rock and stone stab her all over again.  For a short time, however, during her fall, she was happy. She didn’t even realize she was falling. She had convinced herself  she was flying. She lived in ignorance of her impending pain. She thought she would stay in that sky forever.. But then she crashed.  It was all a lie. The air had deceived her. Nature defeated her.

She picked herself up again and started back on the trail. Her legs dragged but she kept moving. She prayed she would meet someone on her journey. Someone who would ease this pain. Someone who would understand what it was like to fall. As she walked, she looked up to the clear sky and dreamed of a day she would soar. She hoped one day she could feel the wind kiss her hair and not have a care in the world. She prayed one day her risk would pay off, and she would stay in the air. But for now, she walked…