Pieces of a Shattered Heart

PIECES OF A SHATTERED HEART

         The sun gently floated up over the mountains, tainting the sky with tendrils of crimson red. The birds were singing and the people were busy starting their usual routines. Kori Thistle was no exception. Seeing to her guest, who had finally left for a while, all morning, she decided to take a long walk in the woods behind her house.

         After a while, she got the eerie feeling that someone was watching her, studying her every move. She cautiously pushed through the forest, not wanting to alert anyone to her whereabouts. She went a little further and then stopped, listening for any movement. Her heart was pounding, rushing blood and adrenaline through her veins. The leaves in a bush to her right shook as a shadow bolted from behind it. All of a sudden, someone jumped out of the trees and tackled her to the ground.

         “Ty!” she cried, opening her eyes to find him straddling her waist. She blushed, trying not to let the awkwardness of the situation turn her into a stammering schoolgirl. Suppressing the urge to giggle, she allowed him to help her off the ground.

         “You should have seen your face,” he said to her, smiling as he pulled a stray leaf from her short, choppy, ruby-colored hair.

         “I know. I was a little taken off guard. That’s all,” she replied. Glancing over at him, she noticed that he had dirt covering his camouflage jacket. She smiled innocently, letting her startling, sapphire-blue eyes lock with his as she brushed him off. “I thought you were supposed to be checking in with your supervisor,” she said, questioningly raising her eyebrow at him.

         He did not answer, only smiled mournfully.

         They walked in silence for a while, through the brightly colored forest. Fall had made its way to the area, painting the land in fiery hues of gold and orange. The mountains that hovered over the Susquehanna River were already covered with snow a fourth of the way down, suggesting an early winter. A pair of mourning doves landed on the path, cooing their approval of the sunny and unusually warm day. When Kori and Ty came too close, the birds spread their wings and disappeared in a flurry of feathers.

         As the two meandered through the trees, Kori also noted how much Ty had changed since she had last seen him. He was around six feet tall now, towering over her five-foot stature. He had also gained toned muscles, something that had only recently happened. His chocolate-colored hair was now shaven off, giving him more of a military appearance, and he carried himself in a manner that was full of pride and direction. The more she studied him, the more of a stranger he became to her.

         Years ago, he would have been too shy to even think about sneaking up on her, but now, he was so much more forward with people. She sighed, realizing just how much she had missed of his life while he had been overseas this past year.

         They reached the lake, nestled beneath the mountains and just north of town. Stopping by the water, Ty finally broke the silence. “How about a little swim?” he suggested, smiling mischievously.

         “But we don’t have suits and besides it’s freezing out here,” she replied, edging as close to the water as she could get without getting wet. She hoped he would accept her excuse, but no such luck.

         “So?” was his questioning reply.

         “So…you may want to be an ice cube, but I don’t,” she answered, crossing her arms and staring blankly across the water.

         He glided silently up behind her and placed his arms around her. Setting his chin on her shoulder, he whispered in her ear, “If you were cold you should have said something.”

         She didn’t answer, just savored the moment.

         The afternoon sun shone off the glassy water, making it easy to see the fish swimming beneath the surface. The cattails blew silently in the wind and the fall leaves fell delicately from the trees. A hurricane of the brightly colored foliage danced in the air, only stopping when the wind let up. The mountains in the distance loomed over the lake, an ominous warning of the winter to come.

         Ty shrugged off his jacket, laid it on the ground, and sat down, reaching up and pulling Kori down to sit with him. He wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in an amorous embrace. They sat there for a while, each deep in their own thoughts, but somehow knowing what the other was thinking.

         When the wind picked up and the sun began to disappear behind the horizon, Kori stood up and brushed herself off. She turned to Ty, who was following suit. He hugger her again, pressing his lips so close to her ear that she could feel his hot, moist breath on her neck. The hairs on the back of her collar stood up as she felt the heat of his breath then the coolness of the November air.

         Pulling away from him, she smiled, “Well, let’s go back to the house.”

         He cast his eyes downward, as he replied gloomily, “I won’t be going back to the house.” He paused, tears welling up in his eyes. “I only have a few minutes left as it is.”

         “What?” she replied, becoming confused. She turned to face him, his hands dropping to rest on her hips. She searched the depths of his emerald eyes, but found nothing except the sorrow that had suddenly cloaked him. “Stop joking around like that. Come on let’s go.”

         “Kori,” he said sighing. He smiled sadly reminiscing bittersweet memories. Then, he chuckled slightly, “You know, I had anticipated on coming home, buying a ring, and asking you to marry me. I had it all planned out. A nice romantic dinner on the dock, champagne, candles, the whole works.” He took on a sepulchral mood again. “I had been talking about it with my bunkmates only seconds before,” he paused and his hands tightened their grip on her waist, “The whole place exploded. There were bodies everywhere. My legs had gotten pinned beneath a section of the barrack wall. I couldn’t move. Then,” he stopped, his voice beginning to crack, “then the second grenade hit.”

         Kori’s eyes filled with tears, the warm rivers of misery sliding silently down her flushed cheeks. Flash backs occurred in her mind of that morning, how Ty had shown up at the door unannounced and still in uniform. There were no suitcases and he had a slight limp in his step. Then, there was the newspaper from the day before. The headline had read, “Iraqi Insurgents Bomb American Barracks: No Survivors.” The article had been written below a picture of what Kori now recognized was Ty’s barracks.

         She shook her head, the tears swelling in her eyes more rapidly and spilling over her cheeks.

         “Don’t cry, my love. I died fighting for my country… for you.” He whispered as she buried her face into his medaled chest, his new purple heart gleaming in the sun.

         Moments later, he tightened his arms around her. Then, he pulled away, cupped her chin in his hand, and kissed her goodbye. When she opened her eyes, his figure was already starting to disappear. Kori shook her head, willing him to stay. Then, as if he had never existed in the world all together, he was gone.

         Kori collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. She was numb, ignorant of the warm sun upon her back and the wind rushing through her hair. Even the ant that had begun a trek across her hand went unnoticed. She cried for hours in the woods, her heart shattered in a million pieces, never to be whole again.