Eternal Silence

Eternal Silence
By Monika L. Brown

A sense of loneliness and despair often develops in human hearts, strangling them and corrupting innocent souls. Naturally, we need to interact with other humans in order to feel safe, and experience the most powerful form of comfort. However, being alone is not always as depressing as it can seem. We also must be given silence at times, in order to connect with ourselves. In the end, of course, it always calming to have trustworthy people there, for just their presence is a relief in dangerous situations.
It was only about a year ago, on a clear, cool night, when I was invited to sleep over my friend, Yvette’s, house. She lived in a small house on Mount Washington, overlooking the valley below. The view was, without a doubt stunning, especially at night, when the stars glistened with unworldly brilliance above us. On this particular night, we had a plan. This was going to be a very special occasion. It was going to be the first night we snuck out.
Around eleven o’clock, we headed into her room, appearing to be incredibly tired. Relieved that we were no longer going to be awake to keep them up, her parents, who had both worked that day, quickly went to bed for the night. At midnight, we opened Yvette’s bedroom door cautiously, and edged out, without the slightest sound. Before long, we were outside, and we began the hike toward our magnificent destination.
When most teenagers sneak out after their parents are asleep, they typically go to parties and clubs. We however, were not at all like most people our age. Besides, there were no establishments around for several miles. On this night, we were simply going to a breathtaking meadow. The hike would not take more than thirty minutes, and Yvette described how the stars overhead illuminated thousands of flowers below. I was eager, of course.
After only about ten minutes, we were more than halfway there. I struggled as I attempted to avoid roots and stones, which were seemingly invisible. It had been several minutes since either of us had spoken, so I was startled when Yvette suddenly said, “Wait here for one minute. I just heard some rustling over there.” She pointed to our left, where endless trees stood idle, no wind to disturb the unnatural silence.
“Alright,” I responded. “Just make sure it’s not a bear with cubs or something.”
“Okay,” she whispered. Something was wrong.
Her movements were unnaturally silent as she moved easily through the trees. I quickly lost sight of her, growing increasingly tense with each minute that passed. What could possibly be taking her so long?
Without warning, I heard rushed, nervous whispering, coming from the direction in which Yvette had gone. A terrified cry for help broke out, and in the same instance, I could hear a chilling menacing, laugh. I sprinted into the forest.
It did not take long before I reached them. Yvette’s former boyfriend, Mitch stood beside a massive oak tree, and appeared to be very pleased. Although he was now silent, his eyes were filled with something that could only be recognized as laughter. Slowly, I glanced at his feet, and there lay my best friend, the only person that I truly trusted, and knew everything about. She was the person who was always supportive, the only person who could make me laugh no matter how upset I was. She was there for me when my first boyfriend broke up with me, when my cat was hit by a car, and now, she would never be there again. My eyes were blurred to the point of blindness as I rushed over to her. There was no pulse, and her body was drenched in darkened blood, beginning in the middle of her neck. I glared up at Mitch in hatred and agony. Our eyes met. He bent down, and suddenly I could no longer breathe.