Savage Memories

"SAVAGE MEMORIES"

(Chapter 2 of The Dream)

*** Nine months later ***

The cold, harsh, winter winds whipped Shandel's long, dark and wavy hair about her as her knees were buried in the icy snow beneath her. She did not feel the freezing winds or the icy snow. All she felt was the gut wrenching pain of despair as tears flowed down her rosie red cheeks that were chapped from the angry winds. The tears flowed like a river and soaked her soft cotton gown.

She looked up and screamed at the heavens "Why?! Why them? Take me! Not them! Oh, god please! No!"

Shandel bent over and buried her face in the white snow and cried even harder as she pounded her fists in the snow. The snow was so cold that her fists began to bleed, but she could not feel a thing. All she could feel was the pain breaking her heart.

She mumbled into the snow " Oh, god please take me and not them! Don't take everything I have to live for! Please? I beg you!"

Shandel looked up as the tears glistened down her cheeks. She stared into the cruel, blazing flames that engulfed her house and her family. "Noooo!" She pounded the snow again and again. Dark, crimson blood from her fists stained the white, icy snow. Shandel stood up as the wind whipped around her and molded her gown to her slender body.

" They did not deserve to die!" She yelled into the hot flames with a fury that she had never felt before.

Shandel turned and ran through the woods behind her. Ashes were falling from the hot ambers on the burning trees into her teary eyes and blurred her vision. The ashes smeared on her face as she tried to wipe the tears. The strong winds from the snowstorm had blown the fire from her house into the woods. As she ran through the woods with her bare feet the hot, fallen branches from the trees scorched her flesh, but she paid no attention to the physical pain. The only pain she felt was the pain that ripped her heart in two. The thorns from bushes snagged her gown, but she kept running as they ripped through the thin material. She was only focused on ending the deep sorrow of her lost loved ones. She could not stand the agony of living her life without them.

She came to a sudden stop as she emerged from the flaming woods. She looked down as pebbles tumbled down the jagged cliff and landed into the ragging river below. Then all of a sudden the tears stopped and she looked up at the sky with her ashen, tear streaked face.

*****
William looked down at the screaming infant in his arms and kissed him on the forehead, as they were sheltered from the storm just outside the barn doors. "Thank god I got you out on time. I don't think I could go on living without you or your mother. I knew I should have checked the flames in the fireplace, but I fell asleep. I just wanted to make sure that both of you stayed warm through the night."

Just three hours ago Shandel gave birth to their first child and he built a fire to keep them warm till the storm passed. They were snowed in and it was not safe to travel so she had to give birth with out a doctor being there. When the storm passed over he was going to take them into town to see the little town's only physician which was about ten miles. They use to live in town, but they moved to get away from all the noise.

Then chills crept up his spine as he said "Oh, god! Shandel!"

He laid the infant on a pile of hay and looked over at the dog and said "Guard him with your life!"The old hound laid down and rested its head on the infant’s stomach. William ran out of the barn into the cruel storm. He raced around the flaming house to see if Shandel made it out the front.

*****

William woke to a crackling sound, the flame from the fireplace had gotten out of control and spread throughout the house. He jumped up and made his way through the smoke filled house to the bedroom where his wife and newborn son slept.

He woke up Shandel and said "The house is on fire! Get up and get out of the house! I'll get our son."

Shandel jumped out of the bed and started coughing as smoke began to fill her lungs. William ripped a piece of his shirt off and handed it to her.

"Hold this over your nose and mouth. The smoke will not choke you as bad."

Shandel headed for the front door as William picked up their son out of his crib and followed behind her. They were making their way through the flames and smoke when he heard a loud crack. A stud out of the ceiling burnt in two and was falling at them. Willaim shoved Shandel forward, sending her to the floor and he ducked back out of the way sheltering their son from harm.

Shandel willed her trembling legs to move as she stood up. Fear raced through her veins as she screamed " William!"

William yelled through the loud crackling flames “ We're okay! Just go out the front door. I'll find a way out." He could not see her through the thick, black smoke rolling out of the flames.

Shandel screamed " No! I'm not leaving you here!"

The infant began coughing from the thick smoke. William covered his head with the blanket wrapped around him as he yelled " Go! We will find another way out! Trust me! Just go! "

" You promise?"

"Yes! Just go!"

Shandel felt tears fall down her cheeks " I love you!"

William could hear the fear in her voice " I love you too! Now go!"Shandel covered her nose and mouth, turned away from the hot flames and ran out the front door.

William slowly made his way back to the bedroom and went to the window. As he held the infant in one arm he raised the window with his free hand. He was half out the window when he heard a whimper. He looked around the room and saw his dog hiding under the bed. He crawled the rest of the way out and laid his son on the ground.

He looked in the window and said "Come on boy! Out you go!" The dog darted out from under the bed, jumped out the window and landed with his nose in the icy snow. William grabbed his son and ran to the barn as the dog followed behind them.

******

William ran around to the front of the flaming house. He looked around. He couldn't see Shandel anywhere. The only trace he could find was two bloody stains in the snow and footsteps leading to the burning woods.

He mumbled to himself " My, god! She's been hurt!" He took off running through the woods yelling "Shandel! Where are you!"

He followed the bloody footprints from the hot branches scorching her feet. "Shandel! Shandel answer me!"


Shandel was looking up at the sky with her arms stretched out as if she were trying to touch the sky. "I can't go on with out them. I have to be with them." She softly whispered.

William finally made it to the edge of the woods. He saw Shandel standing at the edge of the cliff with the raging river below, waiting to take her from him. Shandel slowly began to fall forward toward the waves crashing against the jagged edges of the rocks below.

William sprang toward her "Shandel! No!"

As he grabbed her wrist she lost her balance and slipped off the edge and smacked the side of the rocky cliff. She glanced down and saw pebbles tumble down into the raging river below her dangling feet. Shandel looked up and saw William holding onto her wrist. He pulled her up to safety and held her in his arms as her body shook from shock.

He gently held her as he said " I thought I had lost you! What were you thinking?!"

Shandel looked up into his hazel eyes and said " I thought I had lost both of you. I can't live without you." She looked around franticly " Where is our son? Is he okay?"

William looked into her deep, brown eyes that were red and swollen from crying " Yes. He's safe. I told you I would never leave you." He pulled her closer to him and gently kissed her trembling lips.