Shadow of the Day

She could hear the cries of pain and suffering at night, the cries of those who had passed on. It scared her more than anything in the world, because she knew that soon she would be one of them. She would just be an echo in the boxed up hospital her moans carrying down the hall as a warning to all those who would pass soon after.

She shivered against the cold air of the night and got up walking over to her window closing and locking it quickly before gently shutting the drapes blocking any of the moonlight from entering. She walked back over to her bed quickly the only sounds were the soft padding of her bare feet on the lament floor.

As she curled up on her "temporary" bed her heart pounded in her head the heat of the summer burning at her, the moans crept to her ears and she felt tears spill down her cheeks as the reminder of her imminent death.

She didn’t want to die.

There was so much left to do, so much left to experience. When she was little she used to dress up in her mothers old dresses and put water in a little teapot before inviting her parents for tea. As she got older she dreamed about her daughter doing that exact thing.

She’d always dreamed of a family. Meeting the right guy who loved her unconditionally and who she loved back just the same. They would get married and she would wear the most beautiful dress, she wondered if she mess up or cry during the vows, would he?

They would have a beautiful daughter who was daddy’s little girl but still loved to cook with her mom, they would have a strong son who played sports and she would have a mini van to drive him and his friends home after practice.

She would grow old and watch them have their first and second dates. They would fall in love and marry themselves then bring their grandchildren and she would spoil them rotten like all good grandparents do for their grandchildren.

She would grow old with her husband never falling out of love always together and always happy. Then one day she would fall asleep and peacefully pass on after a long and fulfilling life.

Not this.

She wasn’t supposed to die at the young age of eighteen, she wasn’t supposed to be this frail and thin, she wasn’t supposed to be growing back her hair because chemo therapy didn’t work. She wasn’t supposed to be dying of leukemia.

She felt the tears leaving hot tracks one her face her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she felt like it was going to burst. She closed her eyes tightly and began to sob curling up in a ball terrified of what was happening.

She took a deep shaky breath and looked over to the closed window the only thing keeping the moon from shining in. Her sobbing stopped, she stared at it for a long time everything frozen in place.

There was no light, it was dark. It was the end.

It was time to say goodbye.