Veronica

VERONICA

Entry Prompts: SHOCK, HAUNTED, WORMS
Word Count: 298

The daylight sky was steel grey as his haunted thoughts. Sitting on the grass of her grave, tears flowed down the weathered face of the big man. His heart broken, his life in unattended pieces, Jeremy existed as a man with no future, and a hateful present, loathing that he, not her, now forced by life to breathe.
Jeremy, scarred and disfigured from a war no one wanted to remember, had found his love, his life, his happiness, in sweet Veronica. She had never noticed the scars that crossed his body and face. She never once made him feel other than beautiful and loved. More importantly, Veronica found a way to heal him completely. His love for her was absolute and unending.
Jeremy’s heart cried out in deafening silence, causing the angels of heaven to weep and his body to double with pain.
He pulled the revolver from his jacket pocket. Despair began eating into his thoughts like worms. How could such a kind and gentle, woman deserve such a horrible end? Veronica had only stopped in for her morning coffee.
She just wanted a simple cup of coffee when she had startled the young robber. He had fired the shot that ended her life and the storekeeper’s had ended his. How could anyone understand such a senseless death? Why should he go on? He had no family but Veronica. Who would blame him for this? Jeremy prayed for forgiveness toying with the pistol in his hand.
He turned in shock at the voice behind him. A tiny girl, blind, was now standing there. “I can’t find my way back.” Jeremy got up pocketing the gun, “What’s your name?” he asked. “Veronica.” she said softly, as she took his hand and she led him away from the grave.