Picturize this. A rustic mansion in a vast landscape, with no disruptions of other buildings nearby. It is a chilly melancholy morning. Sara woke up with her head throbbing wildly. Her body ached, she tried to recall what happened last night. The memories were a blur, yet she knew something was amiss.
Mustering all her strength, she pulled herself to her feet and looked down the window. At a distant view, there were little houses lined in no order as if they just sprung up wherever they wanted to. People going by their business, some hurrying to work, some just running errands, some only killing time. In the world, out there, everything was still the same. She felt a terrible chill run down her spine. Sara shook the feeling away, and made her way downstairs, through the empty house that reeked of loneliness.
She went outside in the garden to take in the cool winter morning. It was after a long time since Dave left, that she came out here. There were long intervals of looming depressions, or plain numbness. Sometimes, it would stretch into days. It was just her and the drinks to keep her company. Loneliness is an old friend now, she thought.
Sara heard the faint hum of an engine and screeching halt of car brakes in the distance. Her fears were true. They had come to get her. Dreading the worst, she ran inside and quickly hid in the nearest closet, waiting with bated breath. She knew something horrible happened last night and forced her brain to remember. It was painfully hard. She recalled faint visuals, she had drank too much. Was it a woman on the street?
“Why couldn’t I just stay at the party, Why did I have to drive back alone ?” she cursed herself. Her chain of thoughts broke when she heard footsteps approaching her house. People talking in hushed voices, she grew more afraid by each passing second.
Concerned and anxious of what she had done, she tried to listen. What was taking them so long? It was all eerily quiet now. She waited patiently, but no one came. Then she heard a car leaving in the distance and felt relieved. “So no one got hurt, Thank you God..!!” she thought.
Sara decided to take a firm resolution this time. “To no more drinking and to a new life” she chimed, throwing all her collection away. Gratified, she decided to go for a walk. It was a lovely afternoon, sun was shining radiantly, and so was Sara, carrying her long forgotten smile.
She turned to her favorite street with the view of the lovely lake below and noticed people huddled in a corner, looking closely. She rushed to the site and made her way past the crowd. Sara called out to Sue, who was standing there talking to the officer; but she didn’t seem to notice. Her head spun when the officer said, “I understand it was painful, we think she had drank too much and lost control of the car. I am so sorry, she didn’t make it.” That’s when she saw her car crashed into a tree, and her own empty eyes staring back at her.
Fin.