It had been breaking for a long time. A deep sigh ripped
from his throat. His eyes closed making the images running
across his mind appear before him. They slowly came into
focus and his breathing slowed. The sounds around him
leisurely faded into the background. She stood before his
eyes reflecting the sad grin that played across her lips.
The grin beckoned him forward, into the hope of what she
held in her hand. A wind swept across her white sinewy
length of hair, its voice singing its music in a character
denoting misplaced hope. She slowly lifted her frail hand
and brushed her hair away instinctively. “Why did you do
it?” The despair in her voice caused a convulsion in his
spirit. He flinched.
	Images shot through his mind, flashing like lightning. A
fire lily, its black petals as dark as the depths of
eternity, a house, a mistake, a willow its long branches
entangling him, holding him back, a wish. “I don’t want
to talk about it, Aria.” A shocked expression glimmered
deep within her eyes. “You…you don’t want to talk
about it? Then why did you bring me here?” her voice
sounded so distant, so far away. She was fading.  “I
don’t know Aria.” There was a rhythm in his voice, a
strength that he did not feel inside. He hungered for her
forgiveness. That was the key. That was why he dreamed about
her every single night. That was why he was dreaming of her
now .She never gave it to him. He knew where she kept it. He
saw her put it in her pocket the first might he dreamed of
her. “Why won’t you give it to me?” He looked at her.
“If I give it to you I will die.” She smiled at him and
he broke.
“You’re already dead!” His voice echoed loudly through
the trees. His eyes narrowed dangerously and his accent
transformed into a growl. “I killed you.” Tears welled
up in her eyes. Her voice was strained. “Stop it. You
scare me when you talk like that.” His eyes focused on the
soil. “I’m sorry.” She jerked her head away from him
and quickly swiped at the tears crawling down her cheeks.
“Where do you go?” He smiled softly at that. “I go
home, Aria.” Her expression became clouded. “Is this not
your home?” The trees whispered softly of times past. He
gently lifted his head and watched a leaf drift solemnly to
the ground. “It’s so peaceful here,” he said slowly,
balancing the words on his tongue. Something in the winds
changed and he saw the edges of her mouth curling into a
smile. It was like he slipped and fell, his body colliding
with the hard ground with a sickening thud. The air was
thrust from his stomach. Fire slid down his throat, taking
its time and biting the walls surrounding it. He gasped. He
was seeing her two years ago, that same smile frozen on her
beautiful face; Mischief playing around the stars that found
a home in her eyes. The picture faded and she was still
standing before him. He weakly lifted his eyes to hers. Her
gaze held an expression he had never seen in them before.
“You’re trapped in a moment.” He kicked a rock
indignantly. “No I am not.” She laughed lightly, the
sound skipping and twirling through the air and wrapping
itself around him. “Liar.” A laugh was still present in
her voice. He grinned at her. “Why would I lie to you?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.” She stuck her tongue out
at him. He raised his eyebrows and let out a surprised
laugh. She gestured towards a swing, swaying forlornly in
the breeze. “Will you please push me sir?” He bowed to
her and she ran over to the swing, then turned and waited
for him. The leaves crunched softly under his feet. The tree
threw its shade over them, but sun broke through, small rays
shooting past their faces. He gently pushed against her and
her body gracefully drifted away from him. Now she was
coming back toward him, her hair shimmering from a magic
that surrounded them both. 
Suddenly her face paled and she fell forward with a grunt.
Another picture ripped through the air. He saw Aria’s body
slowly hitting the ground. He shoved the image away from him
and caught Aria, holding her close to him. The edges of the
scenery were becoming fuzzy and voices were cutting through
the silence. Urgent and scared, they sent a chill down his
spine. He gently stroked her hair. “Aria?” His voice was
small and weak. Her eyes found his. She tried to smile and
he hugged her closer. Blackness was surrounding them. Aria
clutched at his shirt. “Come with me.” More pictures
shot through, this time of different sizes and shapes of
people. Voices. “Come on, man. Snap out of it.” Another,
“Stop daydreaming.” “I know it hurts love, but you
have to keep living your life.” Aria was watching him
closely. “I…I can’t come with you, Aria.”
Desperation entered Aria’s eyes. “They are killing me,
and I don’t want to be alone!” Her voice rang through
the emptiness surrounding them. He looked at her sadly.
“Come back to me, please.” His mother’s voice came
from the sky and sounded so close. Aria looked up, fear
apparent in her eyes. Suddenly everything was silent.
Blackness surrounded him, complete and never ending. Slowly,
with one last crack it broke off, and sailed into the
horizon. “I will never leave you, Aria.”
“Come back to me please.” The sound of an ambulance
ripped through the cold night air. She clutched to the wall
as it swung around the corner. His dark hair hung around his
face. Murmurs of comas slammed against her ears from what
appeared to be ghosts, with their white lab coats and metal
instruments. They had arrived shortly after she had dialed
their number. “My son won’t wake up.” His face looked
so serene, and she knew he wouldn’t come back to her.
“Why did you take him from me?” No one answered.