A Sigh of Life (short story kinda)

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.