Orna Puella
folder
DarkFic › General
Rating:
Adult
Chapters:
31
Views:
3,983
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
DarkFic › General
Rating:
Adult
Chapters:
31
Views:
3,983
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
Fiction. Resemblance = accident. Copyrighted.
Part 2, chapter 10
- X -
HERE
“And they got married and lived happily ever after…”
Jack closed the book and took a deep breath. Kris looked peaceful as if she was simply sleeping. Jack felt like beating his head on the wall. It was December twenty third, more than three months since she slipped into coma. Every morning when Jack woke up his first thought would be “She is going to wake up today.” She didn’t. He started going to church every night, he would pray until his throat was dry. He didn’t know what else to do.
Laura Kennedy spent every night in Michael’s room. Sometimes she would go to church with Jack and both of them would kneel in front of the cross, whispering feverishly, hands clasped in their chests, eyes closed.
“Jack?”
He turned his head towards the door.
“Hi, Laura.”
“You were reading,” she saw the book. “I am sorry, I am interrupting…”
“No, no,” he shook his head immediately. “I just finished. Please, come in.”
She came in and sat in one of the chairs.
“What are you reading?”
Jack looked at the book and smiled bitterly.
“Fairy tales,” he said softly. “I just finished Cinderella. Used to be Kris’ favorite when she was little. I would read a different story for her every night, but after I was done, she would always ask for Cinderella. She knew it by heart by then but she would still make me read it. She never cared about the cartoon but she loved the story.”
“Yeah,” Laura smiled weakly. “I was reading The Shining for Michael. That’s his favorite. Just got to the part where Danny goes into that room… He never cared about the movie…” she laughed softly. “Just like Kris, I guess… He loves the book though.”
Jack noticed how she would always use the present tense. “He loves.” “He is...” Never “Was.” They both were silent for several minutes and then suddenly they looked at each other almost simultaneously and said at the same time:
“Kris’ birthday is coming up soon…”
“Michael’s birthday is coming up soon…”
They stared at each other for almost a minute and finally Jack let out a weak laughter.
“Well, I’ll be damned…” he shook his head. “When is Michael’s?”
“December twenty ninth,” Laura said with a small smile. “Kris’?”
“December thirtieth,” Jack said, feeling suddenly so desperate that he wanted to start howling at the moon.
Laura nodded silently and got up.
“Well,” she said quietly. “I better go back and read a couple more chapters for Michael.”
“Yeah,” Jack nodded. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Night, Jack.”
“Night, Laura.”
She walked out and closed the door gently behind her. Jack looked at Kris for several minutes and then wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Finally, he opened the book and started reading again.
“Once upon a time…” he started to say softly, his eyes not leaving the page of the book with the picture of Cinderella on it. “… in a far away land, a widowed gentleman lived in a fine house with his only daughter…”
HERE
“And they got married and lived happily ever after…”
Jack closed the book and took a deep breath. Kris looked peaceful as if she was simply sleeping. Jack felt like beating his head on the wall. It was December twenty third, more than three months since she slipped into coma. Every morning when Jack woke up his first thought would be “She is going to wake up today.” She didn’t. He started going to church every night, he would pray until his throat was dry. He didn’t know what else to do.
Laura Kennedy spent every night in Michael’s room. Sometimes she would go to church with Jack and both of them would kneel in front of the cross, whispering feverishly, hands clasped in their chests, eyes closed.
“Jack?”
He turned his head towards the door.
“Hi, Laura.”
“You were reading,” she saw the book. “I am sorry, I am interrupting…”
“No, no,” he shook his head immediately. “I just finished. Please, come in.”
She came in and sat in one of the chairs.
“What are you reading?”
Jack looked at the book and smiled bitterly.
“Fairy tales,” he said softly. “I just finished Cinderella. Used to be Kris’ favorite when she was little. I would read a different story for her every night, but after I was done, she would always ask for Cinderella. She knew it by heart by then but she would still make me read it. She never cared about the cartoon but she loved the story.”
“Yeah,” Laura smiled weakly. “I was reading The Shining for Michael. That’s his favorite. Just got to the part where Danny goes into that room… He never cared about the movie…” she laughed softly. “Just like Kris, I guess… He loves the book though.”
Jack noticed how she would always use the present tense. “He loves.” “He is...” Never “Was.” They both were silent for several minutes and then suddenly they looked at each other almost simultaneously and said at the same time:
“Kris’ birthday is coming up soon…”
“Michael’s birthday is coming up soon…”
They stared at each other for almost a minute and finally Jack let out a weak laughter.
“Well, I’ll be damned…” he shook his head. “When is Michael’s?”
“December twenty ninth,” Laura said with a small smile. “Kris’?”
“December thirtieth,” Jack said, feeling suddenly so desperate that he wanted to start howling at the moon.
Laura nodded silently and got up.
“Well,” she said quietly. “I better go back and read a couple more chapters for Michael.”
“Yeah,” Jack nodded. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Night, Jack.”
“Night, Laura.”
She walked out and closed the door gently behind her. Jack looked at Kris for several minutes and then wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. Finally, he opened the book and started reading again.
“Once upon a time…” he started to say softly, his eyes not leaving the page of the book with the picture of Cinderella on it. “… in a far away land, a widowed gentleman lived in a fine house with his only daughter…”