Through A Glass Darkly
A sharp gasp escaped the cracked lips as the spyglass came to an abrupt halt. The boy's eye widened as he looked through the lense and viewed the most beautiful woman he had ever seen standing alone and drenched in moonlight. She looked like an angel, clothed in her silky white gown and fur coat, and her eyes reflected a beauty and love that he had never known existed. His heart thudded loudly against his chest, but he was not allowed to stare for long. Pain tore through his stomach and legs, crashing in waves over his chest. He jerked a little and cried out, falling sideways to the floor. Dust sprang upward in thick clouds and papers dashed away to avoid the sack of bones that struck the floor. The boy groaned and tears sprang to his eyes, spilling down over his cheeks to the dirty floor. His good hand clenched into a fist and rose heavenward only to strike the floor in a fury. As the dust showered upon him like ashes, the boy coughed and sat up, touching his bandaged chest as he tried to catch his breath. A soft sob slipped like a prayer through his lips and he slowly pushed himself to his elbows. As the pain became more bearable, he grasped the back of the chair and swung forward as it rolled a bit. Pressing down hard, he shoved himself to his unsteady legs and sat down, hurriedly grasping the spyglass and peering through it.
There stood the woman, auburn hair drifting about her pale features as the fur coat and white gown spilled around her feet in a simplistic glory that shamed the very stars in the heavens. The desperate boy's fingers twisted the adjustment knobs at the top of the spyglass and he bit his lip, causing a little blood to trickle down his bony, chalky chin. He ignored the numbness and dead feeling of his bandaged left hand and lifted it again to try to focus on the angel below him without much success. Slowly, he pushed himself off and grabbed the stem of a larger glass that's casing and lense was larger around than he was and twisted it sharply to take her in.
She had begun to walk again; her hips gently swaying and her hair wafting softly behind her in the slight breeze. Licking his blood stained lip, he lifted his eyes from the eyepiece and rose to his feet mechanically. His knees gave painful cracks as they buckled beneath him, and he barely managed to catch hold of the chains supporting the spyglass and retain his balance. With what dignity he could muster, he dragged himself to the edge of the tower and leaned out, looking at the speck of a woman as she went by. For the first time in years, the scarecrow of a boy felt his lips slide upward in a smile as he leaned his head against the broken railing of the tower and watched as she fled in the darkness.
My smiled, tossing her hair and dancing in the soft grasses that carpetted the floor of the park. Giggling, she tilted back her head and looked up at the stars, seeing images and faces in the sparkling entities. In a fit of soft laughter, she tumbled backwards and laid limply against the cool earth, staring up at the stars. A sensation of being watched overcame her, but it was not an unpleasant feeling. It was the aura of an angel, invisible and beautiful, standing by her and touching her very soul at the edge of her consciousness. She closed her eyes, fantasying the lovely hands of such a being as he cradled her head against his proud chest and ran his heavenly fingers through her hair. As her breath escaped in a soft sigh to the air, fireflies arose and her eyes fluttered open. Smiling amid the earthbound stars, she stood up, shedding the fur coat and danced in circles as she sang.
"Ashes, ashes we all fall down! Ring around the rosey, pocket full of posies, ashes.. ashes... we all fall down!"
Moisture flowed freely down the boy's face as he stared at her through the spyglass. The gown hugged her slender body beautifully, and such a beautiful creature moved him to painful tears. His unclothed hand lifted to his cheek to touch the sore sprouting upon his neck. Soon, his whole face would be covered in the oozing masses and his torture would be complete. His fingers tenderly brushed over the spot and held there, shaking lightly in fear. Warm, cerise liquid began to dribble from his nose and he choked, lifting his hand to apply pressure to his nose. It was in this moment that he realized that his unbandaged hand was growing numb as well; his doom was at hand. His heart skipped a bit as a burning agony arose in his chest. As his fear was born into the world as anger, he shoved the spyglass away, and the rusted chains snapped with a soft cry. He stood on his unsteady legs stiffly and walked to his desk, dragging on foot behind him as the chair limply rolled in circles against the star design on the floor.
The girl, as if in a dream, found herself at the foot of the Vanguarde's tower, peering up the curved stones to the landing where the spyglasses protruded like glistening daggers. Abruptly, there was a strange sound of crunching and her eyes widened in horror as one of the spyglasses tumbled down from the tower. Staggering back, she stepped on the train of her gown and fell to the ground as the spyglass shattered onto the debri of the burnt home. Her head was hanging back as she looked up at the tower; her breath shallow and heart beating fast. Above and looking down was a slender shadow in a flowing coat. There was a guttural noise then the figure turned and dissappeared from her sight with a flutter of his coat.
