Flanery_441 has a minion!

Flutterby the Flurri

He would never be there for her again, to protect her, to console her, to hold her wrapped in his warm arms. The cool winter weather had nothing to do with it, but she shivered deeply as an immense sense of dread engulfed her. She wondered if her refusal had driven him into the flames.

Not only that, but knowing that he had died without being converted, had died without absolution, had left this world for an eternal incarceration in Hell.

Maureen wandered along the path leading out of the town, only vaguely knowing where she went. Images seemed to flash before her eyes: the first time she saw Christopher, walking up to the school with a spring in his step; Christopher kissing her tears away as she sobbed bitterly about her violent husband; Christopher breaking down the door to stand between her and her abuser; then the fatal row between Christopher and herself as she declared she would never leave Frank...

She suddenly came back to reality, having found herself at a crossroad; the paved road to the left led to a larger provincial road, and the unpaved path to the right led to the small lake just outside the town, where kids would often skate during the winter. There would be no skating children now, so early in the morning the sun could not yet cast its rays over the tops of the trees.

Maureen walked towards the steep bank. Kneeling down there - or rather, letting herself fall as her trembling legs gave way - she glanced down onto the snow covering the frozen water of the lake. Her hand brushed aside the white layer, revealing the ice beyond; a window into the dark, deep and calm waters below. Taking off her gloves, she placed both her hands on the smooth surface, and felt the cold instantly finds its way through her skin. It seemed to reach her very bones. It felt not unlike how every other part of her body felt - this deep, cold feeling that had filled her every fiber.

Although shaking, Maureen felt remarkably calm and purposeful. With some difficulty, she struggled onto her feet. It wasn't easy walking across the ice; the thin layer of snow helped prevent some of the slipping, but the ice creaked and cracked dangerously as her weight landed on the surface after every step. Finally she laid down flat on the ice, breathing quietly with the frozen air biting within her lungs, before sliding herself further towards the center of the small lake. The ice became thinner and thinner with every yard she progressed, but she did not stop, she slid on, and on. Then the ice gave way altogether, plunging her body into the water below. Thousands of needles stabbed her from all sides as the cold engulfed her.

Maureen made no attempt to get back to the surface, but breathed out quietly, the bubbles of oxygen rejoining the air above. There was nothing left in this world that she could have wanted to stay for. Life on earth had been a hell for her; Hell below could be no worse. At least she would not be alone there.

Pet Profile by SubetaHQ