Melissa... is that you?

i wrote this awhile ago. call it a short story or call it the beginning of something bigger. i haven't decided.

MELISSA... IS THAT YOU?

i walked away. i had my reasons. i had a few. i needed sometime to think things through. to stop the mad race that kept replaying over and over again in my head. the words swarming at me like aphids in the backyard on a hazy summer evening.

she had to concentrate. allow herself room to breathe before everything... the walls, the floors and the books started to consume her. time can erase but all it takes is one reminder. one word that puts you back to that place. she saw herself trapped between December and whatever month it is now. looking blankly at the calendar. she had lost all track of time.

"where have i been"? she asked herself. trying to scratch the surface.

until the phone rang...

i didn't pick it up right away. i waited and picked up after the second ring but before the third ring for sure. i said "hello". the voice at the other end of the telephone said "Melissa... is that you"? it took a few seconds for the words to sink in. i paused and was about to answer but i caught myself. remember, all it takes is one reminder. one word. there i was back to that place. with all my energy i replied "no, you have the wrong number". i felt a little numb. not even waiting for a reply i pulled the phone away from my ear and hung up. my eyes shifted to the phone with a sinking stare.

"Melissa"?

do i sound like a Melissa"? the anger was swelling but not reaching the threshold.

"Melissa..........." the eyes tightened. the face blank. draining then wiped clean.

the silence was deafening. here comes the flood. the blood draining from her cheeks. the thoughts rushing. spilling out all over the floor. the flood she could not control but you could. your pretentious observations. your holier-than-thou ego. a martyr to your own lies. fragments floated throughout the house. down the stairs. down the hall. in each and every room. every crack oozed with the flood.

© copyright written on April 22, 2009 by JAQ. publishing prohibited unless with the author's permission. artwork by JAQ