Sky

Alone in the house, I stare out the window and sigh as the clouds cry their heavy tears onto the black street in front of me. The sky was angry, as she usually was at this time of year. Her eyes flashed and a low howl came from her dark, gaping jaws. It sounded as though she was screaming in undeniable suffering. I shuddered and pulled my tattered blanket around my shoulders as a presence advanced from behind me. I didn’t turn to look. “It’s late,” he spoke quietly, as if I were a piece of painted porcelain on the edge of a counter and one loud word could send me plummeting to the floor. My stormy eyes remained fixed on the clouds. “I can’t calm her,” I whispered after a moment. I felt the couch sink as he sat beside me and I heard him breathe in sharply as he glanced outside. I turned to face him finally. His hollow eyes shone a bright blue, like the sky when she was happy. His skin was dark in the dim light of the hall, but I knew that it was pale and drawn thin. I frowned but said nothing. He wore all black tonight. “You can try again tomorrow,” he reasoned. “What if she will not be tamed?” “She will bend for you, put your faith in your own power.” I sighed again, my slim fingers reaching up to play with my buttercream curls. They shone a beautiful ivory color in the sun. I always loved my hair. My eyes were a dull gray, lifeless and dead. My skin was a dark coconut brown, as if I came from the islands. I continued to stare out at the sky, willing her to stop this The water ran in rivulets down the windows as I grew silent once more. I heard him leave me, only to return and put a warm cup of mulled wine tea into my hands. I stared down at the liquid before taking a small sip and murmuring a weak “thank you.” He chuckled quietly and walked away, flicking the hall light off as he left. “Goodnight, Death,” I heard him call from his room. I smiled to myself and whispered, “Goodbye, Life,” as the street became flooded. The sky roared and the clouds cried harder.

​Avery D.