There was a young girl of 18. She was gorgeous: petite, with clear skin so pale it seemed to glow. Her gleaming black hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her small face with curls and bringing out the impossible blue of her eyes.
She lived her life with a smile on her face and a kindness in her heart matched only by the saints. On the outside, she was happy and positive, but she was living a lie. Inside she was battered and broken, empty and alone. Her childhood was full of abandonment and abuse. Although it had come to a stop, the effects lived on, taking over her life. She knew no way out.
So day after day she did what she could and lived her life the best way she knew. She went to work and made her money so she could afford the drugs and alcohol she used to escape her pain and make it through the day. One night, while sitting at her favorite spot, she noticed a boy walking towards her. He came over and sat down on a rock next to her. She didn’t know him, but she felt so lonely she started talking to him. For hours they sat there talking; for the first time in her life, she felt comfortable enough to open up to someone. She could finally talk about how she truly felt. Not only did he listen, he showed true compassion. She finally felt like someone really cared.
As the sun rose she looked up at him with a tear in her eye. "You’re the first person who has ever made me feel cared for, comfortable, happy. When can I see you again?"
The boy reached over and picked a Aconite. Handing it to her, he told her that when she truly needed him he would be there.
Each day, she watched the flower as its colour began to dull; each day, she began to feel more and more depressed. After weeks of waiting she decided that the boy was never coming back. That night when everyone fell asleep she grabbed a twenty-sixer and all the pills and drugs she could find and headed out to her spot.
The next morning when the girl’s mother walked into her room, she found a wilted, dead
flower on her bedside table.
Later they found the girl curled up by a rock on the cliff, empty pill bottles scattered all around her. When they looked down at her body, there was smile on her face. Enclosed in her fist, a fresh Aconite.
©2005 Kristi Gillis
