Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Secret Tragedies of the Heart ❯ In Pure Moonlight ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

In Pure Moonlight

 

The world was dark and desolate where shattering screams filling the night. People huddled in their sanctuaries while children cried with fear. Moaning and echoing bellows of range shook the ground. A crumbled wall shattered as a boy was thrown through, unable to stop.

 

The people of the city watched in horror as the boy who fell from the skies was being badly beaten. His pure white wings stained with a tint that matched that of the crimson moon. His glowing skin covered in patches of blood and dirt. Fresh wounds seeped of the life's liquid from within his fragile body. Tattered and torn, he did not back down. He took on every blow of the fiery spirit with shedding a tear.

 

Mothers shielded the eyes of their young, not wanting them see this horrible sight. The vengeful spirit would claim another tonight was what most of the people thought. Why was the boy fighting the spirit? He couldn't win; no one could, so why try? No man had been able to withstand the wrath of the vengeful spirits before.

 

“What causes you such anguish?” The boy quietly said in a strange, monotone voice. His body was broken and it did not matter, it didn't want to move. The spirit had refused to answer the angel. “Why hurt others? It is not their fault for your death. Your time has ended in this world. Your body now lives in an eternity of slumber; your soul is free to live in an eternity beyond that of the mortals. If you do not change your ways, you will not be able to find your peace.”

 

The boy was thrown back again by another burst of energy. The snapping of his bones rang out in the chilling night. The people who had been watching shut their eyes and cried softly. They were too afraid to do anything. They were just watching what seemed like another dieing due to the wrath of the vengeful spirits.

 

The angel had never been introduced to this feeling, the feeling of pain, and he couldn't understand it. He had never felt physical pain before when he was brought up by the spirits. The boy let out a sharp gasp as this feeling began to overwhelm him. Salty water filled his eyes as he gently took his fingertips and gently touched the liquid. While the angel took in this new experience, the vengeful spirit danced overhead. Its fiery glow gloated with every shimmer.

 

The boy sighed as he looked up and saw the spirit gloating. His bloodied hand rose from the ground and slowly over his head. He reached behind his head and plucked a single, dirt covered, stained feather from his wing.

 

~ * ~

 

A young woman slowly opened her brown eyes and gently rubbed them.

 

“What a strange dream…it was…filled with such sadness…” She paused. She gently turned her head to look towards the window. She could feel the gentle, cool, salty breeze from the ocean and she smiled softly. “It's such a warm day today. I wonder if I can go outside.”

 

“Miss Leigh?” A meek nurse quietly asked as she peered into the room.

 

“Hello.” She smiled. “Please…call my Iris. Miss Leigh is too formal.

 

“Yes, Miss Iris, your fiancée has come to see you. Would you like visitors today?” The nurse asked.

 

“Yes, I can accept visitors today.” Iris smiled but still held her sadness in her eyes.

 

The nurse nodded and left quietly. Iris was from a poor family, and was to marry into a rich family when she was well enough to leave the hospital. The marriage was set before she was born and her future husband was everything a woman could ever ask for. He was smart, kind, and protective. He did everything she would ask for. With all of this, she still wasn't happy. Her fiancée was a great person, but she just didn't love him. She was told she should be grateful for all the things he has done for her. He pays for the room in the hospital and expert doctors to take care of her.

 

~ * ~

 

Ian woke suddenly with the orange glow of the setting sun against him. His body drenched in sweat and his breath and heart racing. He held his head to clear his thoughts. When his spell passed, he kicked his feet and untangled himself from his bedding. He swung his legs over the bed and placed them firmly on the floor. The bedding attached to his feet slumped to the floor as it followed his every movement.

 

He slowly stood and shuffled through the mess he called his home. Trash littered the floor. There were clothing stacked in large piles equaling the height of his bed. The scent of mildew and spoiling trash filled the air around the room. The stench would cause anyone to become sick. The walls were stained; the carpet was brown from never being cleaned. Small rodents scurried between hiding places collecting this and that to make nests. Ian didn't bother with them. He didn't see a point. They didn't bother him and he let them find a place to live to stay out of the cold.

 

Ian trudged into the kitchen and gathered what looked like a clean bowl and some dry cereal. He didn't have milk because he didn't have a refrigerator to keep it cool in. He had hardly any space at all. He had a small stove, though it never looked like it was ever used. He quietly ate his stale dinner before putting his bowl in the sink and heading off to the shower.

 

On his way, he gathered a black muscle shirt, and a pair of tan cargo jeans. His figure was slender, but he was well nourished. He had small muscle tone but he hardly showed any of it through some of his baggy clothing. His clothing was full of wrinkles but that was the least of his worries. The clothing reeked of the stench of his room. He couldn't properly clean them; he didn't have a place to wash them. He does visit the laundry mat once a month, but only if he had saved up enough money left over from his paycheck. Despite the run down appearance of the house, he was quite comfortable. Everything here, to him, was a normal sight. Everything he did was a normal routine. He never lived in luxury. He could never afford it. He finally made his way over to the small bathroom and walked into the moldy shower. He turned on the water which was ice cold as usual. He bathed quickly and dried off. By the time he returned to the cluttered room, the sun had set behind the buildings, and the city was eclipsed in night.

 

Before leaving, Ian grabbed his black beanie and placed it over his head and moved his golden brown hair out of his eyes. He walked outside and stood in the moonlight. He closed his eyes and his appearance began to glow. His hair became white, his eyes blue as always. He removed the glasses from his face and securely placed them in his pocket. Beautiful white wings unfolded behind him and he took to the skies.

 

The night was still; the stars and the moon were out. The clouds had vanished from the clear sky. Even though the night sky was beautiful, no one in the city could ever see it. The lights from the industrious city were far too bright. Those who would want to see the stars had to leave the city and go into the suburbs.

 

He touched down in the mistreated cemetery he called his second home. He closed his eyes and sang silently to himself with a monotone voice.

 

“Don't cry. I'm here now. Lay your burden down on me. Peaceful sleep with silent nights; I will always be watching you. Those who need me, those who plea, and those who carry broken dream, I will try and rescue thee, and never let thee be to suffer unreasonably. Please don't cry. I'm here now. I will take all your suffering away. And give to all those you who need a warm shoulder to cry on…”

 

Faint blue light filled the cemetery as the angel sang. The spirits danced happily around him and around in the sky. They flew high and low and spun in circles. It was almost a game to them. The angel opened his eyes and watched the sight before him. He held out his arms in front of him as a few spirits swarmed around him. He embraced them gently and continued to sing to them.

 

He soon bid the spirits a goodbye and took to the skies. Tonight, he had not heard a call form a broken soul. He was to do with this night however he pleased. Though, not hearing people call for him didn't mean that he didn't hear them at all. He heard the familiar hum of a young lady. The angel was soon drawn to the hospital window that he had visited just the night before.

 

He glided down towards the hospital and sat on the ledge below the window of her room. Above him was the girl who had captivated his attention. She leaned on her elbows and hummed softly watching the light blue sky, wishing to see the stars that she could see at home.

 

Tonight, her hair was not in braids. It lay behind her on her back in waves, not used to being free from the tight braids. A few simple washing could probably straighten out her hair nicely, or curl it. It all depended on the girl's natural pattern. Her skin was even darker in the little light, which hid her pale exterior. Even with her skin pale, she still had an elegance that could not be taken away.

 

She yawned and stretched slightly as she stopped singing. She finally retreated back into her room for the night and sat down gently onto her bed. There was a small book that lay on the bedside table beside her. She picked it up delicately and reclined back into her bed. She covered her body with the white sheet and turned on the small desk lamp to read the book with.

 

The angel slowly crawled in through the window and sat there watching her. He was fully interested in everything she did. He wanted to know why. He didn't understand why she captivated him. What is it about her? In the back of his mind an ear-shattering scream sounded. He held his head and let out a moan of pain as he stumbled out of the window and kneeled on the floor. He closed his eyes as the room around him began to spin as voices filled his head.

 

“I-I'm sorry…never forget me…”

 

“You can't leave! Not after I found what I've been missing!”

 

The angel opened his eyes and clenched his chest. His heart was pounding. He felt overwhelming pain that he had never experienced before. Why? What caused this? Overall, what did it all mean? The first voice was that of a young woman. He was sure the second voice was his own, but why would he say that? What was he missing?

 

“U-um excuse me…are you alright mister?” A weak voice sounded from above him.

 

The angel jumped in surprised and hit the wall behind him. His back lay against it as he stared face to face with the girl he was captivated with. A sudden emotion overcame him and he couldn't control himself. His angelic appearance had faded, and there who stood before the young girl was the dirty young man who was nothing to this world but a drug store clerk.