The Iceberg Tipping
Skeleton.
School would start again soon, but Emma didn’t much care for any of that. She’d rather sit up in her head all day, wondering why the world kept turning against her wishes. Staying up all night wishing on countless superstitions for some tragedy to befall her only paid full in the dark circles below her eyes. Slowly, she blinked, breathing in the poison of her mind. The attic’s ceiling was bare and reminded Emma of skeletons the same way that naked trees in the winter did. A smile graced her lips, no matter how small the comfort.
indent Her backpack sat in the corner, the quiet reminder that there was work to be done and a whole half of a year to be dealt with. High school was a drag, the whole ordeal seemed to be pointless. It wasn’t that Emma was exceptionally smart, but it wasn’t that she was dull either. It was simply the fact that spending time in the hollow walls of the school seemed to drain her further and darken her mood. That and having to spend days upon days on a single math problem, high school could drive any sane person mad.
indent Snow fell against her windows and she got up to press a hand against the frozen surface. Snow made her happy, it was cold and it was numbing and it was beautiful. She closed her eyes and inhaled the smooth breeze that the glass couldn’t block, loving how clean and freezing it was. She felt as if it was cleansing her, helping her to breathe deeper and easier.
indent A phone rang in the background but Emma was too busy digging through her closet, finding an old coat with a fur lined hood and tall, old boots to cover her toes. She passed the spasming phone at least four times before leaving her room all together. She passed the skeletal trees and made brand new footprints in the snow, not caring how trackable she would be should someone wish to find her. Why should she care?
indent Clarity found its way into her bones and she smiled again, a miracle in itself. She passed Hanna’s house and she passed the old playground that had been abandoned years ago because of safety issues. The wind pushed its swings, egging Emma on further, and the rusted jungle gym watched sadly as she left it in disuse. It was another skeleton, one that had been buried but not yet forgotten. In some ways, it was naught but a subtle reminder of the past.
indent The pond was in sight, and Emma’s smile seemed to fall. Memories, broken promises, and unkept secrets pulled her backwards until she was sitting in the snow. Flurries of white fluff fell around her and melted at her quickly cooling skin as she sat unable to move. The earth wasn’t the only thing with skeletons, she realized. She herself had a few hiding in the back of her closet.
indent Her backpack sat in the corner, the quiet reminder that there was work to be done and a whole half of a year to be dealt with. High school was a drag, the whole ordeal seemed to be pointless. It wasn’t that Emma was exceptionally smart, but it wasn’t that she was dull either. It was simply the fact that spending time in the hollow walls of the school seemed to drain her further and darken her mood. That and having to spend days upon days on a single math problem, high school could drive any sane person mad.
indent Snow fell against her windows and she got up to press a hand against the frozen surface. Snow made her happy, it was cold and it was numbing and it was beautiful. She closed her eyes and inhaled the smooth breeze that the glass couldn’t block, loving how clean and freezing it was. She felt as if it was cleansing her, helping her to breathe deeper and easier.
indent A phone rang in the background but Emma was too busy digging through her closet, finding an old coat with a fur lined hood and tall, old boots to cover her toes. She passed the spasming phone at least four times before leaving her room all together. She passed the skeletal trees and made brand new footprints in the snow, not caring how trackable she would be should someone wish to find her. Why should she care?
indent Clarity found its way into her bones and she smiled again, a miracle in itself. She passed Hanna’s house and she passed the old playground that had been abandoned years ago because of safety issues. The wind pushed its swings, egging Emma on further, and the rusted jungle gym watched sadly as she left it in disuse. It was another skeleton, one that had been buried but not yet forgotten. In some ways, it was naught but a subtle reminder of the past.
indent The pond was in sight, and Emma’s smile seemed to fall. Memories, broken promises, and unkept secrets pulled her backwards until she was sitting in the snow. Flurries of white fluff fell around her and melted at her quickly cooling skin as she sat unable to move. The earth wasn’t the only thing with skeletons, she realized. She herself had a few hiding in the back of her closet.