Hallmark Village
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Her laughter filled the bleak silence around us that day. That’s all what she did was laugh. She had the type of laugh that was unforgettable. It was a little high pitched and tended to repeat as if someone forced helium down her throat and into her lungs. I almost hated that laugh as much as I hated her.
The frigid air was full of mist and smoke due to her constant talking and laughing. It was getting to the point where I could barely see it. The night was slowly creeping over us, engulfing everything into the darkness. All of the snow around us simply became more darkness. It was freezing and dangerous, but familiar. We had to walk this path every day and most of the nights.
I tuned her out as we walked. She was beginning to try to tell some jokes she heard throughout her day. She would laugh after each one before moving to the next, not even noticing that I wasn’t laughing as well. It was something she rarely noticed.
Our feet crunched the snow beneath us with each step. The ground was slowly changing texture and became a bit more slippery. I figured we found the road once more and were walking on black ice. I stayed silent, as normal, and stared ahead of us. My dark eyes narrowed ahead as the figure of a few trees came into view.
I reminded myself of the coyote that was always chasing the road runner. I had been walking off of the cliff and just now realized I was in midair, miles and miles away from solid ground. A soft crack rang over her laughter. She instantly stopped laughing as her bright blue eyes widened.
It wasn’t like the movies. Everything didn’t suddenly move in slow motion. We didn’t look to one another before moving. Neither one of us cursed out loudly before running. We simply stood there, unsure of what to really do. Everything I’ve ever learned about the river or emergencies abandoned my mind, leaving my only thought process completely blank.
The ice broke before I even thought of moving. We both fell with a scream. I instantly was able to grab at the edge. The river was pretty shallow and wasn’t to hard to fight. The water seemed to burn against my skin as I crawled out and back onto the ice. The frozen ground clenched onto me. I could barely move to the edge.
She was gone almost instantly. Her tiny body couldn’t fight off the small current or handle the cold. The rescue team found her over a mile down stream, frozen in a state of shock. Her My Little Pony backpack was still on her. They claim it could have been the reason why she couldn’t get out in time.
They were wrong though. I didn’t fight for her. I selfishly got myself out of the water without even thinking about the three year old girl next to me. No one was upset with me. I was only a kid myself. They were surprised that I managed to get out. They were shocked about the whole thing. This sort of thing doesn’t happen in Hallmark. Any unsuspected death didn’t happen.
I didn’t feel guilty that day. I never felt guilty. I was actually happy at first. I would never have to listen to that laugh again. I would never hear her terrible jokes or see those bouncing curls. I wouldn’t have the responsibility of walking her home every day. I could go play with my friends. Things were better off this way.
Her death didn’t faze me until Christmas four years later. It was morning and we were around the Christmas tree as usual. Dad was sitting in his favorite recliner. He held a cup of coffee in one hand while the other constantly played with the sleeve of his robe. Mom was fluttering around the living room, a camera in her hand and presents in the other. I was on the floor in my usual spot. Green and red wrapping paper covered the floor around me while the toys littered around.
I was opening the last box. It was easily the largest one I’ve ever seen before. I tore the gold paper off quickly and examined the box underneath, a huge grin appearing on my face. My eyes instantly went to my left and over to her favorite spot. That’s when it hit me. That’s when I realized she would never be there. I then realized that my sister was gone forever. She was never coming back.
The frigid air was full of mist and smoke due to her constant talking and laughing. It was getting to the point where I could barely see it. The night was slowly creeping over us, engulfing everything into the darkness. All of the snow around us simply became more darkness. It was freezing and dangerous, but familiar. We had to walk this path every day and most of the nights.
I tuned her out as we walked. She was beginning to try to tell some jokes she heard throughout her day. She would laugh after each one before moving to the next, not even noticing that I wasn’t laughing as well. It was something she rarely noticed.
Our feet crunched the snow beneath us with each step. The ground was slowly changing texture and became a bit more slippery. I figured we found the road once more and were walking on black ice. I stayed silent, as normal, and stared ahead of us. My dark eyes narrowed ahead as the figure of a few trees came into view.
I reminded myself of the coyote that was always chasing the road runner. I had been walking off of the cliff and just now realized I was in midair, miles and miles away from solid ground. A soft crack rang over her laughter. She instantly stopped laughing as her bright blue eyes widened.
It wasn’t like the movies. Everything didn’t suddenly move in slow motion. We didn’t look to one another before moving. Neither one of us cursed out loudly before running. We simply stood there, unsure of what to really do. Everything I’ve ever learned about the river or emergencies abandoned my mind, leaving my only thought process completely blank.
The ice broke before I even thought of moving. We both fell with a scream. I instantly was able to grab at the edge. The river was pretty shallow and wasn’t to hard to fight. The water seemed to burn against my skin as I crawled out and back onto the ice. The frozen ground clenched onto me. I could barely move to the edge.
She was gone almost instantly. Her tiny body couldn’t fight off the small current or handle the cold. The rescue team found her over a mile down stream, frozen in a state of shock. Her My Little Pony backpack was still on her. They claim it could have been the reason why she couldn’t get out in time.
They were wrong though. I didn’t fight for her. I selfishly got myself out of the water without even thinking about the three year old girl next to me. No one was upset with me. I was only a kid myself. They were surprised that I managed to get out. They were shocked about the whole thing. This sort of thing doesn’t happen in Hallmark. Any unsuspected death didn’t happen.
I didn’t feel guilty that day. I never felt guilty. I was actually happy at first. I would never have to listen to that laugh again. I would never hear her terrible jokes or see those bouncing curls. I wouldn’t have the responsibility of walking her home every day. I could go play with my friends. Things were better off this way.
Her death didn’t faze me until Christmas four years later. It was morning and we were around the Christmas tree as usual. Dad was sitting in his favorite recliner. He held a cup of coffee in one hand while the other constantly played with the sleeve of his robe. Mom was fluttering around the living room, a camera in her hand and presents in the other. I was on the floor in my usual spot. Green and red wrapping paper covered the floor around me while the toys littered around.
I was opening the last box. It was easily the largest one I’ve ever seen before. I tore the gold paper off quickly and examined the box underneath, a huge grin appearing on my face. My eyes instantly went to my left and over to her favorite spot. That’s when it hit me. That’s when I realized she would never be there. I then realized that my sister was gone forever. She was never coming back.
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