Paper Wings

"Another dream again."

Elizabeth sighed. She was probably more tired of hearing it than I was of saying it, but she told me to tell her whenever they happened. Dreams of flying and beautiful soft grey feathers and the face of someone I loved even though I'd never seen the man before in my life. 

"What happened this time?" she asked, her curiosity always getting the better of her. I played with the silverware set in front of me, eyes on the intricately decorated plate set in front of me. She always wanted to eat somewhere expensive...

"We were falling," I said quietly, eyes on the plate despite seeing something entirely different. "He was bleeding and his eyes were begging or pleading and he opened his mouth but he wasn't speaking, he was screeching. And just before the dream ended, he let go of me and I fell faster and his wings were broken."

She was silent but I wasn't paying attention. I was stuck in that horrid moment where I knew I couldn't help him. Where we were both reaching for each other but there was no way we would be able to connect again. He couldn't save himself and what could I do?

I looked out of the window and froze. That wasn't - it couldn't be - and yet somehow I knew, deep down, that it was. 

"Rose?" Elizabeth called. "Yoo-hoo?" I turned to look at her and she sighed. "You didn't hear any of what I just said did you?"

"Sorry, Elizabeth," I mumbled. "I was just..."

"Distracted? Yeah, I know." And she went to describe what falling in a dream meant but I'd already tuned her out. My gaze wandered back out of the window and my shoulders slumped. 

My angel was gone.