Short Story Contest 1 - "A Leaf Falls Skyward"

The deadline for the second contest has already passed and the stories are available for reading. It had a Spring theme, and the winner got a $25 gift certificate. Stay tuned for information regarding another contest!
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ShortStoryContest
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Short Story Contest 1 - "A Leaf Falls Skyward"

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A Leaf Falls Skyward by [Anonymous until contest is over]

A dimly lit room, consumed by photographs and notes converted into a graceful array of paper scraps. Where the shadow relinquishes its supreme rule, you can make out a faint signature with the heading ?I Love You Always.? In the corner of this inimical environment there crouches our a desolate being plagued with the turmoil of his own consciousness, knees against his chest. His lonely demeanor can not be relinquished by the constant ringing of the phone, for it lies unplugged and soundless on the floor. Loved ones leave messages expressing there concern but they will never reach there intended destination. All time has ceased to exist in this room and what is now a helpless void has very likely become his tomb. What many would have considered a prosperous and thriving life has been tortured until it has reached the brink of shattering, a demolition site in the form of the human mind.

A tear falls from his eye like raindrops that descend from heaven; heavens tears bring life to nature and beauty while the tears from his eyes extend from a desire to hold an untouchable angelic beauty, a beauty that heavens rain can?t recreate. As the shadows move, a paper scrap is illuminated and the faint ink is legible. It reads:
  • Your beauty emits
    with mysterious glows
    like a fountain reaching the heavens
    it descends and flows
Words written for the one he loved so dear but never sent because she no longer resides at 22 Harbor Lane. Instead she lays beneath the agitated soil where a marker indicates that it is the 37th tombstone plot. He has yet to go to the grave because he has yet to leave the room in which they planned to spend eternity in each other arms. Eternity cut short by the road to which it led, the engagement ring on her finger spoke all the words he never said. A recollection of the engagement sends signals through his mind and he begins to relive the past as if it were happening in true time.

The slow wind that rattled the leaves lifted her amber hair while the sun seemed to exist only for the purpose of illuminating her beauty. Her smile brought awe to the hardest of hearts, a kiss on the cheek could cure the world of hatred. Grasping the ring in one hand while holding hers in the other, they continued to walk down the secluded field. They desist to rest between two trees they played in as children. He recites a poem he had written for her in his teenage years, during the days when his undying love was an untold secret that he kept locked away and close to his heart.
  • Two trees
    perfectly parallel
    comfort in the realization
    that underground
    their roots are
    forever entwined
His heart was beating louder than rhythmic pounding of ocean recognizing the force of an approaching tempest. Her answer became the tempest overwhelming his heart and mind. The sun sparkled off the ring and her eyes alike. They both cried beneath the trees, the roots absorbed there tears of joy and they became part of the trees forever. A single leaf breaks from the tree and falls toward the sky.

The stream of consciousness embarks him to another dimension of time . Sitting home on a Sunday morning with the newspaper in hand, fresh coffee on the table, angelic beauty at the other end. She whispers to him that she loves him more than life itself. He leans toward her and kisses her lightly on the lips, an embrace he wished could last until the dying days of eternity.

Our subject wakes from his reverie laying supine, gazing toward the ceiling. Crawling, he makes his way toward the center of the room. It is here he finds an old photograph, they were young, very young. He holds the photograph, bringing it forward until it becomes visible behind the torrent descending from his eyes. Receding back to his corner, he sits and stares into a black abyss. His mind begins to materialize another familiar ambiance. The snow descending from white clouds swirl and encircle her body as she walks. Each flake trying desperately to grasp and hold on for the chance to feel alive for just a second until they dissolve on her skin, a life complete. Laying supine, an angel begets an angel in the snow. He leans over and kisses her as the snow seems to slow. The first kiss marking their future fate occurred when heaven set it?s beauty upon the earth.

The photograph falls from his hand, slowly and gracefully descending to the floor with the rest of his world. The nostalgia that occurred is replaced by pain stemming from realization of what has been lost. Like a boat in a storm his life began to yaw, shifting his course to an unwanted and uncharted destination. Days of insomnia and pain that can not be fathomed pass unbeknownst to him. Paths continue to open in his mind like gateways leading to the garden of Eden. They lived in solitude, pure and loving. He envied Adam and Eve for the fact that they had been banished from paradise together and paradise had continued to live on in their hearts, in their love. His paradise became the embodiment of hell, a room where beauty and light were no longer welcome.

Once more he drifts back into his delusional nostalgic state. Morning light seeps through the blinds and brings the sound of morning birds. She is not next to him as he wakes but he can hear her voice. He is unsure where it is coming from but she sounds as if she were right next to him. ?Move on darling, you can?t do this forever. I Love You Always.?

Our subject had fallen asleep from exhaustion. He wakes and is slow to move for a paper is sitting in front of his eyes reading ?I Love You Always? in the faint script of an angel. Rising to his knees and then to his feet, he stumbles toward the door. Hesitant, he slowly turns the knob and the room becomes engulfed with light. He gets in to his car and finds himself driving on autopilot, only his subconscious knows where his feet are taking him. He walks into the garden of Eden and there stand two trees, forever entwined. He sits on a rock beneath the trees and cries for a sign. The snow began to fall and gently kisses his cheek. Taking one last look at the trees he begins to walk away from the life he knew. Walking back up the path, alone, a stem separates from it?s branch and a leaf falls skyward.
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Anna
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Post by Anna »

oooohh, I loved those poems!
________
Vapormatic vaporizer
Last edited by Anna on 24 Feb 2011, 17:37, edited 1 time in total.
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Linda
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Post by Linda »

yep i really liked this one. very poetic.
"I hope you can't sleep and you dream about it
And when you dream I hope you can't sleep and you SCREAM about it
I hope your conscience EATS AT YOU and you can't BREATHE without me"
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Linda
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Post by Linda »

i love how this one flows. each line blends in with the next. i can hear it being read in a very soothing voice. i love when that happens :)

i read it like three times in a row lol
"I hope you can't sleep and you dream about it
And when you dream I hope you can't sleep and you SCREAM about it
I hope your conscience EATS AT YOU and you can't BREATHE without me"
Kailee
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Post by Kailee »

good one specially tht poem...... gr8 !!!!
rx2teach
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Post by rx2teach »

You are a very talented artist. Dont be like so many and refuse to truly accept compliments. You have a talent, and you should nurture that talent the best you can.
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cameron333
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Post by cameron333 »

Kudos for the great story bro.
james786
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Post by james786 »

Gr8 sotry bro. And poem is also Gr8 I like these both. Very nice words used in this.
soniakhan33
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Post by soniakhan33 »

very twisted story thanks......
Perrywinkle47
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Post by Perrywinkle47 »

Ohh! what an unfortunate love story. I almost felt like crying. Good work!
Jonmicle
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Post by Jonmicle »

Hello
I think this is the perfect story,In your short story will cover all thing.
you are justify the line of poem THE NATURE written by RASKIN BOND. Short but beautiful life is batter than long and bad life" LIFE OF LILY IS BATTER THAN THE LIFE OF LOG ". same thing is in your story short but beautiful.

JON
Corporate Motivational Speaker
Nitromeaga
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Post by Nitromeaga »

now i really liked this one . :) :shock: :shock: thank
Modymilly12
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Post by Modymilly12 »

The photograph falls from his hand, slowly and gracefully descending to the floor with the rest of his world. The nostalgia that occurred is replaced by pain stemming from realization of what has been lost.
John Cooper
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Post by John Cooper »

nice book...I read it....
Lepa
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Post by Lepa »

It feels like a girl wrote it ;P Anyway, nice one. Poems, especially the first one, are great. Well done.
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