My apologies for the wait.
I've been working on something giant and great.
It was supposed to be done and rested by June.
But the writing of a story can't always be done so soon
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So instead I offer you a promise, a promise of writers past
Every five stories will be a Story, and a long book on the tenth pass
Every five, a series of one boy whose eyes change with every word spit
And every ten being a story of longing, where every detail is hit
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As a writer you write, till your right, then your story turns right at the door
Then you ponder if you should post it, and is left on the floor
it's one you may enjoy even those in Montoya
It's a very long story titled Paranoia
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It's one that cannot bee seen as of yet
It's done but not edited, like bread it's needs to set
And tweaked with butter and a drizzle of honey
Now my words are stuck together, isn't that funny?
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In rows of four all neatly in toe
Though this will be done in only three days I'll have you know.
So without further ado, and to stop being mean.
This is the story, a story titled Foreseen.
-Seshat
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A girl sits alone at her family's table. Overshadowed by everyone around her, never looked towards unless they needed something to hit. She barely went anywhere and when she did they were forced to bring her along. For some reason it's wrong to leave a child home alone in the slums of a city. Or at least, that's what her mother thought, overhearing her father and brothers argue differently. Groaning they always took her but never looked her in the eye, just made sure she existed and got mad when she denied.
One day, they decide to go down the pier for some cheap fun. There she would find something she never saw before. It contrasted the tents surrounding it, all bright with reds of poppies and white of bones. This one tent was different. This tent seemed to rise with the moon, its dark purple exterior being outnumbered by the others. The only showing of any brightness was the bright yellow stars that were flicked on every side. From the entrance of the tent wasn't a cue or a line, but fog that rolled from below beckoning her to come in. Like it was begging for her, begging for Destiny.
When she turned around to ask her family if she could go to it, she found that they had wandered off into the crowd somewhere. She was left alone, though she knew it wouldn't last long. Sooner or later her brother would come up behind her and drag her with the rest by her hair. But he wasn't there long, the only thing in her view was the purple tent, and she wanted to go inside of it. She decided before walking into the purple tent she would be allowed to do the one thing she couldn't. So she walked to the fencing of the pier and looked out, below her was a thirty foot drop.
‘If I were to fall, would I even feel the ground?’ She wondered, remembering the last time they went to church. The pastor, a big man with a loud voice, spoke about how heaven was a place for those who were good and never did wrong, how everyone could achieve it if they just believed in God. In that moment, Destiny took hold of the fencing and started to pull herself up before climbing back down. She was a believer of God, so she could easily go to heaven now and save a later trip. But she first wanted to go to the purple tent.
So she walked from the pier, promising to go to heaven after this pit stop, and walked into the dark room. The stars followed then surrounded her. A small table sat, one made of fairly clean glass. On top of it was a pillow that held a crystal ball. It reflected the purple surroundings and single handedly lit up the room. Behind it was nobody, just empty darkness.
Maya looked around and wondered if she in fact slipped off the pier fence and didn't make it to heaven, maybe it was just darkness. But in the midst of her thought she was surrounded by something new. The chimes of angels ran circles around her, until a woman entered from the other side of the crystal ball. She wore a black veil, had long black hair, purple eyeshadow and pale skin. Her lips and other features of her face were blocked by the crystal ball, and veil.
“Good evening child, my name is Madam Pandora, would you like your fortune read to you?” Madam Pandora questioned, reaching her hand towards Destiny. She remembered where she was and searched her pockets for a ticket. Though when the kind man from the entrance of the pier handed her a stack of fifteen tickets. Sadly one of her brothers stole it from her, in the struggle to get her fifteen back she was only rewarded half of one, ripped in half from the battle. When she handed it to Madam Pandora she looked toward her palm in confusion. Her long black nails prodded towards the ticket, analysing it like a tiger in bushes. She then chuckled, snatching the ticket between her fingers as her dark tone became louder.
“Very well, if half a tickets fortune is what you seek, then half a tickets fortune you shall know” Madam Pandora stated before pulling her hand away from Destiny. She placed the ticket into some container under where she sat and grabbed the crystal ball. The crystal ball that reflected the purple walls started to twist and turn, turning different shades of colors before settling on a bright purple.
Madam Pandora grabbed something from under her chair and laid out three cards. The back of them had lines going every which way, the only symbol that was shown was in the middle which held an eye. She then tapped Destiny's edge of the table and she complied by pacing her hands where she tapped. After Madam Pandora took both hands before freeing one and flipped the first one and showed its front side. Instead of a playing card, it seemed they all had pictures.
The first was a small dwarven man on the edge of a rocky cliff, looking out into the ocean. He held a lantern above his body that seemed to light up the world around him. Though in defiance the ocean raged on below the cliffside. On the top of the card read the letters IX and below had the title The Hermit. The entire card was upside down however which caught Madam Pandora's attention.
“Ohhhhh, Your future reads of The Hermit however, reversed. You shall see loneliness in your future small one, one so isolated that what you know now will not be the same later, I worry for you small one.” Madam Pandora was sorrowful. Destiny already has seen something similar to this her entire life, always alone at the table, always alone at family events, she would swear she was alone at her birth. She pat Destiny's hand in sadness before reholding it and flipping the next card.
The second showed a tower of cobblestone, one that rose well above the clouds. At the top was a blazing fire and hoving above that was a gigantic eye that radiated rays below. The clouds beside the tower held thunder and all struck below. On the top of the card read the letters XVI and below had the title The Tower. This time the card faced towards Destiny, Madam Pandora's face stayed still despite this, though her eyes looked to be tearing up a little.
“A journey up the tower your future holds, your pride broken in pieces, your dreams all drowned before they were even dreamt, all such disaster. Your future doesn't look like one of brightness unless you change, small one.” Madam Pandora stated, gripping Destiny by the palm. Destiny looked to the stars when she spoke of dreams and thought of sleeping. Though she overheard all her classmates in school talk about dreams as being doctors and such. While they dreamed of being rich or popular, Destiny only dreamed when she slept. Madam Pandora’s eyes seemed to frown towards Destiny, her future being bad before flipping the third card.
The third had a skeleton being held against a wall by two swords, above him was a sand timer and he was inside of a striped tent much like Destiny. Below him were hands and flowers, vines ran the walls of the tent. On the top of the card read the letters XIII and below had the title Death. The card faced Destiny again, she knew what death was at the very least and the word seemed to place Madam Pandora in shock.
The silence of Madam Pandora told Destiny all she needed to know. She watched as the person in front of her looked towards the card in fear, her breath became heavy and audible. Destiny wanted to ask if she was ok but before she could she spoke up again.
“Oh poor small one, the card of death only shows an end, and yet… if I pulled three more cards you would have a future. Though death is not your end, it can be your future change of life, a metamorphosis, a new beginning, yes. That's what this card means little one. I promise” Madam Pandora said, grabbing Destiny by the hands, her eyes turned teary before the smoke rose and she disappeared chimes following close, though the faint sound of sobbing was heard beyond the darkness.
Destiny exited that place, learning more than she came in. Her future looked as lonely and sad as her past. But in the end, there will be change. Destiny then walked towards the pier fence and stood atop it, she couldn't wait an entire future for change, Destiny had the power to change right now. So she stepped towards the lights of heaven before being dragged by the legs back to hell. Her head slamming into the fence that she once stood on, her brother slammed her down onto the pier wooding and started to shout at her. Calling her names before slapping her and dragging her across the pier to where their father and other brother was.
Her vision was blinded by blood trickling out of a newly placed scar on her forehead. As she was dragged, her legs became scratched, splinters forming on both legs and onlookers watching in disbelief of what had just happened in front of their eyes. Destiny wasn't thinking of them, wasn't thinking of the blood rushing out of her legs or of the scar which made her face sting. She only thought of the purple tent, how alone it was between all the others. Of the lady in the shadows of the tent who looked at her as she was dragged. How even someone as magical as her will feel bad for her. And for the first time in her recent memory, she smiled.
That was the last time she smiled for the next eleven years. The only times she even came close to a smirk was when she read of the dark arts. She obtained her first book on such things in school.
‘The things people will allow in elementary school is something else’ Destiny admitted. One of the first books she ever read was one on how to do magic. Though she knew the first was about a spider and a water spout. She learned magic was actually a part of the dark arts from her brothers stealing the book from her and her later being forced into a christian camp.
Their priest forced them to wear gowns and read the Bible daily, if not they were hit by rulers. The other girls in her group always winced and teared up to the ruler but Destiny barely felt a thing. The other girls never looked towards her for any guidance, only trusting the pastor and his words of ‘wisdom’ which Destiny never thought possible. Like when she was covered in bruised and bloody girls who were beaten senseless by rulers for questioning why their body changed.
“Red symbolizes sin. Isaiah writes, “Through your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18) and in it he speaks of blood, it is the showing of your blood now that makes your sin show, and bring with it ever lasting purity.” The pastor would preach as girls cried at his feet. Destiny always disliked the way she treated the other girls but they never were too kind to her, and plus, she wished for scarlet nails after learning this.
The years went on before Destiny had been given the option to go home before but the thought of that made her more obedient. At first she wouldn't go to sermons, take any of the pills they tried to give her, or even touch her bible. But overhearing that she would have to be shipped home made her the best nun she could be. Though her belief in the lord faltered over time, she still preached about him when she could. She later found that they couldn't send her home because her family moved away from their home town and refused to give their new address to the church.
When Destiny turned twelve she was forced into a nearby community middle school where she saw a lot of the ways of normal children. The good faith god preaching girl that amazed nuns faltered in a blink of an eye as the common threat of being sent home withered. She found she was seriously behind on what she should have known in school to that point. She learned about addition and subtraction in the sixth grade, a little English and the history of her hometown. By the seventh and eighth grade she learned about the country's wars and what the fifty stars ment. Her intelligence was her only attribute that others commented on in class and most of the time she ate alone. She did cry some nights though that was from the other nuns speaking about their families and how kind they were which always got to destiny.
That was until she met a boy named Phoenix. He seemed to be at level intelligence as Destiny and wore things that she wished she could. His face was pale as snow, he wore black eye shadow, black lipstick, and had messy hair. His outfit was dark and always had some sort of protector from the sun, be it an umbrella he brought with him or a tree that he sat under. When Destiny and him met they sat besides each other as he wrote poetry, before talking to Destiny about how useless school was. He then let her read some of the poetry and learned a lot of things she was never taught in the christian school. Phoenix helped her understand school although only how useless it truly was but in truth he did help her mellow out.
Every day when Destiny woke up she was quiet and obeyed the rules, but at school she would help write poetry with Phoenix and learn more things about darkness and sully. She did this every day before summer came and ruined the fun of it. That was before he started to come over to the christian school just to chat, he would always be found out of course and escorted off the property. He even once brought her a poem about their situation away from each other.
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The bat that's far in her cage shall never be able to fly
The spider tries to get his food, his yummy bunch of flies
But is denied by the rain that continues to push him out
He climbs and climbs but is flushed from the water spout
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Though it was a short poem she enjoyed it alot. It was based on the first story she ever was able to read. They both still conversated from time to time before he stopped visiting. The last time he did there were cops involved and Destiny assumed he didn't wanna get arrested. Though she didn't know why.
The next year came and she found that Phoenix wasn't there anymore. Not there in the summertime, winter, or really anywhere in or around school. This sent Destiny down a dark rabbit hole of depression that only was rivaled by the nuns beating down on her for frowning during their time of prayer. Destiny's life was a series of holes with every one she dug being filled with yellow spotted lizards. This one with Phoenix hurt on one of the most crucial levels that she thought she would never live through. What was worse was when she was given a phone call randomly from one of the nuns about a day after the cops.
So she was surprised on one of her last days of highschool when she walked down the walkway and when looking out into the crowd behind the nuns that came and cheered her on was Phoenix. After the ceremony he told Destiny how he got his own place and it was surprisingly close to where she used to live. She asked if she could stay with him and she accepted.
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“UGH!!!, Why won't this stupid magic thing work?” Destiny cried as Achlys looked over, swishing his hair out of his face. He fell out of bed, sighing before standing up and looking at Destiny's trials and errors.
“So…. what's it supposed to do?” Achlys asked sounding bored. He was once known as Phoenix but since he moved out of his parents he went by a new name. Out of the two of them only Destiny had a high school diploma. Though she never went to college.
“It's exposed to predict the future somehow, I build it right and if your future is good the magnet will float, if it's not then it'll fall down.” Destiny said, setting the magnets underneath again before trying to make it float. The pieces of plastic held down the magnets and placing the magnet in the middle will of course cause it to float or smack into the ground, both sides told different futures. This time it didn't work because of Achlys slamming his fist into it and the magnet being launched into a metal pen then falling flat on its non-existent face.
“Dude!!!!..... Just why?” Destiny asked, giving up on being angry at the guy.
“Cause… this looked dumb before I hit your magnet friend with a truck” Achlys said before standing up, groaning as he did. He looked towards their clock and groaned again.
“Time for work?” Destiny asked which made him sluggishly nodd. He then donned another outfit, in it he looked like a regular joe, just blue jeans and a tank top. He left highschool to be a mechanic and makes enough money for them both to live pretty decently. Though in the past Destiny told him that she would get a job but he said she didn't need to and his low bearing way of speaking made Destiny her lazy self.
When he would leave for work she would find something to do. Either writing poetry or stories on her computer, that she found so lame that she couldn't imagine anyone else with a brain doing it. Or she would just walk around, remembering not to walk during the night, at least not from the street where she can view their home, because people take the turns on that road too strongly and people get hit there all the time.
But before any of that she goes onto her computer and checks the city's digital bulletin board. It was always a good source of inspiration when it came to poems or stories but today she actually was amazed by what she read. The circus was in town and on the front page was no other than a purple tent with stars all around it.
“Seeking to know what your future holds? Come speak to Madam Pandora and find out what the trip fortolds, exclusively at the pier.” The front page read, a purple crystal ball was the main image. Destiny didn't know what to do or say, so she did the one thing she knew how to do. She jumped out of her dirty clothes, put on some new, though very identical ones, and went down to the pier.
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Arriving at the pier she found it was jam packed with stuff, food carts, attractions, a small built in roller coaster, a house of mirrors. But none of that mattered, near the entrance was the purple tent, and next to it. Open pier. When Destiny started towards it an alarm sounded, she looked around herself and found she was under a metal detector and an officer was walking towards her.
“Do you have anything made of metal on your person mam?” He asked, reaching his hand out to take whatever was metallic. Destiny had a bunch of things metallic, a nose piercing, a belly piercing, a few rings but that didn't matter. What mattered was the intercom that was overhead.
“The following attractions will be shutting down in ten minutes: The mirror maze of magic, Lucky's stumble tumble, and Madam Pandora's fortune tent. Thank you and have a fabulous day” Was announced to the whole park. Ten minutes and Destinys would be destroyed, she had to see her again, she hasn't felt the same since then, she needs her fortune explained to her. She was needed in the circus.
So Destiny sprinted and sprinted, ran though the circus at breakneck speeds, the officer soon chased her and she had to lose him, she then jumped a cue and ran into the mirror maze, she had never been in one before. For the first few seconds she found herself alone, in a room full of herself. And maybe it was right, why would a stupid tent give her all the answers, it was years ago after all, how would she even remember her fortune let alone the little girl she never got the name of.
Before she could think more she saw a color of blue appear in front of her, it rushed and grabbed towards her but slammed into the wall instead. Destiny saw this and swiftly needed to leave, she kept her left hand on the wall and followed it, hoping that the officer wouldn't catch up, it wasn't until she saw sunlight that she started to sprint again, instead she saw another officer who called something into his badge when seeing Destiny.
So she ran and ran again, missing the tent and running for the piers edge, she jumped onto the fence and stood perfectly still, though her legs shook. She looked down and found that it was a lot deeper of a fall. The years haven’t been kind to the beach as the sand has been pulled back since she was seven. She then looked back to see the officer in the maze catch up with the officer in front of her, this time no one pulled her down by her legs. All they did was beg for her to reconsider. Though Destiny didn't know what to consider, she looked at the men who had fear strike their face, both going pale at the sight, Destiny only wished she could have that pale of skin herself, she felt jealous. She then looked back down and thought for a moment.
‘ Being in a room with myself really shows me how alone I am in this cruel world, Achlys showed me that much, I don't have to do anything while he gets to go out and meet people, I'm just home, rotting away, like a corpse. Maybe it'll be better if I become one, yeah. That sounds cool.’ Destiny thought before she overheard a female voice call out behind her. She looked to see who it was, and wearing a black silk dress, wearing black lipstick and wearing black heels was Madam Pandora, and she was speaking to Destiny.
When she lowered herself from the fence the police officers immediately tackled and restrained Destiny, they walked her from the fence and towards the entrance. They told her some of the rights as a person she had as Madam Pandora followed close, she then looked towards Destiny and stopped the cops in their place.
“Mam, er, Madam Pandora, please, step away, this young lady may be dangerous.” The officer said, pulling on the newly placed cuffs tightly. She knew what the cuffs ment, she would be kicked out of the circus and never allowed in again, Madam Pandora is probably just getting a good look so she wouldn't ever wanna see her face again. She then looked at the scar on her chin, and looked towards Destiny.
“You didn't happen to get that mark on your chin from that pier over there years ago did you?” Madam Pandora asked, Destiny's eyes lit up as she nodded swiftly. Madam Pandora mimicked her expression and raised both her hands.
“This is my niece, can you fools tell? Look towards her apparel” Madam Pandora requested, as the officers looked Madam Pandora up and down then Destiny all the same. They both nodded before one of the officers.
“Then why didn't she just say that? Better yet, why didn't she come into the show with you?” The officer asked, the other agreeing.
“Because, she is to be my apprentice, she isn't one yet” Madam Pandora said, pausing as she made the last parts up.
“Yeah? Then why did you question her sca-”
“Never mind that fool, now, let me take my niece to my tent, we need to be gone five minutes ago.” Madam Pandora demanded, rushing towards Destiny reaching her hand out. They then got her out and she rushed into the tent with Madam Pandora, it was a dream come true.
“I'm sorry about that Madam Pandora, I just came to see you again and..”
“Oh Sweet child, I hope you return to me, you're the reason I only return to this pier and never anywhere else!” Madam Pandora interrupted and held Destiny close, this was one of seven hugs she ever received, and the first that wasn't from family.
“Why me?” Destiny questioned. Though she had a reason she couldnt find out why Madam Pandora would defend her like she did. She looked towards Destiny and sighed, grabbing a deck of tarot cards and shuffling them before speaking once again.
“Because, ever since I saw how your future would turn.. I feared I was looking into my past instead. You see, as a small girl I was always bullied. I read books instead of joining cheerleading. I would rather listen to music or watch birds than play with others in the park. It was my family who first abandoned me, I never could find anyone, in love or in friendship. But that's where I found this place.” Madam Pandora placed the shuffled cards on the glass table and held her arms up to showcase the tent. It wasn't as magical as Destiny remembered though the glass table with the crystal ball still remained, reflecting off the purple glow of the tent magically. She then lowered her arms and sighed, pulling the top three cards and placing them in front of her, like years prior she patted the table and grabbed Destiny by the hand. Before she continued speaking, the first card was flipped and it was hermit, reversed.
“It was a rough start though, I barely was given this purple tent and crystal ball, the other ahem. ‘Carnys’ as I like to call them, didn't ever stop by or offer to help set up or break down the tent, but I still enjoyed what I did. The mystic arts and such things, but throughout it all, I was alone.” Madam Pandora said though she sat on her black wooden chair which blended in with the back of the tent. She then pulled up the second card, and like Destiny was reliving the memory the second card came to be the tower.
“So I had to build myself up, and once I did, I became the star, but I couldn't have done that without reading both your future and mine.” Madam Pandora said, finally pulling the last card from the shuffled deck, which of course was the card of death.
“It was your future and mine that I read that day, a changing of my path and one day yours, If only I knew how to thank you..” Madam Pandora said her head in her arm. Then her eyes lit up.
“What if…. Your future and mine are interlinked? What if you join the circus with me and we will together be a show on the road?” Madam Pandora explained excitedly before her excitement drained.
“Oh I'm sorry small one, I only am a fool, the job pays good sure but it's only above minimum wage, the travel is taken care of but I wouldn't want to do that to your employers, it doesn't look good on a resume you know…. Unless… You can convince your boss to leave by tomorrow, that is?” Madam Pandora looked towards Destiny and she looked back towards Madam Pandora, wondering what this new path would bring her. Though her excitement was so well contained she didn't speak much, just a goofy smile that ran across her face. She finally was able to stop smiling, a feeling she much enjoyed, and breathed.
“I…. I don't have a job. I live with my…” Destiny didn't know what to call Achlys, he only really talked to her when she was around, never hopping towards her or asking about her day. Could that be considered a real friend? Someone who only wants you to be like an item, something stationary and to be used? Destiny didn't think so.
“Acquaintance, he lets me live there rent free…. it's a long story” Destiny admitted. Madam Pandora laughed at this and then quieted herself down after a moment.
“That's…. Well.. That's amazing to hear, but I wouldn't wanna have you hurt your acquaintance, even if you sound as if you're not close with this…” Madam Pandora questioned.
“Achlys, orwell's real name is Phoenix but he changed it once he left high school, again a long story.” Destiny laughed at this, she couldn't remember the last time she smiled so much.
“Ah.. Achlys, the misty darkness as it's known in Greece, he wouldn't happen to wear mostly black like yourself would he?” Madam Pandora asked, chuckling at her own wit. Destiny never did question what Achlys ment but misty darkness definitely made sense so she just nodded.
“What a funny sounding person, small one, speaking of names, I never did catch yours.. What would it happen to be?” Madam Pandora asked again, sitting at her seat.
“Oh… My name is Destiny.” Destiny started doing an awkward wave as she did.
“Oh? And what was your name before you changed it?” Madam Pandora asked before catching herself.
“Or is that your actual name, do forgive me if it is.” She sprouted before standing up and taking her hand outside. The sun started to fall from the sky away from the pier.
“It is… And uh….” Destiny looked towards the setting sun and the fence she almost rode to Valhalla on and realised something. Both these things, like words, are destiny changers, one that Madam Pandora spoke of, how Destiny was hers, maybe Madam Pandora was Destinys. When she realised this she looked towards Madam Pandora who was waiting in anticipation.
“I… Would like to join you for being a fortune teller Madam Pandora, It would be a..” Destiny froze.
“A dream come true.” Destiny admitted, when she dreamt, she would see a purple tent, though she never questioned it as, it wasn't being a doctor or being rich so no one would care. Madam Pandora seemed to jump with glee, hugging Destiny as she did.
“That is amazing to hear Destiny, it's a dream of mine as well, we shall be very popular, and i'll teach you the ways of a Fortune teller, and on our days off we will explore the world.” Madam Pandora showcased, her smile being brighter than Destinys.
“But first you must do the most challenging task of any good fortune teller Madam Destiny” Madam Pandora stated, making Destiny shed a tear at her new title.
“W-what's that?” Destiny wondered, hoping it would be to go home and just pack her things.
“Help your master out with taking down this tent” Madam Pandora said in a not so scary voice, Destiny would have been sad at manual labor but this time laughed at the idea. So when she bowed to Madam Pandora it was the first job Destiny ever did and she did it swiftly.
At the end of the day Madam Pandora promised Destiny to be waiting for her at the pier while every one of the other Carnys either left or started to leave for their next show, Destiny couldn't wait for the future she had just acquired, her life changed forever.
‘Wow, a real circus, I can finally work my dream job’ Destiny cheered in her mind, she couldn't wait for the day she was to have tomorrow. So when she left the pier she looked back and waved towards all the Carnys she had met. She promised them to come back tomorrow for the job and walked down the road. The sun seemed to set, a terrible day became the one that would change her life forever.
She then walked towards their building, though it was almost pitch black besides from the dim street lamps she could tell where she was. Crossing the street that divided her soon to be forgotten home, ready to explain to them that she was ready to move on. She knew she would thank him for everything and that he would understand, though he wouldn't ever openly show any type of gratitude. Destiny assumed he would miss her. But her path in life needed to keep moving, and not stay stagnant.
So she looked towards the building, halfway across the road, ready to spend her last night there. Before being flung from the middle of the road, into the pole that held the lights above the road. And laid there, bleeding out of newly made cuts and bruises, before passing away the smile never fading with her.
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