TW : Death, Suicide, War, Blood, that's all I can think of
571Please respect copyright.PENANAQMsFvRrZ8K
The sound of raging fire and yells filled the soldier’s ears. He let out a sob, looking down at his dead brother, his hands covered with his brother’s blood.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAfGzBybt2Ro
War, what a hideous thing, he thought as tears dripped down from his eyes as he stared down at his brother’s dull, pale ones. Those beautiful eyes used to hold so much life and light in them. And now that light was gone. All because power-hungry men wanted to rule the world.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAVVCa9BCSdF
He clutched the purple rock in his hand. His little sister had given it to him.
571Please respect copyright.PENANALc429RfSa4
“A lucky charm,” she had said with a bright smile. “Hold it with you! You’ll come back to me safely!”
571Please respect copyright.PENANA4bJSCbgimv
His heart ached, his expression was grief-stricken. Oh, what would she think when she realises her dear brothers are never coming back?
571Please respect copyright.PENANAxQVJPRXX1K
He screamed at the sky, watching with hope, a storm of bombs heading in their direction.
571Please respect copyright.PENANA3ZfYIKIuK6
The soldiers started running back but he stayed, holding the body of his brother.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAadBX7nqzdA
If I can’t protect myself or my brother or my country, he looked down at the rock in his hands, I will die protecting the love of my sister.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAXzNJvyeBgE
He held his brother’s body close to his chest, his other hand curling protectively around the rock.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAAdeP4rBZAl
The ashen sky mercifully rained death upon him.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAS5HqAf68UA
* * *
571Please respect copyright.PENANAM0okzmdpLY
Matthew looked at the rock in his hand. It was purple, and quite small. He held it up to the sun and smiled when it glowed.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAPnBokFWFJZ
Beautiful, he thought.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAAGFtVYeIV2
He had never seen a rock like this before. He had been walking on the beach, relishing the feel of soft sand underneath his feet, when he spotted this vibrant little thing on the ground.
571Please respect copyright.PENANA4ooohjdn8H
His mother told him that on this very beach he was walking on, a war had taken place.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAMcFozgssrW
“So many men had died that day,” his mother had croaked out. She had seemed to be on the verge of tears. “Y-you had two uncles, you know? They h-had gone to war too. They’d become brave men who served their country, ready to protect me and our family. You would have loved them Matthew . And they would have loved you.”
571Please respect copyright.PENANAcjI4wuc5yI
Mother rarely talks about his uncles, so when she does he always listens carefully, trying to figure out what kind of people they were, what they looked like. What he had gathered so far was quite vague. It wasn’t enough. He had always wanted to meet them but he knew he couldn’t. He wished he could ask his mother more about them, but he wouldn’t want to hurt her.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAPNI5aRBpec
Matthew flung the rock in his hand slightly, catching it at the perfect moment. He shoved his other hand in his pocket.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAAB9vSgUYLZ
The war had ended eighteen years ago, right on his birthday. His mother had named him Matthew that day, meaning ‘A gift of God’.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAPRUoYAk7MC
He wished God had blessed him enough to save his uncles.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAGTnbjIA64S
571Please respect copyright.PENANAr8nhxVAZMG
* * *
571Please respect copyright.PENANAWrUJfh2eFs
Laura stared at her husband with love and happiness in her eyes. She watched as her husband recited the words, “I, Alexander Renell, take you, Laura Greenwood, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life."
571Please respect copyright.PENANAJVnx4wXTw5
Her heart swelled with joy as her eyes glittered with unshed tears. Her husband grinned at her, trying to force back the tears that threatened to fall.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAAiLSNeW1VD
“I, Laura Greenwood, take you, Alexander Renell, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life."
571Please respect copyright.PENANA8g6568Tx3P
She watched with amazement as the love of her life gently took her hand, slipping a beautiful ring on her finger. It was a silver ring, at the centre of the ring was a pretty, purple stone. He gently raised her hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss to each of her knuckles.
571Please respect copyright.PENANACvCFOPy2YP
She couldn’t control herself and she grabbed her man by the neck, joining their lips together in a colourful kiss. She drowned out the loud cheers in the back-ground, just admiring the man in her arms.
571Please respect copyright.PENANA4qWr7ui12p
She promised herself to honour these oaths until she took her very last breath. And if the next life exists, she would gladly love him in his next life too.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAkmBQ8kjzkz
* * *
571Please respect copyright.PENANAON11vvYvlv
Madeline chuckled dryly, glaring at the glimmering ring in her palm. Her mother said that the rock in the ring gives luck and happiness to anyone who possesses it. Then why is she standing on a cliff, holding the rock in her hands, tears dripping down her cheeks? She enjoyed the beautiful view of the ocean at midnight, the endless map of stars shining brilliantly, reflecting itself on the clear, blue mirror below it.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAkLHmPGuOtu
The songs of the wind and the roars of the waves comforted her, eased her anxiety. She was afraid, so afraid of what she was about to do. Her crimson dress was ruffled from the breeze. But she also knew that she would finally find comfort. She would find peace. She would no longer have to wake up to another say, knowing she was nothing but a burden to others, nothing but a waste of space.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAotLL0UkuPA
The only thing that had kept her alive till now was the ring she held. The ring was said to be about two-hundred years old, and it held many years of history in it. She couldn’t just let it be lost by the waves. So Madeline placed a soft kiss on the ring, setting it on the ground.
571Please respect copyright.PENANA9PZ3Bj0cNd
“Give me death,” Madeline whispered to no one. “Give it to me.”
571Please respect copyright.PENANAmKK4dDWfFW
The woman turned around and spread her arms wide. And she fell. The last thing she had seen were the stars, soothing her into a painful sleep.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAZQItHbyeRP
571Please respect copyright.PENANABp3aJLJuv5
* * *
571Please respect copyright.PENANAgxeRMHHRy1
A boy walked towards a cliff, angry at the world. Angry at everything and nothing. He picked up random rocks, throwing them at the sea. In his rage and fury, he had not realised he had thrown away a precious ring that had many lives, memories and stories bound to it. He had thrown away a rock that had survived through war, love and peace.
Now it stays still, at the bottom of the ocean, forgotten and castaway.
571Please respect copyright.PENANAXFvIw7Bqi2