[eS}
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Life
      Here,
      Life
      Gone
     
     
      By
      Cat
      WILLCOCK
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      cool
      spring
      wind
      rustled
      the
      blooming
      trees,
      making
     
     
      an
      almost
      harmonic
      sound
      in
      her
      finely-tuned
      ear.
      To
      her,
      it
     
     
      sounded
      like
      a
      highly
      talented
      orchestra
      building
      towards
      its
     
     
      pounding,
      earth-shaking
      climax,
      but
      alas,
      it
      wasn't
      that
      at
      all.
     
     
      All
      it
      was,
      though
      from
      all
      it
      seemed
      to
      be,
      was
      a
      simple
     
     
      breeze;
      here
      one
      second,
      gone
      the
      next.
     
    

    
     
      "That's
      all
      happiness
      is."
      She
      thought
      to
      herself
      as
      God
     
     
      put
      forth
      another
      breeze
      with
      His
      majestic
      powers.
     
     
      "Something
      that
      is
      here
      one
      second,
      and
      gone
      the
      next.
      A
     
     
      fleeting
      dream,
      something
      you
      think
      you
      feel
      but
      when
      you
     
     
      reach
      out
      to
      grab
      it,
      it's
      gone."
     
    

    
     
      Depressed
      by
      the
      outlook
      she
      had
      just
      painted
      for
      her-
     
     
      self,
      she
      allowed
      the
      muscles
      in
      her
      neck
      to
      completely
      relax
     
     
      and
      her
      head
      slumped
      towards
      the
      earth.
      She
      closed
      her
      eyes,
     
     
      unwilling
      to
      see
      her
      head
      crash
      into
      the
      pavement,
      praying
     
     
      the
      pain
      wouldn't
      last
      long,
      if
      at
      all.
      Her
      eyes
      were
      jerked
     
     
      opened
      by
      the
      fact
      that
      her
      chin
      had
      slammed
      into
      her
      chest.
     
     
      She
      chuckled
      to
      herself,
      realizing
      that
      she
      was
      not
      going
      to
     
     
      be
      allowed
      to
      die
      that
      easily.
      She
      was
      going
      to
      have
      to
      make
     
     
      more
      of
      an
      effort
      that
      just
      allowing
      her
      neck
      muscles
      relax.
     
    

    
     
      She
      focussed
      on
      the
      pavement
      and
      actually
      admired
      it
     
     
      for
      a
      moment,
      taking
      it
      all
      in.
      The
      pavement
      was
      a
      mostly
     
     
      grey
      colour;
      a
      mix
      of
      good
      and
      evil
      to
      form
      the
      lifeless
     
     
      colour
      of
      grey.
     
    

    
     
      "Funny,"
      she
      thought,
      "people
      drive
      on
      this
      grey
      every-
     
     
      day
      and
      they
      don't
      realize
      what
      they
      are
      actually
      driving
      on."
     
     
      Realizing
      that
      she
      herself
      didn't
      quite
      understand
      what
      the
     
     
      true
      meaning
      of
      the
      colour
      was,
      she
      focused
      her
      attention
     
     
      back
      onto
      the
      grey.
      As
      she
      studied
      it
      more,
      she
      saw
      specks
      of
     
     
      black,
      but
      no
      specks
      of
      white.
     
    

    
     
      The
      blackness
      in
      the
      grey
      road
      was
      of
      varying
      degrees,
     
     
      but
      nonetheless,
      it
      was
      still
      black.
      The
      blackness
      came
      from
     
     
      various
      rocks
      and
      oil
      stains,
      but
      its
      presence
      alone,
      or
      perhaps
     
     
      it
      was
      the
      lack
      of
      any
      white
      in
      the
      grey,
      began
      to
      bother
      this
     
     
      woman
      immensely
     
    

    
     
      She
      shook
      her
      head,
      raising
      her
      shaking
      hands
      to
      her
     
     
      head,
      hoping
      that
      they
      could
      somehow
      chase
      these
      insane
     
     
      thoughts
      out
      of
      her
      mind,
      but
      sadly,
      her-effort
      failed,
      leaving,
     
     
      her
      only
      with
      fists
      of
      hair.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      wind
      blew
      again.
     
    

    
     
      Happiness
      here,
      happiness
      gone?
     
     
      No,
      that
      wasn't
      quite
      right.
     
     
      Sanity
      here,
      sanity
      gone.
     
    

    
     
      There,
      that's
      better.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      She
      faced
      the
      fact
      that
      she
      was
      inevitably
      going
      to
      refo-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cus
      her
      attention
      back
      to
      the
      grey,
      so
      with
      a
      heavy
      sigh,
      she
     
     
      began
      to
      take
      in
      the
      grey
      to
      her
      mind
      and
      _
      her
      faithless
      soul
     
     
      once
      more.
      She
      became
      frantic
      as
      she
      seemed
      to
      begin
      to
     
     
      search
      wildly
      for
      some
      sort
      of
      colour,
      some
      sort
      of
      life.
      Her
     
     
      desperate
      search
      came
      up
      empty.
      Tears,
      formed
      by
      the
      deep-
     
     
      est
      part
      of
      her
      blue
      eyes,
      clung
      to
      her
      eyelashes
      for
      a
      brief
     
     
      moment,
      and
      then
      began
      their
      descent
      down
      her
      pale
      cheeks,
     
     
      leaving
      a
      salty
      trail
      of
      moisture
      in
      their
      wake.
      The
      tears,
     
     
      which
      gravity
      began
      to
      control,
      fell
      to
      the
      earth,
      and
      onto
      the
     
     
      grey,
      making
      only
      a
      silent
      'plop'
      on
      the
      pavement.
      »
     
    

    
     
      She
      was
      even
      more
      distressed
      to
      see
      the
      tear
      sink
      into
     
     
      the
      grey,
      a
      small
      black
      mark
      its
      only
      evidence
      of
      existence.
     
     
      Unable
      to
      watch
      this
      sight
      anymore,
      she
      turned
      her
      head
      to
     
     
      her
      right,
      desperately
      hoping
      that
      she
      would
      see
      some
      ray
      of
     
     
      hope.
      That's
      when
      her
      small
      hope,
      if
      only
      for
      a
      brief
      moment,
     
     
      lifted.
      |
     
    

    
     
      On
      the
      top
      of
      the
      grey,
      victoriously
      painted,
      were
      two
     
     
      seemingly
      unending,
      solid
      yellow
      lines.
      They
      were
      separated
     
     
      by
      a
      solid
      grey
      line,
      but
      nonetheless,
      a
      sign
      of
      light
      on
      the
     
     
      rather
      depressing
      scene.
      She
      smiled,
      in
      spite
      of
      herself,
      and
     
     
      reached
      out
      to
      touch
      them,
      hoping
      to
      herself
      that
      this
      wasn't
     
     
      just
      some
      other
      false
      dream
      like
      those
      cool
      spring
      breezes.
     
     
      Her
      heart
      jumped
      when
      she
      realized
      that
      those
      two
      yellow
     
     
      lines
      were
      tangible
      objects,
      something
      she
      could
      feel.
      Her
     
     
      fingers
      ran
      across
      the
      yellow
      lines,
      ignoring
      the
      rough
      feel
      of
      _
     
     
      the
      road,
      the
      slight
      imperfections
      of
      something
      so
      beautiful
      to
     
     
      her
      at
      this
      moment.
      Nothing
      could
      take
      this
      away
      from
      her.
     
    

    
     
      That's
      when
      she
      saw
      it,
      the
      one
      thing
      that
      robbed
      her
      of
     
     
      her
      smile,
      the
      one
      thing
      that
      made
      her
      hopes
      come
      crashing
     
     
      down
      from
      the
      high
      plateau
      she
      had
      placed
      them
      on.
      It
      was
     
     
      nothing
      gigantic
      by
      any
      means,
      only
      to
      her
      it
      was
      earth-shat-
     
     
      tering.
      It
      was
      a
      speck
      of
      grey,
      mixed
      in
      with
      the
      bright
      yellow
      -
     
     
      lines.
      She
      blinked
      her
      eyes
      and
      opened
      them
      again,
      wishing
     
     
      that
      it
      was
      her
      over-worked
      mind
      playing
      horrible
      tricks
      on
     
     
      her,
      but
      it
      wasn't.
      :
     
    

    
     
      Once
      she
      opened
      her
      eyes
      from
      her
      quick
      blink,
      she
      real-
     
     
      ized
      that
      there
      wasn't
      just
      one
      speck
      of
      grey,
      there
      was
      anoth-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _er.
      And
      another...And
      another...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      wind
      blew
      again.
     
     
      Hope
      here,
      hope
      gone?
     
     
      No
      that
      wasn't
      quite
      right.
     
     
      Sanity
      here,
      sanity
      gone.
     
     
      There,
      that's
      better.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Unable
      to
      focus
      on
      the
      grey
      any
      longer,
      she
      rose
      her.
     
     
      head,
      forcing
      the
      muscles
      she
      had
      allowed
      to
      completely