Sunset

Everything was quiet, aside from the sounds of the waves hitting the rocks she was sitting on, and the slight breeze flowing through the reeds. She stared out in front of her, not actually seeing anything. thought running through her head. She felt mixed up inside; like there was a fist of emotion stuck in her chest, but she had no way of getting rid of it.

The past week had been hell. People coming, people going. Everyone had that stupid,sad smile on their face. Pretending they were sorry, that they were sad. The smile that said they knew how she felt. Lies, all lies. How could they know how she felt? They knew nothing,but kept on pretending they knew everything.

And the pity in their eyes. They pitied her. She hated that. They looked upon her as if she was five years old. As if she needed protecting. Well she didn't need their protection. She was sixteen, old enough to take care of herself. And she didn't want their pity. It annoyed her, as did the tip-toeing around the house, the hushed voices; the voices that talked to her as if she didn't understand what had happened. She understood perfectly, but couldn't tell them to leave her alone. Even if she did, they would put it down to her emotions being in a disarray due to the situation. They would ignore her or become even more annoying, all of them trying to be a best friend, someone she could talk to, tell them how she was feeling. She didn't want that, couldn't take it.

And she couldn't stand the way they kept on asking her how she felt. How did they think she felt? She certainly didn't feel like jumping round the house, singing happy songs. Honestly! She decided that the next person to ask her how she felt, or how she was holding up, would get a well-aimed punch.

The atmosphere was stifling in the house. Gloom had settled in. She knew that due to the circumstances, there was meant to be unhappiness, and a lot of it. She understood that. But it was too much! She could hardly breathe in there. With the emotions running high, the hushed voices, people crying at times when they thought no one could hear them, the dark that they kept the house in. It was all too much! She couldn't take it anymore. She had had to get out. Which was why she found herself here, by the sea, a five minute walk from where she lived.

She looked out at the sea. The sun was setting now. How long had she been here? She didn't know, didn't care. The sky turned into a beautiful glow of different colours, mostly oranges and reds. Sadness tugged at her heart. She wished her sister was here to see the view.

A cry broke the silence. She jumped, startled at the sound. She turned slightly and picked up the crying baby from the Moses Basket and held him close to her, breathing in his smell. She remembered picking him up before getting out of the house. Her nephew. The precious baby her sister had left in her care, the one thing with which she could remember her sister with. Holding him to her breast, she rocked him slightly, looking out at the sea, at the sun which was barely visible now. It was leaving her, just as her sister had. Tears slid down her face. She wished her sister was there, beside her, with her.