(MUOC) Footsteps

(MUOC) Footsteps

Footsteps
Artist(Band):Sting & Police

Hey Mr. Dinosaur
You really couldn't ask for more
You were God's favourite creature
But you didn't have a future

Walking in your footsteps

---


Periwinkle.

Footsteps

The position of her extremities no longer provided an impression in her consciousness. Her arms and legs might as well have been removed from her body, though they were tucked close to her naked torso. Only the smell of dust remained, and the feeling of the hard earth pressing against her left cheek. Even her labored breathing was lost to her, the mucous filling the last remaining passages of her lungs. Against her will, she drew thin ribbons of air through narrow openings, while she waited for an end that failed to consummate in her final breath.

The open sky stood witness to her condition.

Olive skin, that had once been beautiful, hung flaccidly on her bony frame. Her hair, long enough to conceal bare patches on her skull, lay in dark contrast to the light colored soil. The wrinkled soles of her feet displayed thick calluses permanently stained by heavy use.

But even in her condition, she remained a thing of of beauty. If not for the thick, liquid sound of her breathing, one might have assumed she had merely chosen to rest in the partially secluded copse. Indeed, a songbird sang boisterously nearby, its tune too joyous to indicate it had taken notice of her dying body. And the insects that hovered above her, danced in wild circles, as if celebrating the first days of Spring.

Occasionally, she would try to open her eyes, but the intensity of the high sun made it too difficult. And even when she managed it, she lacked the necessary strength to gain focus. Each passing moment only brought the brilliant reds that penetrated her lids, bathing her mind in a wash that eliminated even simple thought.

It had been a lonely existence for her, not by choice, but by irrefutable circumstance. Though she could once conjure the images of some she had known in her early life, the passage of time erased the details, muting their memory until she believed it nothing more than her imagination. For her, life had been an aimless endeavor, marked only by brief moments of pleasure found in cool stream beds, or warm grass in open fields under the night sky.

When the first sound of disturbance came from behind her, she did not hear it. She was far too gone for that.

Slowly, the animal approached, cautiously investigating its unexpected find. At first, it paced nervously a few feet away, sampling the odor of what lay before it from a safe distance. Then, as it moved closer, the animal lowered its head and inhaled more deeply, confirming what it had learned further away. Its muscles tensed for immediate flight, but when no danger presented itself, its jaws quickly tested the flesh; and just as quickly, released their hold, as the animal sprung back a few short paces.

Nothing.

When the animal realized there would be no resistance, it finally moved in and sunk its sharp teeth deeply into her side. The immediacy of the pain rang through her head like an alarm. In that one brief instant, she was able to open her eyes and focus on a small clump of periwinkle growing only a few feet away from her face.

And then, she was simply gone.

The human race was no more.


[edit on 21-3-2006 by loam]

I loved the vivid descriptions in the story loam and thought is was put together beautifully. That ending was a bummer though

This was some great writing and i'm glad you shared it with us. Good job.

Wupy

Originally posted by mrwupy
That ending was a bummer though

Yeah, I'd call that a bad day...

Thanks for the compliments.