A Promise To Mom

Melissa opens her eyes to a smoke-filled sky just like every other night before. She could hear the bombing had continue off in the distance all through the night. She had taken shelter for the night in an abandoned church where she constructed herself a makeshift mattress out of old newspapers and towels. Melissa slips her heart shaped locket out of her pocket and opens it up to a picture of a young Melissa with her mother. “I love you mom. I promise I will make everything right.” She says aloud with determination, but with a hint of desperation. She closes the locket back up and places it around her neck. It has been 5 months without my mom, 5 whole months of war and suffering. Her chest tightens as her feelings of sadness move to anger. “ALL THIS FOR WHAT!?” She yells at the dark sky. “WHY IS THIS HAPPENING WHY AM I THE ONE STILL HERE!” She stops abruptly and listens to the deafening silence that daylight brings. Suddenly she hears something moving around just past the tree line. She was not about sit around to find out who it was- or what it was. With one swift swoop she had her whole makeshift mattress loaded onto a shopping cart she had found and headed out. She starts out on what was left of an abandoned highway in what used to be New York City. The worst part of all this is not knowing who the enemy is, she thought to herself. Suddenly she felt uneasy, like someone was watching her. She quickened her pace as she started to move toward the hills off on the side of the road to seek shelter in the tall grass while she gets a better view of the surrounding area. She had just made it to a safe spot behind a tree when she feels something tapping on her shoulder. Startled, she turned around to see a disheveled looking little girl. She was covered in dust and rubble but was strangely calm, but Melissa was cautious, this could be a trap. Who are you, what do you want? She says to the little girl and is more than surprised when the little girl answers back with “I’ve been looking for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’ve been looking for you Melissa.”

Taken aback Melissa starts to slowly back away from the girl. “I know your scared, but your mom sent me to come find you and bring you to her”

“Now I know your lying my mom is dead, she died in the first attack while I was at school.” Melissa argued. That’s when she caught a glimpse of a necklace dangling from the girl’s neck, except it wasn’t just a necklace, it was a locket. Just like the one she had around her neck, just like the matching one her mother always wore. “Where did you get that?”

“Oh yeah! The girl said, your mom told me to show you this.” She then pulled the locket over her head and handed it to Melissa. Melissa snatched the locket out of her hand and flung it open to see the same picture of her mom that was in her own locket.

“Where did you get my mom’s locket?”

“She gave it to me when she told me to come find you.”

“So… you mean my mom is still alive, she’s still here?”

“Well not here per say let’s just say she’s a little far, but yes she is still alive. I’ll explain more on the way, come with me I will take you to her.”

Melissa hesitated, this could all be an elaborate trick, but by who? This random little girl found me, knew my name, and had my mom’s locket. Would I be insane to follow this random child off to God knows where? Yes. She thought to herself, but something felt different. She felt oddly comfortable in the presence with this child, and could anyone really explain how she had the locket. She thought some more before agreeing to go.

I may die but I am barely living as is, so to hell with it.