The End Before

Dark, grey fog surrounded me. It moved towards me as if it were alive. I could feel its breath gaining onto my right shoulder. I turned to see if anyone was there. I refused to believe it was just air. No one appeared as I turned around.

“How could it possibly be that air could breathe on my shoulder?” I whispered to myself.

I shook off the eerie feeling that I had. I couldn’t let my mind get the best of me. I continued forward on the moss-infested cobblestone walkway I had trekked for the last few minutes, although it felt like I had been walking for hours. The cobblestone walkway continued out in front of me for, what it seemed like, miles. Long, and full of curves that carved through the fog. How could the walkway be visible but the surroundings were not? I thought about this over and over again. It seemed to be playing like a broken record in my head. I knew something had to be off. But, yet again I brushed it off and continued my way down this cobblestone trail.

It was silent. Almost too silent. The eerie feeling I had once before had come creeping upon me again. This time I didn’t brush it off. I told myself to, but it didn’t budge from my thoughts. Maybe it was because my thoughts filled the silence. But why? Why would this feeling not budge even if I thought about other things? I walked faster, hoping I would get to where I was going. The feeling I had only grew stronger as a walked faster. It felt like it was following me. Faster and faster my pace grew. Trying to get out of reach of this feeling I had. It only grew stronger with every stride I took. The path became longer, I wasn’t reaching the end. I soon realized I wasn’t moving at all. I had stopped, dead in my tracks. The fear I had was gone, vanished into thin air. Once again it was the silence, the fog, and myself.

“Why did I stop moving?” I whispered oh so quietly to myself. It felt as if I had moved my mouth to form the words but didn’t make a sound.

I stood there in my tracks trying to figure out what was happening to me. I couldn’t move my legs to walk. I was stuck, like my feet had stepped in cement and now I was planted into the cobblestone. I tried to pull my legs up with my hands but they wouldn’t budge an inch. I tried to wiggle my fingers under my shoes to break them free but that didn’t work either. There was a loose stone in the path beside me. I picked it from its place in the path and proceeded to strike the other stones around my feet. I soon gave up. Not a single stone by my feet had cracked, chipped, or moved. I placed the rock back in its rightful place in the path and stood up straight in defeat. Nothing was working, and nothing was happening around me either. It was silent still. No wind, no crickets, nothing. I was completely and utterly stuck in this dead silence.

The fog moved around me. It didn’t move because of the wind, there was none. It moved on its own, circling around me. I quickly looked down at my feet to see if I was circling and still, I was stuck to the ground, not moving. The fog became faster, circling around me like I was in the middle of a tornado. As it grew faster, it also grew closer to me. I could feel its breath as it grew closer, not just on my shoulder but my whole body could feel it. It was ice cold, it sent shivers running down my spine. That eerie feeling came back as the fog grew faster and closer to my body. The feeling of fear became abundant in my thoughts too. Still, the fog circled me, trapping me into its claws of ice-cold breath that made my fear only become worse. I heard a scream. The ear-piercing scream had come from within the circling fog walls. It began to grow louder. It started to circle around me, just like the fog had. I covered my ears to soften the scream but it didn’t work. It only became louder. The fog circled me faster and faster, and with its growing speed, it only became closer. The scream grew louder as the fog got closer. I couldn’t take it anymore. I quickly curled up into the fetal position and covered my ears and began to scream into the quickening fog tornado. The fog whirled around me at high speeds blowing my hair in every direction. It touched my skin and only made me feel ice cold. The scream had become so close that it felt like it was right on top of me. I only screamed louder, hoping, wishing for this to be over.

My eyes quickly opened to the sound of my morning alarm. My heart pounding in my chest from the horrible nightmare I just had. I quickly shut my alarm off and laid my head back down on my pillow. I stared at my white ceiling, with my hand on my chest to feel my racing heartbeat. I took serval deep breathes to calm down. I reminded myself that it was only a dream.

A knock on my bedroom door came abruptly which made me jump slightly. I went over to the door and opened it. It was my mother coming to see if I had woken up.

“I made breakfast, get dressed, and come downstairs please.” she said with her soft and delicate voice.

“I will be right there.” I replied.

I closed the door, walked back to my bed, and sat down. I picked up my phone from my night table beside my bed and quickly realized what day it was. I flopped over onto my back on my bed in agony and frustration. I quickly got up and got ready for the day. I grabbed my bag and proceeded down the stairs where my mother was sitting at the dining table. I set my bag down by my chair and sat myself down to begin eating breakfast. As I ate my eggs and toast, I could feel the piercing stare of my mother across from me on the other side of the table. I finished my mouthful of food and connected my gaze with hers.

“Goodmorning, are you excited?” she said softly.

“Yes and no.” I replied. How could I be excited? I thought to myself.

“Well, in that case. I bought you a gift. To hopefully help you with your transition here.” my mother replied as she pushed a small, rectangle-shaped, gift towards me. She wrapped in neatly of course.

I picked it up from the table surface and began unwrapping it. As it fully became unwrapped, I saw that it was a small little black book. It had nothing on the front or back as I tried to examine what it was. I opened up the cover and on the very front page, had heart jerking note that was written.

“Just know, wherever you go, whatever you do, I will always and forever be with you.” signed by my late father that had just passed a little over a year ago.

I closed the cover and held the little black book tightly close to my chest. I could feel a tear starting to form but I quickly wiped my eye so it wouldn’t fall. I looked at my mother and she was just smiling at me. It angered me that she could just smile, but deep down I knew she was hurting just as much as I was. I put the book into my bag and finished eating my breakfast without saying another word to my mother. After I was finished, I put my plate in the sink, walked back to the table kissed my mom on the forehead, grabbed my bag, and walked out the door.

I was full of different emotions as I got into my car and proceeded to drive away from home. I quickly pushed those emotions out of my head and decided that a fresh start was needed. I turned on music and sang along with the song playing.

I quickly reached my destination. I only live about twenty minutes away anyway. I turned into the parking lot and parked my car. I sat in my car and pulled out that little black book my mother had given me. I opened the cover again and slowly traced the handwritten note with my finger. I had a strange feeling come over me. I started turning through the pages of the book. About halfway through a folded piece of paper fell out onto my lap. I put the little black book down and proceeded to open the folded piece of paper. I began to read it and an emotion of happiness ran over me. I quickly put the piece of paper back into the book and put the book into my bag. I quickly dialed my mom's number and patiently waited for her to pick up.

“Hello sweetie.” she answered the phone as usual.

“Hi, mom! I have some very important news!” I was almost screaming into the phone.

“What is it darling?” she questioned my enthusiasm.

“Dad left me twenty-thousand dollars!” I screamed into the phone.

“What!? Your father lost everything during his illness this can't be!” she replied.

“It true! There was a note in the little black book you gave me at breakfast this morning. It has all the information of a savings account that was in my name!” I said with so much happiness in my voice.

“Well, come home and we will look into this okay?” she replied.

“Okay! Goodbye!” I ended the conversation. I quickly pulled out of the parking lot of my new high school and proceeded to drive home.

I was filled with so much happiness because I would be able to go to culinary school next year and follow in my father's footsteps. But little did I know that would all come to end in the next ten minutes of my drive home. As I was almost home, I came to a stoplight. No big deal, right? I thought. But that same eerie feeling that I had in my dream came over me again. This time I knew it was real. As I waited at the light, I was struck from behind by a driver that was drunk. Sending me into the busy intersection, and multiple car pathways. I was struck over and over again sending me into a spinning whirl. All I could think of was my mom. That was my last thought.

There I was again, on that cobblestone pathway. But this time it wasn't surrounded by fog, there were beautiful white clouds all around. The pathway was no longer miles long. Simply a few feet. At the end, was a beautiful light. I felt someone grab my hand, I looked down and knew. I was no longer scared of what was to happen, I was full of serenity. We walked hand in hand, going into the light, knowing everything was going to be okay.