Limbo

Everything around me is gone.

The trees.

Gone.

The birds. 

Gone.

The children...   gone. 

The lives of thousands of people around me whisked away by the wind. 

It doesn't feel like wind though.

It's not a refreshing breeze, the kind that gives you hope on a bright summer's day.

It's a cold gust carrying the dead. 

All is silent.

Everything around me is a haze of grey. 

The air, the ground, the sky.

Grey.

What happened?

Then it hits me. 

My breathing turns shallow as you flood into my mind. 

Where are you?

I can't see you.

Feel you.

Hear you.

I call your name.

Nothing.

My heart begins to race.

I start to run.

Looking all around to see some hint of you.  

The ashes hit my eyes and they begin to tear. 

Again, I call your name. 

Nothing. 

I fall to my knees with my face in my hands.

I don't feel the ground.

I don't feel the air. 

I'm numb. 

Everything is dead.

Gone. 

You were right here. 

Smiling. 

Laughing.

Loving.

Why did you go?

Why did you leave me?

I can't exist without you. 

Please come back to me.

"Shh."

I look up.

A small girl is standing in front of me.

She wears a white gown that is almost blinding against the world of grey. 

"W-where is everyone?" I choke out.

She says nothing and stares at me.

"What's your name?" I ask, "Where is your mommy?"

Her blank eyes widen slightly, yet she continues to say nothing. 

"Can you talk?" I inquire. 

She then holds out her hand.

I reach up to take it. 

As I touch her hand memories flood into my mind. 

You and I were at the park.

There were children playing, and couples strolling.

The sun was warm against my skin and the music from the birds was enchanting. 

You and I were lying in the grass under an oak tree.

My head lay upon your chest and I listened to your heart beat.

Your hand rested on mine and you brushed my fingers with your own. 

The smell of summer air and earth tickled my nose. 

You were humming a song to me as I lay there.

The kind of song that only the heart can provide. 

The purest of songs. 

Then everything went dark.

There was no sound.

No air. 

No smell.

Just black.

I look to the girl as she looks at me with a knowledge far beyond her years. 

"Where am I?" I ask. "What happened?"

"This is Limbo." She says.