The ache of absence is a cruel teacher. It reveals how much we cherish something only after it's irrevocably lost. To be stripped of yourself, to yearn for a past you can no longer reach… it's a grief that claws at the edges of sanity. I long to reclaim the person I once was, but the currents of time flow only one way. It all began on a quiet night, a night that shattered the world I knew. There is no returning to the shore I left behind.
❮ Flashback ❯
The streetlights cast long shadows as I walked home alone. Dusk bled into twilight, and a familiar anxiety tightened in my chest – the fear of my parents’ reprimands for being late. I’d promised my friend I’d walk with her, but she’d been absent that day, leaving me to navigate the darkening streets alone. Twice I’d lost my way, wandering aimlessly through the labyrinthine streets.
Then, I heard footsteps behind me. I glanced back, but saw only the indigo sky and the looming silhouette of a building. The moon hung bright and silver, scattered with glittering stars.
It was a breathtaking sight. For a moment, I allowed myself to absorb the beauty, etching the scene into my memory – a sketch waiting to be born on canvas.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows, running towards me. They seized me, their grip impossibly tight, suffocating any attempt to wriggle free. Panic surged through me. I kicked and punched, desperate to break free, but their strength was overwhelming. They bent me forward, forcing my head to the side, exposing my neck. A searing pain bloomed as something sharp pierced my skin. I screamed, but a hand clamped over my mouth, silencing me. Warm blood trickled down my neck, and a dizzying wave washed over me.
Then, darkness.
The figure dropped me, and I tumbled to the ground. Through the gloom, I saw them kneel.
“I’m so sorry…” they whispered, their voice ragged with breathlessness. They were shaking, their body trembling with the weight of their actions. It was a man.
“I’m so sorry…” He sobbed again, and I scrambled to my feet. He didn’t move to help me. Disoriented, I stumbled away, running blindly towards the only place I knew – home.
(End of Flashback)
Ever since that night, I’ve mourned the ghost of my former self. I carry a secret, a burden I’ve never dared to share, not even with my own family.
I suppose this is the price of immortality. The curse of being a vampire. But oh, how I wish I'd been given a choice.
⚪︎ ◦ ☀︎ ☁︎☽ ◦ ⚪︎