Lydia Pedersen
"Old World Eyes"
“You could have died Emma! Are you okay?” Emma’s best friend asked. I never paid attention to the best friend’s name.
“I’m fine, but that was really weird,” Emma said, while rubbing her head.
“How could a car miss, when it was coming right at you?” I made the car miss her. Mettalix was a machines that could most any bit of metal at any time.
“I don’t know.” Emma shrugged, “This kind of thing has been happening a lot lately.” I noticed Emma’s knees bleeding from tripping. I quickly pulled out my Meliorator. It’s job was to fix minor cuts and scratches. I made it a few years ago, let’s just say the investors weren’t interested. I programmed it to Wound Type: Bleeding, Injured Area: Knees. I pressed the button and Emma’s knees were immediately healed. “Wow. Look, no scratches too.”
“How does someone trip and walk away perfectly fine?” Her friend asked.
“I don’t know, but I could have sworn I felt some sort of pain in my knees earlier.” Emma shrugged. “Whatever, let’s go.”
Emma and her friend walked away, oblivious to my presence.
I took a deep breath, she was O.K. I pressed a button on my mechanical arm, which signaled Cubix to get to work. Cubix’s job was to protect Emma while I was not around. Cubix keeps her safe from the little things. It summons me when she would be in a lot of danger. Cubix always makes sure that my invisibility is well intact when I meet Emma. If she saw me she would run away screaming.
I am scarred on my chest and back. I lost an arm and replaced it with a mechanical one. I don't look in the mirror anymore, scared to see the monster looking back at me. I know I have dark black abyss like eyes. My tools are kept in a belt on my waist with extra tools in a holster on my thigh. My hair is long and hangs loosely on my shoulders. Goggles rested on top of my hair or around my neck. My white shirt is constantly stained with grease and grime. Lastly I wore big black belted boots.
Emma is clumsy and trips a lot. She was in an accident recently, but she doesn’t remember it. It messed up her memory and balance. Emma danced incredibly graceful. She always walked on her toes, full of purpose. She personified pure elegance. Sadly, she lost most of that. Along with any memory of me.
However, Emma never lost her beauty. Her tiny frame and stature, eyes an old world blue, short pixie platinum blonde hair, and the most joyous and loving smile. Her hair was longer but some of it got burnt off. She always wore a flowing dress that matched her eyes. Shoes were out of the picture as much as possible. Her smile was always sincere. I haven’t seen it in a while.
I stood and started home.
Once I got home, I began to work on my Memory project. I desperately wanted to bring Emma’s memories back. The only problem with my device is that it needs her original memories. Then I can input her memories into the machine and then to her. Which I don’t have or a way of getting. The doctors said certain words or phrases might trigger memories, or maybe just seeing me. The problem lay in when she actually woke up from her medically induced coma. She didn’t recognize me or say “You look familiar.” Emma sort of panicked, tried to ask who I was and then started screaming for a nurse. Her eyes said enough, I was an unknown monster.
I looked at one of my screens that showed Emma’s health at that moment. Another showed her health on the day of the accident. The day of the accident showed a heart problem. The doctors said it went away. . I buried my face in my hands remembering that day. My fault. Emma was my fault. All my fault. I made Cleanix. Cleanix malfunctioned. And I couldn’t, I didn’t protect Emma. I caused most, if not all, of her injuries.
Cleanix was meant to help clean polluted air; basically, pull in regular air, purified it, and send out clean breathable air. When Emma and I tested it, a gas came out instead of clean air. The gas spread to the forge causing a chemical reaction and an explosion. I struggled to protect her…I shielded her from the blast with my body, but metal was flying all around. A bit sliced through my arm. Some metal hit Emma in the back and she started bleeding. The heat was searing and we had to get out. I dragged her out of the lab. Then she fell and hit her head on a rock, knocking her out. I fell and my body weight crushed her body which pushed the metal deeper into her back. I’m very clumsy around my little Emma.
I passed out. I woke up to a slow a steady beat and an antiseptic smell. Emma was gone. I pulled the monitors off my body and ran; my only thought: find Emma. My heart stopped when I found her. She looked dead. Pale, eyes closed, breath to small to see, connected to every type of machine, bandages covered her, and doctors and nurses surrounded her. A nurse noticed me and I was dragged away immediately... What had I done?
An alarm blaring to my left snapped me out of my thoughts. Emma! I grabbed the devices I would need and bolted out the door. Cubix informed me Emma had passed out, no dehydration, no poisoning, no allergies....I finally caught up to her, heart pounding. Emma was white and cold to the touch. I checked for a pulse… My heart stopped. Emma can’t be dead. She just can’t be dead. Why would she be dead. Why? Why? WHY?
I have to get her to the hospital. I gently picked Emma up and ran her to the hospital.
I paced rapidly in the waiting room. The doctor appeared. His face said it all. No. Tears began to flow down my cheeks like rivers. I leaned over Emma and gently touched her cheek. It couldn’t be true. I made sure this would never happen. My machine would have told me. Emma is too kind and perfect for this. She doesn’t deserve any of this.
“Ms. Emma died from a heart infection that was never treated from a prior accident,” the doctor said.
“AN INFECTION THAT WAS NEVER TREATED!” I bellowed, grabbing the doctor’s shoulders and pushing him against the wall. “THE DOCTORS SAID THAT THE STUPID INFECTION DISAPPEARED! NOW BECAUSE OF YOU VERY CLEVER ‘DOCTORS’, EMMA, THE GIRL I HAVE LOVED FOR SO LONG IS DEAD!” I knocked all the chairs in the waiting room over, the magazines went flying.
“Guards!” The doctor called.
“YOU CAN’T DO YOUR OWN JOB! YOU’RE SUPPOSE TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE LIVE!” I punched a hole in the wall. “You let my Emma die…” I slumped against the wall and fell to the floor.
The guards came running and then stood silently, witnesses to my absolute grief.
“No…wait. Wait! Please don’t send me away from Emma again!” I begged sobbingly.
I was sent home as kindly as possible.
They sent Emma to an undertaker.
Sherrie, the undertaker, was a friend of mine and she agreed to leave Emma alone for a week. So I could grieve. Bless Sherrie. And she would me let me see how she prepared Emma for burial a week before the funeral.
The first day at home, I sat in a chair by the forge. The flames were searing. I had always thought of my forge as rather cheerful. Now it only reminded me of the accident that had finally taken Emma from me. The day of the fire. That day is a lot better than this one. Every day is a lot better than this one.
I now had next to nothing left of Emma. Some half burnt pictures. I pulled them out of the drawer next to my chair. The first one showed half of Emma and I posing in front of my newest invention. The invention itself and part of Emma is gone, but her smile and pale eyes remain. I threw that one aside and choked back a sob. The next only had only her. She was dancing in the back garden with a daisy chain on her head. Emma always did love that garden, she almost made me believe it was magic. It was a welcome change from the fire and metal I worked with. The sun always shone gently on Emma. It seemed to radiate from her and the warmth was gentle. The photo had caught her in mid air, spinning with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. The flowers beneath her were burned away. The burn marks were just about to touch her feet.
My tears fell onto the photo. I destroyed her.. I hadn’t seen her smile since the accident. I can’t see it ever again. Emma once said to me “Everything can be fixed, no matter how broken it is.”. How can I fix her smile, her heart, her body.
It’s impossible. But Emma didn’t believe anything was unfixable. I barked a short laugh. Who am I, Dr. Frankenstein? Emma wasn’t some monster. But I believed in Emma. And, as much as it hurt to think it, she believed in me. How could I fix the unfixable? Come on, Emma, show me the way again. I breathed deeply and bowed my head.
Night came, the garden was dark. Emma. I could almost see her tiptoeing through the garden. Help me. I clasped my head in my hands. Help me, help me, help me.... I sat up and grabbed my notebook. I wrote down a list of questions I needed to answer.
How would the heart work?
How can the heart connect to her vitals?
Where’s my method for bring her back?
Don’t dwell on the negatives but face the facts. The frankenstein method is unreliable and fake. It better for the use on someone who died a few seconds ago, not someone who has been dead for over a day. Offering sacrifices is just plain stupid. I am a man of science not mythology. Giving her my heart is dumb because I want to be alive with her. I don’t have the technology to transfer her soul to another body. Also I like Emma exactly the way she is. I’ll build her a heart. Metal and fire could be my answer.
I spent half of my week building the heart. It was in the shape of any other human heart, but it didn’t feel or sound like any other human heart. It didn’t beat, it hummed. I programmed an automatic microscopic pump/clock to help pump blood through the aorta, right and left pulmonary, and the arteries. The exterior was made of gold sheets. I have a platinum catalyst inside to help improve the efficiency of the fuel cells. I connected it all to a wireless button so I could turn it on and it would stay through eternity. She could be immortal if she wanted to.
I spend the next half of the week learning about heart surgery. Sherrie would empty Emma of blood, embalm her, etc… after I got to see her. Lucky for me I know Sherrie. The gold heart works great and thanks to my eidetic memory, I have a working knowledge of heart surgery and I have a great anticoagulant that works on hardened blood.
The doorbell rang behind me and I ran to get it. Sherrie rolled Emma in, touched my shoulder, and quietly left. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” she whispered and before leaving. I took a deep breath, slowly pulled down the sheet. Emma look angelic, but there were lavendar circles under her closed eyes. Her long eyelashes lay serenely on her cheek and her short blond pixie cut was spread out like a halo. Another flowly dress with the flowers asphodel in her hands and in a crown upon her head. I lifted her and placed her on the table I would be operating on.
I quickly prepped her for surgery, everything was ready, there was just the intense scrubbing- no way would there be an infection this time, I was sterile.
Breathe...
Breathe...
Breathe...
Under intense fluorescent lights that I had borrowed, I readied the scalpel. My hands were shaking. Breathe. I had to be calm. I gently removed her heart and began my work. The surgery went well, Emma was already dead, so I think it went well. I attached electrodes to Emma’s head, her pulse, her chest. .. Gently, I placed the golden heart in Emma’s body, and attached metal to flesh. Slowly, I injected the anti-coagulant. Timing, it’s all about timing. I patiently waited the allotted amount. I took a deep breath. My heart was pounding. I pressed the button and waited.
A minute passed. Then two. Nothing happened. Emma didn’t stir. Her chest didn’t rise and fall. The monitors showed no sign of life. I went over and checked for a pulse. Nothing. How could this be? I made everything perfect. It was flawless. Emma should be awake now. Emma: breathe. I mentally begged. But she wasn’t breathing. She wasn’t breathing and the only heart I could hear was mine breaking. It didn’t work.
It didn’t work…
Tears fell silently down my cheeks onto Emma’s beautiful face. She would never open her eyes again and I would never, never see those beautiful old world blue eyes again.
My heart hurt...no, my heart throbbed...no, my heart ached and burned and every other word for pain there was. Words were insufficient. Emma, please come back. Please, please please please..
I closed my eyes and tried to remember all the good things about her. All the memories I have had with her.
I miss Emma’s smile. I miss the moments I’d make stupid jokes and puns, then she’d smile and laugh at them. She’d always smile while talking to me or listening to me. I miss her smile when she had an idea. I miss the way she would dance around when she was bored. The way she would loosen up next to me. How she walked on her toes trying to be taller. Her energy and joy for anything and everything. I miss Emma. I was being torn apart.
Agony.
A cough, followed by a moan.
I didn’t cough.
I didn’t moan.
My chest felt lighter, it wasn’t writhing in pain. As if the pain was physically taken from it. I put my hand on my chest. It wasn’t just devoid of pain. It was calm and beating smoothly. But, my heartbeat wasn’t the one I heard. Its as if I lost part of my heart. But it didn’t feel lost, it just was painless, effortless now. My breath quickened. What was happening? I felt a flutter on my hand and my eyes shot open.
Emma.
Emma’s sitting up, her face inches from mine. The X-ray behind her showed something strange. I looked closer. Part of a real heart tissue was in the center of her golden one. The DNA showing was...mine? I’m on the X-ray too, it shows part of my heart missing, again same DNA. I don’t remember losing my heart to Emma, except when I first met her. Perhaps she came back to claim it. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter at all because Emma is here. She’s right in front of me alive and well. With that sweet amazing smile on her face.
Emma opened her mouth and spoke in the same sweet voice, “I remember you now. You’re Antony.”
"Old World Eyes"
“You could have died Emma! Are you okay?” Emma’s best friend asked. I never paid attention to the best friend’s name.
“I’m fine, but that was really weird,” Emma said, while rubbing her head.
“How could a car miss, when it was coming right at you?” I made the car miss her. Mettalix was a machines that could most any bit of metal at any time.
“I don’t know.” Emma shrugged, “This kind of thing has been happening a lot lately.” I noticed Emma’s knees bleeding from tripping. I quickly pulled out my Meliorator. It’s job was to fix minor cuts and scratches. I made it a few years ago, let’s just say the investors weren’t interested. I programmed it to Wound Type: Bleeding, Injured Area: Knees. I pressed the button and Emma’s knees were immediately healed. “Wow. Look, no scratches too.”
“How does someone trip and walk away perfectly fine?” Her friend asked.
“I don’t know, but I could have sworn I felt some sort of pain in my knees earlier.” Emma shrugged. “Whatever, let’s go.”
Emma and her friend walked away, oblivious to my presence.
I took a deep breath, she was O.K. I pressed a button on my mechanical arm, which signaled Cubix to get to work. Cubix’s job was to protect Emma while I was not around. Cubix keeps her safe from the little things. It summons me when she would be in a lot of danger. Cubix always makes sure that my invisibility is well intact when I meet Emma. If she saw me she would run away screaming.
I am scarred on my chest and back. I lost an arm and replaced it with a mechanical one. I don't look in the mirror anymore, scared to see the monster looking back at me. I know I have dark black abyss like eyes. My tools are kept in a belt on my waist with extra tools in a holster on my thigh. My hair is long and hangs loosely on my shoulders. Goggles rested on top of my hair or around my neck. My white shirt is constantly stained with grease and grime. Lastly I wore big black belted boots.
Emma is clumsy and trips a lot. She was in an accident recently, but she doesn’t remember it. It messed up her memory and balance. Emma danced incredibly graceful. She always walked on her toes, full of purpose. She personified pure elegance. Sadly, she lost most of that. Along with any memory of me.
However, Emma never lost her beauty. Her tiny frame and stature, eyes an old world blue, short pixie platinum blonde hair, and the most joyous and loving smile. Her hair was longer but some of it got burnt off. She always wore a flowing dress that matched her eyes. Shoes were out of the picture as much as possible. Her smile was always sincere. I haven’t seen it in a while.
I stood and started home.
Once I got home, I began to work on my Memory project. I desperately wanted to bring Emma’s memories back. The only problem with my device is that it needs her original memories. Then I can input her memories into the machine and then to her. Which I don’t have or a way of getting. The doctors said certain words or phrases might trigger memories, or maybe just seeing me. The problem lay in when she actually woke up from her medically induced coma. She didn’t recognize me or say “You look familiar.” Emma sort of panicked, tried to ask who I was and then started screaming for a nurse. Her eyes said enough, I was an unknown monster.
I looked at one of my screens that showed Emma’s health at that moment. Another showed her health on the day of the accident. The day of the accident showed a heart problem. The doctors said it went away. . I buried my face in my hands remembering that day. My fault. Emma was my fault. All my fault. I made Cleanix. Cleanix malfunctioned. And I couldn’t, I didn’t protect Emma. I caused most, if not all, of her injuries.
Cleanix was meant to help clean polluted air; basically, pull in regular air, purified it, and send out clean breathable air. When Emma and I tested it, a gas came out instead of clean air. The gas spread to the forge causing a chemical reaction and an explosion. I struggled to protect her…I shielded her from the blast with my body, but metal was flying all around. A bit sliced through my arm. Some metal hit Emma in the back and she started bleeding. The heat was searing and we had to get out. I dragged her out of the lab. Then she fell and hit her head on a rock, knocking her out. I fell and my body weight crushed her body which pushed the metal deeper into her back. I’m very clumsy around my little Emma.
I passed out. I woke up to a slow a steady beat and an antiseptic smell. Emma was gone. I pulled the monitors off my body and ran; my only thought: find Emma. My heart stopped when I found her. She looked dead. Pale, eyes closed, breath to small to see, connected to every type of machine, bandages covered her, and doctors and nurses surrounded her. A nurse noticed me and I was dragged away immediately... What had I done?
An alarm blaring to my left snapped me out of my thoughts. Emma! I grabbed the devices I would need and bolted out the door. Cubix informed me Emma had passed out, no dehydration, no poisoning, no allergies....I finally caught up to her, heart pounding. Emma was white and cold to the touch. I checked for a pulse… My heart stopped. Emma can’t be dead. She just can’t be dead. Why would she be dead. Why? Why? WHY?
I have to get her to the hospital. I gently picked Emma up and ran her to the hospital.
I paced rapidly in the waiting room. The doctor appeared. His face said it all. No. Tears began to flow down my cheeks like rivers. I leaned over Emma and gently touched her cheek. It couldn’t be true. I made sure this would never happen. My machine would have told me. Emma is too kind and perfect for this. She doesn’t deserve any of this.
“Ms. Emma died from a heart infection that was never treated from a prior accident,” the doctor said.
“AN INFECTION THAT WAS NEVER TREATED!” I bellowed, grabbing the doctor’s shoulders and pushing him against the wall. “THE DOCTORS SAID THAT THE STUPID INFECTION DISAPPEARED! NOW BECAUSE OF YOU VERY CLEVER ‘DOCTORS’, EMMA, THE GIRL I HAVE LOVED FOR SO LONG IS DEAD!” I knocked all the chairs in the waiting room over, the magazines went flying.
“Guards!” The doctor called.
“YOU CAN’T DO YOUR OWN JOB! YOU’RE SUPPOSE TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE LIVE!” I punched a hole in the wall. “You let my Emma die…” I slumped against the wall and fell to the floor.
The guards came running and then stood silently, witnesses to my absolute grief.
“No…wait. Wait! Please don’t send me away from Emma again!” I begged sobbingly.
I was sent home as kindly as possible.
They sent Emma to an undertaker.
Sherrie, the undertaker, was a friend of mine and she agreed to leave Emma alone for a week. So I could grieve. Bless Sherrie. And she would me let me see how she prepared Emma for burial a week before the funeral.
The first day at home, I sat in a chair by the forge. The flames were searing. I had always thought of my forge as rather cheerful. Now it only reminded me of the accident that had finally taken Emma from me. The day of the fire. That day is a lot better than this one. Every day is a lot better than this one.
I now had next to nothing left of Emma. Some half burnt pictures. I pulled them out of the drawer next to my chair. The first one showed half of Emma and I posing in front of my newest invention. The invention itself and part of Emma is gone, but her smile and pale eyes remain. I threw that one aside and choked back a sob. The next only had only her. She was dancing in the back garden with a daisy chain on her head. Emma always did love that garden, she almost made me believe it was magic. It was a welcome change from the fire and metal I worked with. The sun always shone gently on Emma. It seemed to radiate from her and the warmth was gentle. The photo had caught her in mid air, spinning with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. The flowers beneath her were burned away. The burn marks were just about to touch her feet.
My tears fell onto the photo. I destroyed her.. I hadn’t seen her smile since the accident. I can’t see it ever again. Emma once said to me “Everything can be fixed, no matter how broken it is.”. How can I fix her smile, her heart, her body.
It’s impossible. But Emma didn’t believe anything was unfixable. I barked a short laugh. Who am I, Dr. Frankenstein? Emma wasn’t some monster. But I believed in Emma. And, as much as it hurt to think it, she believed in me. How could I fix the unfixable? Come on, Emma, show me the way again. I breathed deeply and bowed my head.
Night came, the garden was dark. Emma. I could almost see her tiptoeing through the garden. Help me. I clasped my head in my hands. Help me, help me, help me.... I sat up and grabbed my notebook. I wrote down a list of questions I needed to answer.
How would the heart work?
How can the heart connect to her vitals?
Where’s my method for bring her back?
Don’t dwell on the negatives but face the facts. The frankenstein method is unreliable and fake. It better for the use on someone who died a few seconds ago, not someone who has been dead for over a day. Offering sacrifices is just plain stupid. I am a man of science not mythology. Giving her my heart is dumb because I want to be alive with her. I don’t have the technology to transfer her soul to another body. Also I like Emma exactly the way she is. I’ll build her a heart. Metal and fire could be my answer.
I spent half of my week building the heart. It was in the shape of any other human heart, but it didn’t feel or sound like any other human heart. It didn’t beat, it hummed. I programmed an automatic microscopic pump/clock to help pump blood through the aorta, right and left pulmonary, and the arteries. The exterior was made of gold sheets. I have a platinum catalyst inside to help improve the efficiency of the fuel cells. I connected it all to a wireless button so I could turn it on and it would stay through eternity. She could be immortal if she wanted to.
I spend the next half of the week learning about heart surgery. Sherrie would empty Emma of blood, embalm her, etc… after I got to see her. Lucky for me I know Sherrie. The gold heart works great and thanks to my eidetic memory, I have a working knowledge of heart surgery and I have a great anticoagulant that works on hardened blood.
The doorbell rang behind me and I ran to get it. Sherrie rolled Emma in, touched my shoulder, and quietly left. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” she whispered and before leaving. I took a deep breath, slowly pulled down the sheet. Emma look angelic, but there were lavendar circles under her closed eyes. Her long eyelashes lay serenely on her cheek and her short blond pixie cut was spread out like a halo. Another flowly dress with the flowers asphodel in her hands and in a crown upon her head. I lifted her and placed her on the table I would be operating on.
I quickly prepped her for surgery, everything was ready, there was just the intense scrubbing- no way would there be an infection this time, I was sterile.
Breathe...
Breathe...
Breathe...
Under intense fluorescent lights that I had borrowed, I readied the scalpel. My hands were shaking. Breathe. I had to be calm. I gently removed her heart and began my work. The surgery went well, Emma was already dead, so I think it went well. I attached electrodes to Emma’s head, her pulse, her chest. .. Gently, I placed the golden heart in Emma’s body, and attached metal to flesh. Slowly, I injected the anti-coagulant. Timing, it’s all about timing. I patiently waited the allotted amount. I took a deep breath. My heart was pounding. I pressed the button and waited.
A minute passed. Then two. Nothing happened. Emma didn’t stir. Her chest didn’t rise and fall. The monitors showed no sign of life. I went over and checked for a pulse. Nothing. How could this be? I made everything perfect. It was flawless. Emma should be awake now. Emma: breathe. I mentally begged. But she wasn’t breathing. She wasn’t breathing and the only heart I could hear was mine breaking. It didn’t work.
It didn’t work…
Tears fell silently down my cheeks onto Emma’s beautiful face. She would never open her eyes again and I would never, never see those beautiful old world blue eyes again.
My heart hurt...no, my heart throbbed...no, my heart ached and burned and every other word for pain there was. Words were insufficient. Emma, please come back. Please, please please please..
I closed my eyes and tried to remember all the good things about her. All the memories I have had with her.
I miss Emma’s smile. I miss the moments I’d make stupid jokes and puns, then she’d smile and laugh at them. She’d always smile while talking to me or listening to me. I miss her smile when she had an idea. I miss the way she would dance around when she was bored. The way she would loosen up next to me. How she walked on her toes trying to be taller. Her energy and joy for anything and everything. I miss Emma. I was being torn apart.
Agony.
A cough, followed by a moan.
I didn’t cough.
I didn’t moan.
My chest felt lighter, it wasn’t writhing in pain. As if the pain was physically taken from it. I put my hand on my chest. It wasn’t just devoid of pain. It was calm and beating smoothly. But, my heartbeat wasn’t the one I heard. Its as if I lost part of my heart. But it didn’t feel lost, it just was painless, effortless now. My breath quickened. What was happening? I felt a flutter on my hand and my eyes shot open.
Emma.
Emma’s sitting up, her face inches from mine. The X-ray behind her showed something strange. I looked closer. Part of a real heart tissue was in the center of her golden one. The DNA showing was...mine? I’m on the X-ray too, it shows part of my heart missing, again same DNA. I don’t remember losing my heart to Emma, except when I first met her. Perhaps she came back to claim it. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter at all because Emma is here. She’s right in front of me alive and well. With that sweet amazing smile on her face.
Emma opened her mouth and spoke in the same sweet voice, “I remember you now. You’re Antony.”
"COLORS"
Last time I saw her, her eyes were an old winter morning gray. Today, and like every day, they are still the old winter morning gray. That’s the last color she captured. One never to be shown to the world but only to her and me. That’s what she is suppose to do. I’m suppose to protect her. She is of the superior group of C.O.L.O.R.S. or known as the Class Over Life’s Obscure Ravishing Search. This superior group is suppose to find new colors and capture them with their eyes. After that they have to recreate it for all of us to see. They are the only people who see all the colors in the spectrum. However, few remain. She is one of the last three alive. They are dying off like the amount of color. The more C.O.L.O.R.S., the more variety of color and the world is less gray. By now almost all of the world is gray. Except when you are around them. Around C.O.L.O.R.S. every color is strengthened so you see its full and true color.
She is named Blue. She is given that name because it is the first color spectrum she chose out of. It was a darker version of blue, named Midnight. Blue says it is what the sky looks like at night. It is rare for girls to see cooler colors, let alone darker ones. It makes Blue all the more important. The other girl who is part of C.O.L.O.R.S. is named Red. Red first saw a light red, named Blush. It is the color our cheeks become when we are embarrassed. The last person in C.O.L.O.R.S. is a boy named Black. I hate him. He said the night sky is a dark shade of black and named it Midnight. Since they all had to agree on a color Red was the deciding vote and chose Black’s shade. I know of Blue’s shade because I am by her side all the time. Black thinks Blue belongs to him. He even believes all her colors belong to him. Almost any darker color Blue finds, Blacks tries to take it. He always tries to get close to her at the worst possible moment. I try pushing him away, but he used the superior card and gets his way.
Right now I’m walking with Blue in the woods. Blue is walking slowly to look for any bit of color she can find. For her, Red and Black they have to look for only their given color. Apparently they can only see different shades of the same color. She is suppose to be finding shades of blue, but secretly she looks for all colors. She never finds a shade of blue as much now. She has a full list of different colors and I’m the only other person who knows of it. Telling of them can get her killed. Blue is already in enough danger, I would never think of causing her more. Since Black takes most of her colors and the public doesn’t know of them, the public believes she is a fraud and worthless. Blue can only say a few colors because Black would say that it is too close to green or black.
This kind of things have been happening for years. There always is a Black in each generation, an heir to the Black throne. The Blacks are considered the wisest because they have the hardest color to find. Black’s colors are law. The next are Grays, Browns and Whites. None of these colors show compassion, they only show anger or hatred. It’s hard to tell the difference between them. Pinks, Reds, Yellows, Oranges, are the love of the world, along with beauty. Pinks and Reds are the most beautiful and loving. Yellows is lively and bright. Oranges is romantic. Silvers, Golds, and Bronze are a mix between love and hate. They switch back and forth all the time. Bronze tend to be hatred more. Golds are more loving. Silver is perfectly a representation of both. Blues, Greens, and Purples are quiet. Some never speak. Purples are usually more lonely. They feel they were close to Pink, but failed entirely. Greens are full of life. They follow Golds and Yellows around a lot. And Blues… are sad.
Blue never smiles and I can see why. To the public, a failed C.O.L.O.R.S. They see that since her eyes are gray, she is all used up. She can’t find any new blue colors. To Black, a toy. He uses her all the time to get any color he wants. He also tries to get her to date him. To Red, a swindler. Red is madly in love with Black. Black makes Blue trip and fall into him. He does it the most when Red is around.
“Oh, Blue!” Black’s deep voice sang, from a distance. It snapped me out of my thoughts “Where’s my pretty girl?” I whipped around. Black walked up to me. “Ew, you’re not her.”
“Blue is busy finding colors, please leave her alone.” I said.
“Well, I’m a C.O.L.O.R.S. so I can see her all I want.” Black pushed me out of the way and walked towards Blue. “Hey Blue.” His voice flirtatious. He put his arm around her and started kissing her cheek. “You look wonderful today. Find me anything new?” Blue locked eyes with me. Her eyes pleading to be set free from Black.
“No she hasn’t” I said in answer to Black’s question.
“I was asking Blue.” His voice went darkened and immediately jumped back up. “Sweet Blue, you gotta work harder, ‘cuz right now everyone hates you.”
“She can’t with you bothering her so much.” I walked up and pulled Black’s arm off her.
“Look you need to stay out of this.” Black pointed his finger at me. I stayed silent. Blue hates fighting. Words or physical she hates it. Black smirked at my silence. He turned back to blue and we both noticed her saddened face. “You’re gonna make her cry!” Black yelled. Blue hates yelling too. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Navy you’re a monster to Blue. Come here Blue.” Black held out his arms. Blue ran to me instead. I picked Blue up and started walking away. Blue laid her head on my shoulder. “What are you doing?!” Black yelled.
“Blue hates yelling.” I said in normal voice. “And you” I muttered. Blue giggled.
“Navy…” She sang. Her finger traced my shirt. She looked up at me. I read her eyes. They said Thank you. Can you take me to my color making room? Please. I nodded.
Blue has as sweet little voice. She barely speaks though, so I never really hear it. Blue’s long brown hair is usually in two little buns on the side of her head; with lapis bows around them. The buns bounce as she walks. Blue wears a mid-calf length dress that matched her bows. The dress has short open sleeves too. Underneath are sapphire petticoats, to make the dress fluffy. She has arctic knee-length socks. Then lapis flats with lapis bows. I tower over Blue at 6’5 ft, a full 1’5 ft taller than her. She’s skinny, with little meat on her bones. I’ve been able to keep her from becoming skin and bones. Her skin looks like porcelain, completing the look of a cute little doll.
My voice is deep and rumbles when I speak. I speak for Blue a lot. I know her best. I have curly black hair that ends just above my chin. I can’t have it in my face so it’s usually in a bun. I wore a skin tight navy suit made of vigentica. One of the strongest fabrics known to man. Parts of the suit had extra pads at the elbows, knees, and waist. I had matching fingerless gloves that were made of a fabric similar to steel. At my waist were many different buttons. Each button, when pressed, would release a weapon so I could protect Blue. Lastly I wore navy combat boots that went up to my knees.
We arrived at Blue’s room and I set her down on her bed. The room was a bunch of dull shades of blue with few supplies. She reached under and grabbed her sketch pad and began drawing. I stood at the door on guard for her. She looked happy while drawing. I loved this small moment she was happy. I always felt sad for her. Though I couldn't show it. I wasn’t allowed to show emotion. I always messed that up. My anger would always show when Black is around. Then he would joke saying I should be Garnet instead of Navy. I would hate to be a Garnet because it means I would work for Red. It also means Blue wouldn't have given me my name.
Once Blue was around the age of 10 the Blue before her died. This forced my Blue to take charge. It also meant she had to chose her guardian. I remember seeing Blue walk the streets of my old fallen to pieces town. I hid in an alleyway. No point in me being seen. She would choose an old knight to serve her. Well, i thought that would happen, instead she ran down the alleyway to where I was. Blue looked frightened.
“Giants, scary” she said to me. I think she was talking about all the tall men waiting to be chose out in the streets.
I walked up to her slowly and put my hand on her shoulder. “Are you Blue?” I asked. She nodded. “My names Allen.” She smiled. “Aren’t you suppose to choose one of those men to be your guard.” Blue nodded. “So you should go chose so I don’t get in trouble.” Blue shook her head. “You can’t say no you have to choose someone.” Blue pointed at me. “Me? No, no, no. I’m not big enough or tough enough to protect you.”
Blue didn’t like my answer. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the alleyway. One of her escorts came up and said “Blue where have you been and who is this boy? You need to chose your knight Blue. Don’t Play around with this boy.” Blue pointed at me. “You chose him?” Blue nodded. “You can’t. Please choose an appropriate candidate.” Blue looked down dropping my wrist. “You need to be more proper and this boy won’t help you at all.” Blue whimpered. “Blue come on.” The man looked nervous. If Blue cried I guess he would be in big trouble.
“Blue don’t cry. You need someone worthy to protect you. I don’t think I could keep you very safe.” I hugged Blue. Blue still didn’t smile. “Sir, Maybe I could be Blue’s knight but one of these guys train me.”
The man thought for a minute. He looked at Blue, who was now clinging to my arm. He softened at Blue’s gaze. “Fine, but I get to choose who will train him. Now go on and name him Blue.”
The man went to go and find my trainer. Blue let go of my arm and stared me down. “Navy?” She whispered.
I smiled at the name. “Thank you.” She smiled for a brief moment.
That was a time when she smiled a lot. When she talked a lot more. Then it all went wrong. Something happened and she stopped being happy. I know its what Blues do, but this was a change in a single day. It appears that she finally snapped or broke inside. I don’t ask why or how it happened. I fear I might bring up a bad memory that breaks her even more. My duty is to protect her, they only way to do that is keep her from breaking.
A felt a tug on my sleeve and looked down at Blue. She nodded meaning it was time for her to work. I opened the door and followed her to the paint room. Which paint room, I do not know. I walk this same corridor everyday. The wall are a light royal blue, while the floor are frost white. The white is to help clear the mind and give them the blank space for inspiration. The walls is to signify which of the C.O.L.O.R.S.’s corridor it is. The other corridors are locked, only that color of C.O.L.O.R.S. may see inside. Blue and I however, know a way in. We need to if Blue is to document the other colors she sees.
We stopped in the middle of the hallway. I looked around just to be safe, before nodding to Blue. She turned to the wall and felt for the crack in the wall. Once she found it she pulled it down to reveal a hidden hallway. These hallways were build for quick escapes to a safe place if Blue was ever attack or if there was a disaster. Blue walked in and I began closing the crack. Once I was done I picked up Blue and began walking. Blue would walk, but I didn’t want to lose her in the dark. I found the stairs and quickly descended. The stairs lead to a big empty room with multiple stairs leading in from other sides of the room. I set Blue down and followed her around the room. She stopped at a stair case and I picked her up again. Up the stairs, following the corridor until we found the crack in the wall. I opened it and set Blue down. She closed it.
We were in the orange hallway. I followed her to the paint room. The walls were a ginger color. It was dark in the hallway. I did my best to watch Blue so I wouldn’t lose her. The paint room was like any other. A rainbow of colors to mix, canvas on an easel, paint brushes, and a chair. The walls and floors blank for inspiration purposes.
Blue sits down and starts painting. She paints the forest we were recently in. She paints every leaf on each tree. Always precise with the detail. I resisted the urge to lean over her shoulder and watch. I waited patiently by the wall, barely seeing anything. I had to make sure no one came in. No matter how empty it seemed here, I could never risk Blue’s safety.
When she finished the entire background and the sky. She mixed and mixed shades until she added one flower in the corner. A beautiful shade of orange.
“What will you name it?” I asked.
“Million bells.” Blue said.
“Looks like fire.” I said. She nodded in agreement. “Shall we go?” She nodded and began to clean up. I helped her. Then took her back to the passageways.
Once we reached her quarters and she sat down, Black and Red burst in. “Oh little Blue.” Black sang. “We need to talk.” He sat next to her and pulled her in his lap. She pushed away and fell to the floor. “Stupid.” I helped Blue up. “Tomorrow is the Color festival. You must be present and must dress in something better than that. Also as my Lady of choice, tomorrow it is my time to say who I am to marry. Our marriage will be seven days time. I already have everything taken care of.”
“No.” Blue said.
“No? You can’t say no. I’m all you have left. If you don’t do this they will kick you out. The people hate you and love me. I’m all you have left.” Black yelled at her.
“I don’t approve of this.” I said.
“Don’t talk out of turn. Blue you do this or lose everything.” Blue looked at me for something to stop this. I had nothing. She sighed and nodded in agreement. “Perfect.” He got up and kissed her cheek. “Love you.” Then left with Red trailing sadly behind.
“Liar.” I said once the door closed.
Blue rubbed her cheek. It was late. I tucked in Blue then went to the door and watched over her. Sleep was something I didn’t need. It was rare to do and only done if absolutely needed. Nobody really slept unless it was a last resort. Except for the C.O.L.O.R.S. Their power drains them. Black sleeps in a lot saying that it's because he does so much, but I haven’t seen him find a single color without help. Blue does the most work here and only I know it. She needs some freedom, if only I could provide that as easily as I provide protection for her.
Last time I saw her, her eyes were an old winter morning gray. Today, and like every day, they are still the old winter morning gray. That’s the last color she captured. One never to be shown to the world but only to her and me. That’s what she is suppose to do. I’m suppose to protect her. She is of the superior group of C.O.L.O.R.S. or known as the Class Over Life’s Obscure Ravishing Search. This superior group is suppose to find new colors and capture them with their eyes. After that they have to recreate it for all of us to see. They are the only people who see all the colors in the spectrum. However, few remain. She is one of the last three alive. They are dying off like the amount of color. The more C.O.L.O.R.S., the more variety of color and the world is less gray. By now almost all of the world is gray. Except when you are around them. Around C.O.L.O.R.S. every color is strengthened so you see its full and true color.
She is named Blue. She is given that name because it is the first color spectrum she chose out of. It was a darker version of blue, named Midnight. Blue says it is what the sky looks like at night. It is rare for girls to see cooler colors, let alone darker ones. It makes Blue all the more important. The other girl who is part of C.O.L.O.R.S. is named Red. Red first saw a light red, named Blush. It is the color our cheeks become when we are embarrassed. The last person in C.O.L.O.R.S. is a boy named Black. I hate him. He said the night sky is a dark shade of black and named it Midnight. Since they all had to agree on a color Red was the deciding vote and chose Black’s shade. I know of Blue’s shade because I am by her side all the time. Black thinks Blue belongs to him. He even believes all her colors belong to him. Almost any darker color Blue finds, Blacks tries to take it. He always tries to get close to her at the worst possible moment. I try pushing him away, but he used the superior card and gets his way.
Right now I’m walking with Blue in the woods. Blue is walking slowly to look for any bit of color she can find. For her, Red and Black they have to look for only their given color. Apparently they can only see different shades of the same color. She is suppose to be finding shades of blue, but secretly she looks for all colors. She never finds a shade of blue as much now. She has a full list of different colors and I’m the only other person who knows of it. Telling of them can get her killed. Blue is already in enough danger, I would never think of causing her more. Since Black takes most of her colors and the public doesn’t know of them, the public believes she is a fraud and worthless. Blue can only say a few colors because Black would say that it is too close to green or black.
This kind of things have been happening for years. There always is a Black in each generation, an heir to the Black throne. The Blacks are considered the wisest because they have the hardest color to find. Black’s colors are law. The next are Grays, Browns and Whites. None of these colors show compassion, they only show anger or hatred. It’s hard to tell the difference between them. Pinks, Reds, Yellows, Oranges, are the love of the world, along with beauty. Pinks and Reds are the most beautiful and loving. Yellows is lively and bright. Oranges is romantic. Silvers, Golds, and Bronze are a mix between love and hate. They switch back and forth all the time. Bronze tend to be hatred more. Golds are more loving. Silver is perfectly a representation of both. Blues, Greens, and Purples are quiet. Some never speak. Purples are usually more lonely. They feel they were close to Pink, but failed entirely. Greens are full of life. They follow Golds and Yellows around a lot. And Blues… are sad.
Blue never smiles and I can see why. To the public, a failed C.O.L.O.R.S. They see that since her eyes are gray, she is all used up. She can’t find any new blue colors. To Black, a toy. He uses her all the time to get any color he wants. He also tries to get her to date him. To Red, a swindler. Red is madly in love with Black. Black makes Blue trip and fall into him. He does it the most when Red is around.
“Oh, Blue!” Black’s deep voice sang, from a distance. It snapped me out of my thoughts “Where’s my pretty girl?” I whipped around. Black walked up to me. “Ew, you’re not her.”
“Blue is busy finding colors, please leave her alone.” I said.
“Well, I’m a C.O.L.O.R.S. so I can see her all I want.” Black pushed me out of the way and walked towards Blue. “Hey Blue.” His voice flirtatious. He put his arm around her and started kissing her cheek. “You look wonderful today. Find me anything new?” Blue locked eyes with me. Her eyes pleading to be set free from Black.
“No she hasn’t” I said in answer to Black’s question.
“I was asking Blue.” His voice went darkened and immediately jumped back up. “Sweet Blue, you gotta work harder, ‘cuz right now everyone hates you.”
“She can’t with you bothering her so much.” I walked up and pulled Black’s arm off her.
“Look you need to stay out of this.” Black pointed his finger at me. I stayed silent. Blue hates fighting. Words or physical she hates it. Black smirked at my silence. He turned back to blue and we both noticed her saddened face. “You’re gonna make her cry!” Black yelled. Blue hates yelling too. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Navy you’re a monster to Blue. Come here Blue.” Black held out his arms. Blue ran to me instead. I picked Blue up and started walking away. Blue laid her head on my shoulder. “What are you doing?!” Black yelled.
“Blue hates yelling.” I said in normal voice. “And you” I muttered. Blue giggled.
“Navy…” She sang. Her finger traced my shirt. She looked up at me. I read her eyes. They said Thank you. Can you take me to my color making room? Please. I nodded.
Blue has as sweet little voice. She barely speaks though, so I never really hear it. Blue’s long brown hair is usually in two little buns on the side of her head; with lapis bows around them. The buns bounce as she walks. Blue wears a mid-calf length dress that matched her bows. The dress has short open sleeves too. Underneath are sapphire petticoats, to make the dress fluffy. She has arctic knee-length socks. Then lapis flats with lapis bows. I tower over Blue at 6’5 ft, a full 1’5 ft taller than her. She’s skinny, with little meat on her bones. I’ve been able to keep her from becoming skin and bones. Her skin looks like porcelain, completing the look of a cute little doll.
My voice is deep and rumbles when I speak. I speak for Blue a lot. I know her best. I have curly black hair that ends just above my chin. I can’t have it in my face so it’s usually in a bun. I wore a skin tight navy suit made of vigentica. One of the strongest fabrics known to man. Parts of the suit had extra pads at the elbows, knees, and waist. I had matching fingerless gloves that were made of a fabric similar to steel. At my waist were many different buttons. Each button, when pressed, would release a weapon so I could protect Blue. Lastly I wore navy combat boots that went up to my knees.
We arrived at Blue’s room and I set her down on her bed. The room was a bunch of dull shades of blue with few supplies. She reached under and grabbed her sketch pad and began drawing. I stood at the door on guard for her. She looked happy while drawing. I loved this small moment she was happy. I always felt sad for her. Though I couldn't show it. I wasn’t allowed to show emotion. I always messed that up. My anger would always show when Black is around. Then he would joke saying I should be Garnet instead of Navy. I would hate to be a Garnet because it means I would work for Red. It also means Blue wouldn't have given me my name.
Once Blue was around the age of 10 the Blue before her died. This forced my Blue to take charge. It also meant she had to chose her guardian. I remember seeing Blue walk the streets of my old fallen to pieces town. I hid in an alleyway. No point in me being seen. She would choose an old knight to serve her. Well, i thought that would happen, instead she ran down the alleyway to where I was. Blue looked frightened.
“Giants, scary” she said to me. I think she was talking about all the tall men waiting to be chose out in the streets.
I walked up to her slowly and put my hand on her shoulder. “Are you Blue?” I asked. She nodded. “My names Allen.” She smiled. “Aren’t you suppose to choose one of those men to be your guard.” Blue nodded. “So you should go chose so I don’t get in trouble.” Blue shook her head. “You can’t say no you have to choose someone.” Blue pointed at me. “Me? No, no, no. I’m not big enough or tough enough to protect you.”
Blue didn’t like my answer. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the alleyway. One of her escorts came up and said “Blue where have you been and who is this boy? You need to chose your knight Blue. Don’t Play around with this boy.” Blue pointed at me. “You chose him?” Blue nodded. “You can’t. Please choose an appropriate candidate.” Blue looked down dropping my wrist. “You need to be more proper and this boy won’t help you at all.” Blue whimpered. “Blue come on.” The man looked nervous. If Blue cried I guess he would be in big trouble.
“Blue don’t cry. You need someone worthy to protect you. I don’t think I could keep you very safe.” I hugged Blue. Blue still didn’t smile. “Sir, Maybe I could be Blue’s knight but one of these guys train me.”
The man thought for a minute. He looked at Blue, who was now clinging to my arm. He softened at Blue’s gaze. “Fine, but I get to choose who will train him. Now go on and name him Blue.”
The man went to go and find my trainer. Blue let go of my arm and stared me down. “Navy?” She whispered.
I smiled at the name. “Thank you.” She smiled for a brief moment.
That was a time when she smiled a lot. When she talked a lot more. Then it all went wrong. Something happened and she stopped being happy. I know its what Blues do, but this was a change in a single day. It appears that she finally snapped or broke inside. I don’t ask why or how it happened. I fear I might bring up a bad memory that breaks her even more. My duty is to protect her, they only way to do that is keep her from breaking.
A felt a tug on my sleeve and looked down at Blue. She nodded meaning it was time for her to work. I opened the door and followed her to the paint room. Which paint room, I do not know. I walk this same corridor everyday. The wall are a light royal blue, while the floor are frost white. The white is to help clear the mind and give them the blank space for inspiration. The walls is to signify which of the C.O.L.O.R.S.’s corridor it is. The other corridors are locked, only that color of C.O.L.O.R.S. may see inside. Blue and I however, know a way in. We need to if Blue is to document the other colors she sees.
We stopped in the middle of the hallway. I looked around just to be safe, before nodding to Blue. She turned to the wall and felt for the crack in the wall. Once she found it she pulled it down to reveal a hidden hallway. These hallways were build for quick escapes to a safe place if Blue was ever attack or if there was a disaster. Blue walked in and I began closing the crack. Once I was done I picked up Blue and began walking. Blue would walk, but I didn’t want to lose her in the dark. I found the stairs and quickly descended. The stairs lead to a big empty room with multiple stairs leading in from other sides of the room. I set Blue down and followed her around the room. She stopped at a stair case and I picked her up again. Up the stairs, following the corridor until we found the crack in the wall. I opened it and set Blue down. She closed it.
We were in the orange hallway. I followed her to the paint room. The walls were a ginger color. It was dark in the hallway. I did my best to watch Blue so I wouldn’t lose her. The paint room was like any other. A rainbow of colors to mix, canvas on an easel, paint brushes, and a chair. The walls and floors blank for inspiration purposes.
Blue sits down and starts painting. She paints the forest we were recently in. She paints every leaf on each tree. Always precise with the detail. I resisted the urge to lean over her shoulder and watch. I waited patiently by the wall, barely seeing anything. I had to make sure no one came in. No matter how empty it seemed here, I could never risk Blue’s safety.
When she finished the entire background and the sky. She mixed and mixed shades until she added one flower in the corner. A beautiful shade of orange.
“What will you name it?” I asked.
“Million bells.” Blue said.
“Looks like fire.” I said. She nodded in agreement. “Shall we go?” She nodded and began to clean up. I helped her. Then took her back to the passageways.
Once we reached her quarters and she sat down, Black and Red burst in. “Oh little Blue.” Black sang. “We need to talk.” He sat next to her and pulled her in his lap. She pushed away and fell to the floor. “Stupid.” I helped Blue up. “Tomorrow is the Color festival. You must be present and must dress in something better than that. Also as my Lady of choice, tomorrow it is my time to say who I am to marry. Our marriage will be seven days time. I already have everything taken care of.”
“No.” Blue said.
“No? You can’t say no. I’m all you have left. If you don’t do this they will kick you out. The people hate you and love me. I’m all you have left.” Black yelled at her.
“I don’t approve of this.” I said.
“Don’t talk out of turn. Blue you do this or lose everything.” Blue looked at me for something to stop this. I had nothing. She sighed and nodded in agreement. “Perfect.” He got up and kissed her cheek. “Love you.” Then left with Red trailing sadly behind.
“Liar.” I said once the door closed.
Blue rubbed her cheek. It was late. I tucked in Blue then went to the door and watched over her. Sleep was something I didn’t need. It was rare to do and only done if absolutely needed. Nobody really slept unless it was a last resort. Except for the C.O.L.O.R.S. Their power drains them. Black sleeps in a lot saying that it's because he does so much, but I haven’t seen him find a single color without help. Blue does the most work here and only I know it. She needs some freedom, if only I could provide that as easily as I provide protection for her.