Till Death Do We Part
By Nomar Knight
I glide through fog, dodging dying trees, listening for
your heartbeat. Anger beckons me like a
moth to a flame. Surely you didn’t think
I wouldn’t find you? With one furious
strike you plunged the blade into my chest and left me to die in this godforsaken
forest.
The sound of splintered branches stops me cold. I tremble, not from fear, but intense
anticipation. I shut my eyes to allow
your retreat to guide me, when chills run along my spine as your broken
whimpers lift up my spirit.
I whisper, hoping my voice can break through clouded
barriers. “I’m coming for you, darling.”
Never one for confrontation, I had shied away from
revealing the truth, that I knew you had a forbidden lover. I clutch my aching chest, still in awe of
your reaction to my illuminating revelation.
Peeking up at the starless heaven, I wonder how you could plunge the
blade and destroy all that we once were.
More whimpers lead me to adjust my course and travel
west. The sound of something dragging on
drenched terrain, just ahead, adds to my desire to make things right.
The temptation to call out and ask if you’re hurt is
silenced by my need to surprise you. How
could you know that I’m extraordinary? Your
violent reaction forced me to tear my shirt and make a tourniquet to control
the bleeding.
Somewhere in the midst of white blindness, I sense you
rise, step hard on the ground and hear you cry out as your body lands with a
thud.
I step closer and at last the fog lifts just enough to
reveal you holding a swollen ankle.
“Who’s there?”
Desperation rings from your voice. I stop, surprised that I don’t attack
you. There are so many things I want to
tell you, so much love left inside me to give.
I glance at my right hand and realize my knuckles turned
white for the tight grip on the knife’s handle serves to transfer my pain.
“Honey, I’m coming for you.”
I step through, marveling at how the purity of the
clouds surrounds us. Your gaping mouth and
trembling body increases my desire to have you.
“This can’t be.
You’re dead.”
You bury your head in your hands and shudder. Each sob stabs sorrow into my heart.
“I’m sorry, Nestor.” You say, “I didn’t know what else
to do. I panicked.”
I drop the knife, step closer and gently pull down your
hands. Our eyes meet. “We’re married for better or worse.”
With nose running and cheeks filled with tears, you
sigh, “I cheated. I’m sorry.”
“We can get passed this.”
“But I stabbed you in the heart. How can you be alive?”
I reach to stroke your hair, never expecting you to push
me to the ground. I land on my back and
watch with horror as you lunge for the knife.
“Why won’t you just die?”
You take the blade and jab at my foot, coming within an
inch of reaching my shoe.
“This doesn’t have to be like this.”
“Die! You
bastard!”
You slither forward and plunge the knife down, narrowly
missing my crotch.
I grab your wrist, reverse our positions, and put my weight on your chest,
struggling to keep the blade off both our necks.
“Stop it! I love
you!”
“I hate you!”
Your words maim me more than any weapon ever could. I gather enough air and whisper, “Why?”
“Because you’re my brother.”
I disarm you and roll on my back until I’m sitting
against a tree stump. I watch as your
body shakes and you reach into the back of your jeans pocket and pull out a
folded paper.
“Take it.”
I yank the paper, unfold it and read your birth
certificate. Low and behold, your father’s
name matches mine.
“I didn’t know.”
Without warning, you reach for the knife, shoving it
while still in my grip toward my wound.
“Die!”
I had heard rumors about father being locked away in a
mental institution. Schizophrenia they
called it. I read about how it’s
possible for a family member to suffer from the same illness.
I push the tip of the knife off my bleeding chest and
with one swift motion; slice the blade across your throat. Blood squirts on my face, forming sanguinary
tears.
“I’m sorry you got father’s sickness. I could have helped you.”
I stroke your matted hair as you lie on the ground, choking
on your own blood.
“The funny thing about genes, I inherited another
condition he had. I inherited situs
inversus. That’s when the organs are
reversed.”
I guide your hands to the middle of my chest, closer to
the right side. “This is where my heart
is.”
I cry when I see the sparkle of life abandon your eyes.
“Till death do we part, my darling sister, my darling
bride.”
© Copyright Nomar Knight 2011. All rights reserved.
A Knight Chills Flash Fiction Presentation.
