Words by Maddy Ruskin
Image by Rudraksh Thumar
it was a tuesday afternoon
when all of the lights went out
sirens rang out in the streets
purple clouds swarmed the sky
the city was evacuated
everyone safe in their shelters
crumbled ceilings littered the floor
windows smashed to splinters
fear nipped at my ankles
i was alone in the destruction
no one answered my calls for help
they couldn’t hear me
my voice was a whimper
i wasn’t even sure i had made a sound
thunder snarled and scowled
my hands clutched at my ears
wind snapped against the shutters
there was nowhere to run
curled into the crook of my bookshelf
knees pressed against my chest
beating heart in my throat
paper spines carving messages into my back
my mind was a jagged place
barbed wire and broken glass
sanity discarded like an unwanted gift
i sank deeper into the abyss
darkness latched onto my mind
clamouring with greedy fingers
infecting me with poison
it took over
those tuesday afternoons come and go
sometimes the lights flicker and the wind howls
the storm is always on the horizon