The Girl Behind the Broken Glass

by Valy

  Noelle.

  You’re beautiful and young. Yet you lack to see the beauty in life. A hard world is waiting for you out there.

  And you are not ready for it.

  That’s why you were not given a key.

  It’s a shame because you’re nothing but a child.

  Yet you’ve proven to be selfish and cold.

  The world has enough cold people inside of it.

  You were placed here by your subconscious. You were made righteous and kind. So, you could understand the beauty of a good soul.

  NORA

  Nora could feel the ground beneath her. She could actually feel it.

  It was humid and clay-like. She ran her hands through the dirt just to make sure it was real. And it was.

  She stood up and looked around her. Marie and Noelle were right. It did look magical. The flowers were all lit up and were glowing wildly in the dark. She followed a little path of glowing petals she saw on the ground. They ended up leading her to a letter.

  Nora.

  You are a kind and adventurous soul. You trapped yourself here. Out of your own guilt. You didn’t allow yourself to be free. Because you believe what you did was so terrible that there’s no escape. But that is why you have a key. So, you can fix your mistakes. And mend the hearts you have broken. You’ve seen the ones you love the most, Even if you don’t know it yet. So, appreciate the moment and say goodbye, Because only one of your daughters will survive the night.

  Τέλος

  - La fine-

  Each of them remembered. They remembered everything.

  Nora didn’t mean to do it. She swears.

  Marie. Noelle.

  She was driving and frustrated. She was having a stupid argument with Marie, which isn’t even her real name. And Nora looked at her phone.

  For just one second.

  She must’ve missed the car that was coming. It was coming straight for them. By the time she noticed, it was too late. The glass shattered everywhere and the last thing she remembered was watching as her daughter’s body flew. She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Both of her daughters were in the car.

  She was a mother.

  She wasn’t an eighteen-year-old girl. She was way beyond that. She had gotten married and had two daughters. Two daughters who were dying at this very moment, and it was all her fault.

  Nora ran to the end of the path where she found both Marie and Noelle standing. But looking at her with wide eyes.

  “Mom?”, Marie asked. Unsure if everything she remembered was real.

  Nora nodded her head and took Marie in a warm embrace.

  “I’m so sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have been mad at you. It was stupid-”, Marie started to apologize.

  “Shh. Shh. It was my fault, okay? It’s all going to be okay”, Nora said, still hugging Marie tightly.

  “Noelle. I’m so sorry! I almost left you because I knew there was someone I needed to save! While you were that person all along”, Marie cried out.

  Noelle shook her head. “It’s okay. I can’t get out anyways. I don’t have a key and I wasn’t intended to have a key”.

  “How much time?”, Nora asked.

  “Thirty minutes”, Noelle responded sadly.

  Nora looked down at the key that was hanging from her neck. She knew what she had to do.

  “I don’t want to die”, Noelle sobbed out. “I’m only twelve! I’m sorry! I’m sorry. I won’t be mean any more or steal my mom’s makeup. I promise but I don’t want to die”, Noelle cried. And she wouldn’t.

  “Come with me girls”, Nora started to walk off.

  There were two doors.

  “Marie give me your key”, Nora demanded.

  “But what are you-”, Marie started.

  “Marie! I’m not going to ask again. Give me your key”, Nora hissed out. Marie obliged and gave her the key.

  Nora put the key through the keyhole the door had, and it fit perfectly. Nora was able to push the door open and see the blinding white light coming from it.

  Nora grabbed Noelle’s hands and gave her a sad smile.

  “Listen to me. This whole thing has been an illusion. Whatever your letter said is not true. You are a beautiful and amazing girl. You are going to do great things. All those things you read is your subconscious talking to you. You don’t think you deserve to get out of here. But you deserve the world. I love you and we’ll be right behind you. But your time is running short, so go”, Nora said.

  “But how will you guys leave?”, Nora crossed her arms and pouted. She was not going to leave without them.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll see you soon. Just please go”, Nora insisted. Noelle jumped into her arms and gave her tightest embrace she ever had given.

  “I love you, Mom”, she said before letting go and walking through the door. The door immediately shut and the keyhole disappeared.

  “No! No! No! I know what you’re doing. I’m not leaving you. We’re in this together, remember?”, Marie cried.

  “Your sister is going to need you. You two are dying and you need to fight for your lives. You Marie, you’re going to have everything you have ever wanted. You will graduate and you will go to school because you’ll want to make your mother proud. You’ll travel the world and have at least one totally epic love. You’ll have babies which will make me a grandmother. You’ll live a long, long life and then we’ll see each other again. And we’ll be able to be together forever”, Nora grabbed Marie’s hands. And talked about it like it would all be okay.

  “But mom. I don’t want to leave you. Please don’t make me leave you. What will happen to you?”, Marie bawled.

  “When my time runs out, I will simply disappear. I will have no pain and I’ll be watching over you until we meet again”, Nora smiled.

  Nora took off the key hanging on her neck and passed it through the keyhole of the final door. She opened the door and smiled at the white light.

  She looked back at Marie and thought about her final words. She had so much to say but barely had time to say it.

  “I love you. Take care of your sister and your father. I know you’ll remember this, and you’ll always have it in your heart. I’ll see you soon”, Nora smiled brightly.

  “How was it possible that all three of us ended up here?”, Marie asked, still holding on to her mother’s hands.

  “I guess we just have a cosmic connection”, Nora chucked.

  With that, Marie let go of her mother’s hands and went through the door. Which shut after she had walked through it.

  After a couple of hours, just like Nora said she would, she started to disappear. Without any pain or feeling of remorse. She simply felt at peace.

  epilogue

  Nora had everything ready.

  “Mother, have you seen the paintings? I don’t want the paintings to be missing when they get here”, Nora called out.

  Out of the corner of the comfy house, Nora’s mother walked out holding a beautiful painting of a landscape.

  “Yes, we cannot forget the paintings. My beautiful granddaughter has such a talent”, Nora’s mother handed her the painting.

  “Yeah she got that from me”, Nora chuckled as she sat in the drooping couch. She was so glad she got to be in this place. The home where she grew up. It was exactly how she remembered it.

  “Remind me why we have to do this here again?”, Nora asked.

  “We want them to feel welcomed. And I know they’ll remember this place. You didn’t let them eat sugar and I used to bake them cookies every time they came”, Grandma admitted.

  “Hey! That was for her own wellbeing”, Nora laughed.

  They kept reminiscing about old times until they heard the doorbell ring. They stood up quickly and ran to the door. Nora straightened up her clothes, nervous about opening the door.

  She put on her best smile and twisted the door wide open. There they were; her family. Looking as beautiful as ever.

  She greeted them all with long hugs. She had waited so l
ong for this moment. She had watched her husband grieve and heal with the help of his daughters. And she had watched her daughters thrive, fall in love and have children of their own. They had happy lives in memory of their mother.

  And now they were free to be together again. Forever.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Valy is an 18-year-old girl who lives in Greenville, SC with her two parents and a little sister. She is pursuing a career in the area of Communications and Social Work. She aspires to work for a non-profit and someday start her own. She is currently a Motivational Speaker and she wishes to share her experiences with the world. She was born with a syndrome called Moebius Syndrome, which is an extremely rare congenital neurological disorder which is characterized by facial paralysis and the inability to move the eyes from side to side. She wishes to raise awareness of the lack of diversity in today’s beauty standards.

  If you wish to support her vision or check out her work, please visit:

  Faceless

  www.facelessme.com

  A blog/community dedicated to defying the standards of beauty. Coming in June 2019.