THORNS OF LOVE

THE SHATTERED HEART

Devastated, Elizabeth stood rooted at a spot, tears running down her eyes, her nose running. She was in disbelief, how could this have happened to her? She felt her aunt slipping her hands into hers, trying to comfort her but she couldn't make out a word of what she was saying. The room was spinning, her heartbeat racing, she needed fresh air, the room seemed too small for her. The officers on her couch were also trying to comfort her. Whoever caused her parents' accident would be punished, they said. Elizabeth, screamed out of anger, will that bring them back,will that make my parents walk through that door and hold me in their arms .

She ran into her room tears dropping down her face. She sat on the floor clutching her knees to her chest. Her parents were all she had ; she had no one else. She couldn't begin to fathom life without them in it. She tried to clean her tears violently with her sleeves, but they kept coming down .

Samantha came to her door, crying also and asking Elizabeth to open her door, she was there solely to comfort her, Elizabeth really wanted to stand up and open the door, she needed comforting so bad , she needed someone to tell her that everything will be fine that her parents will come back to her but she couldn't get up, she had lost all her strength and will, she felt shallow and drained of all form of energy.

Still on the floor, Elizabeth thought of her time with her parents, she thought of all the laughter, the love, her mother's loving smile , her father's warm embrace. She thought of their family outing , their time together as a family which she is going to treasure in her memories forever. Elizabeth thought of the last time she and her parents were together, that was two weeks before now, when they were all together.

"Elizabeth, we are going to be late", her mother called out . Elizabeth hurried down with a little suitcase beaming with smiles. Mrs Gulliver gave her a cheeky kiss while smiling down at her. It will be Elizabeth's thirteenth birthday soon and she wants to spend it with her cousin at their summer house like she has since she was five years old . Road trips were the best part of the holiday for Elizabeth, she and her parents sang along to music blasting from their car's Bluetooth, she gets to eat different flavors of chips and have a soda , while feeling the wind in her hair. Elizabeth's eagerness to be at the summer house - her cousin's house. She couldn't wait to see the familiar sights and spend time with her cousin, who always made her feel at home. The anticipation of the upcoming birthday celebration filled her with excitement.

As she reminisced about those joyful moments, Elizabeth felt a glimmer of hope amidst the overwhelming grief. She knew that her parents would want her to be strong and carry on. With a deep breath, she slowly stood up, wiped away her tears, and opened the door to let Samantha in. In that moment, she realized that she was not alone, and that together, they would find a way to navigate through this tragedy. Elizabeth took Samantha's hand, feeling a sense of comfort and support wash over her.

The memories of her parents would forever be etched in her heart, guiding her through the darkest of times. Elizabeth knew that she had to be strong, not just for herself, but for the love and legacy her parents had left behind. With a renewed sense of determination, she embraced Samantha, ready to face the challenges ahead, knowing that her parents' love would always be with her.

She wished she knew it would be their last time together, she would have savoured it , never wanted it to end . She would have hugged her parents and told them how much she loved them, and how she would always love them.

The burial rites were done a month later, close relatives Elizabeth hadn't seen before flooded the living room, each coming to say a word or two to her. She was grateful to Samantha and her parents for staying by her side. She couldn't imagine life without them; she would be a broken girl with no family or loved ones.

She wanted her parents buried close by so she could visit them whenever she wanted. Samantha was beside Elizabeth throughout the burial, consoling her, crying with her , reassuring her that she would always be here for her no matter what she needed or wanted. Samantha made a promise to Elizabeth on that day that she was going to Elizabeth's fairy godmother. She would make Elizabeth happy, feel loved, and never lonely.Elizabeth was overwhelmed by the support of Samantha and her parents during such a tough time. They were like her rock . She couldn't imagine going through all of this without them.

Roselin and Paul both took turns talking to close relatives, they wanted full custody of Elizabeth and her inheritance. Most of the close relatives disagreed with this, each wanting Elizabeth solely because of her inheritance.Roselin and Paul were on a mission, though. They were talking to all the relatives, trying to secure custody of Elizabeth and her inheritance. It was like a family drama unfolding right there at the burial.

The burial was conducted by a priest. The coffins were sealed; the remains of Elizabeth's parents were said to be unrecognizable and horrific. The burial service went by in a blur for Elizabeth, it seemed to happen too fast. She wanted to see her parents' remains. She should at least get to touch them and say goodbye. She felt a mix of anger, irritation and anxiety.

The priest concluded the service with a final prayer, and the burial was officially over. Elizabeth stood there, feeling lost and empty. Samantha hugged her tightly, whispering words of comfort in her ear. As the guests started to disperse, Roselin and Paul approached Elizabeth, their eyes fixed on her. The tension in the air was palpable as they exchanged a few words with her. Elizabeth knew this was just the beginning of a long battle for custody.

The sun was setting as Elizabeth walked away from the burial site, her heart heavy with grief and uncertainty. Samantha held her hand, a silent promise of unwavering support. The road ahead was unknown, but Elizabeth found solace in knowing that she had Samantha by her side. The journey of healing and finding her place in the world was about to begin, and she was ready to face it with courage and the love of her newfound family.

Feeling the overwhelming love and support from Samantha and her parents made her miss hers a lot . She decided that she needed to be alone for a while.She didn't know where she was headed but she kept walking. The aching in her chest kept spreading with each and every tear that dropped. Her limbs got weak from exhaustion but she kept going, she kept walking, she wanted to get away from her worst nightmare. She felt that if she walked further maybe she would wake up from her bad dream and get to see her parents.

Elizabeth got back from her long walk into the awaiting hands of Roselin. She lost track of time while taking a walk and came home late. Roselin was crying in the living room with some officers, she got worried and filed a missing person case. Roselin rushed towards Elizabeth and enveloped her in a hug, crying harder than before. "I thought I had lost you. Please, don't make Auntie worried like this again," she said in tears.

Other family members present at the scene had different opinions to Roselin's actions. Some thought it was sweet and thoughtful of Roselin to care deeply for her niece. While others thought it was quite dramatic of Roselin to act caring when they all knew that she was after Elizabeth's inheritance, which will only be given to her custodians.

Roselin felt satisfied with her act, it was flawless. She would love to see the looks on the other members of the family's faces, she will win the custody case no matter what she has to do. Roselin looked at Elizabeth's face with a tender smile clean her tears with tissues. Elizabeth felt really bad for making her aunt sad; she murmured an apology and hugged her aunt tightly.

Elizabeth went to bed feeling guilt, exhaustion, anger and pain. Sleep was the last thing on her mind but as fate would have it, she slept immediately she laid down on her bed. She had a dream, in it she saw her mom's figure, she ran towards her to give her a hug and tell her how much she misses her and wants her back. She fell , rose up , looked up and saw nothing. She yelled loudly, sobbing then she saw her dad's figure next. She reached out to touch him before she could he turned to face her. His face was distorted, his arm was missing, worms and maggots came out of his mouth while he was trying to speak. She screamed and ran backwards, voices kept echoing saying; " save me!"

Young Elizabeth was on the brink of a major transformation in her life; a transformation that she may struggle to fully understand and accept. This change was going to be quite challenging for her, presenting new obstacles and opportunities for growth. Elizabeth was about to embark on a journey that would push her out of her comfort zone and force her to confront her fears and limitations. Uncertainty and difficulty lay ahead, this transformation was necessary for her personal development and self-discovery.