Dolly walked for what seemed like hours.
She had gone thru the different stages of grieving during that time. First shock, then denial "Its a dream, all a dream. I'm going crazy.", then anger "how could he? Bill! How could he leave me?" then bargaining "Lord, I"ll do ANYTHING, please come back and get me!" and now, finally, numb acceptance. The same word echoed thru her mind "forgotten, forgotten".
She had no idea where she was. This was an unfamiliar side of town. There was not a single soul around. Birds aplenty, a few stray cats, one whimpering dog that ran at the sight of her. She found she really didnt care. All the stories she had read in high school of the end of the world, and the last person on earth ran together and blurred.
Passing by a department store, she had the dim thought of going in and getting some decent clothes. She discarded the idea as too much effort.
Suddenly, dark, shadowy things fluttered around her, dive bombing her head. Frantically, she waved her arms, shooing them off. "Go away!" She screamed. In full panic, she ran down the street, her cries echoing off the blank buildings.
Dolly didnt stop until she realized that she had lost her right houseshoe and her foot was bleeding. Gasping and wheezing, she bent over, hands on her knees. The fluttery things were gone. She looked up, and saw a drug store on the corner.
"I feel guilt about doing this," She said out loud. Jumping at the sound of her voice, she opened the door and went in. She found bandaging supplies and went to the restroom. Heaving her foot up to the sink, she rinsed off the ugly open blisters and patted them dry. She jumped when the light flickered. Power may go out at any moment, with no one around to run the power stations, she mused. Better hurry up.
After bandaging her foot, she found a pair of blue flipflops and a couple of ice cream bars.
"I will pay them back after I regain my sanity." She announced to the air.
In a daze, Dolly continued walking.
Sitting down on a curb, she ate her ice cream and watched a house across the street burn down to the ground. There were no sirens, no flashing lights, no fire engines. Weird. The roof crashed in a spectacular display of sparks and embers and she idly thought that she should be grateful there was no wind to blow those embers to other houses.
Show over, she got up and wandered again.
Amazing how quiet the world is.
She found herself downtown, the sun sinking below the buildings with last defiant rays beaming up.
The street lights flickered on, one by one.
Dolly wearily sank down on a bench. The dark fluttery things came back, but she beat them off with a wave of her hand. "Go away." She said dully.
The street light she was under hummed, faltered, then picked up the hum again.
Any time now, she thought.
She must have dozed off, because she jerked upright, eyes wide. A bus was pulling up to the curb! She watched in amazement as the doors folded open.
Her gaze traveled up the stairs, over the driver's seat...she recoiled in shock. Smiling with genteel sympathy, was Bill's man in the dark suit!
(Whee! Your turn!)
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Be transparent before God, He sees right thru you, anyway!
http://www.likepreciousfaith.org/testimony_val.htm
Please pray for your local emergency responders, daily.
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