Guardian's Sanctuary

Another English short story! To ease up the confusion every time someone reads this story: the story changes perspectives whenever you see Guardian or Sanctuary.

(Guardian)

She will not let him suffer again.

She has always watched him without interference, only seizing control if someone is going to hurt him. Those people that try to befriend him; they were only going to hurt him in the end, so she deals with them before they get close enough to cause him anguish. Humans are conditioned to hurt others; she knows this crucial flaw, so she protects him from the horrors of human nature.

Yes, he does not need to remember the events of that horrible night.

He does not need to remember the screeching of the tires.

The blood splattered across his face.

He does not need to remember the death of his parents that left him all alone in this world. After all, he created her to repress the memories that needed to be forgotten.

Thus, she continues to shelter him since that day, so no more pain will be inflicted upon him. Within the depths of his mind lay a barren ice field with a blizzard that never ends; this is where she stays until she needs to protect him again.

Why does she isolate him so?

If one has nobody to leave him, then the pain of someone leaving you will therefore not come into existence.

She does this all for him simply because she loves him, like a person would love himself.

They often meet in her realm of ice and snow, where she asserts her authority over him, even though he is the one in control over the body they share. He knows she is always right, so he never questions anything she tells him. He relies on her, as she was the only one who was close to him since that time. Without anyone else to confine to, he could only turn to her.

He belongs to her – and her only.

But, partings are inevitable for a non-entity like her.

She watches him struggle though her cold and icy land, trying to force himself to continue to walk. Despite the harsh conditions, he continues to move forward. He wanders aimlessly and seemingly without a final destination or goal. This infuriates her, and the winds blow harder. They whip at his small frame, swaying him back and forth as he trudges along in this desolate world. A smile forms on her face; she enjoys watching him suffer as he battles the endless blizzard she has created.

(Sanctuary)

The trek through the wintery blizzard went on for what seemed to be hours; he wandered without a single stop, not knowing where he was headed. His sense of direction was long lost, along with his sense of warmth; the cold had long numbed it. The wind continued to nip at his skin, while the snow soaked his thin layer of clothing, and chilled him right down to the bone. His consciousness was slipping away with every step he took, but still he continued to hike through the snow.

The world around him had started to blur when he suddenly felt someone embrace him from behind. It was a warm embrace that shielded him from the never-ending cold…it was her, no doubt about it.

(Guardian)

He stumbles and falls, tripping along the rough terrain of the field; yet, she continues to watch him from above. The snow dances rhythmically; swirling in the horizon before landing softly on the ground. Accompanying the snow is the pounding of the wind; its soft but consistent tempo is perfectly in sync with the dance of the snow. A slight tremor in her mind creates yet another strong wind; this time, he falls over and does not get up.

She panics; she is suddenly behind him, watching his trembling form as he tries to stay awake. Her figure makes a shadow in front and a gasp is heard; she knows that he realizes she is here.

“You’ve come.” Her voice is a low, bottomless whisper. “What am I saying? Of course you would come; you will always do what I say.”

His body falls limp in her arms, as he wraps himself in her warmth. “Why have you called me here?”

(Sanctuary)

It came out a bit too harsh for his liking.

Her body went rigid for a split second before she swiftly removed her arms from around his waist, and pushed him face first into the ground. His jaw came in contact with the icy field; the impact had caused his teeth to cut his bottom lip. The cold began to penetrate his body again as he laid in the snow, exposed to the storm once more. He tried to ignore the throbbing pain and turned around while wiping the blood from his lip. As he set his eyes on her, his body froze. Her eyes had a dangerous glint in them that sent shivers down his spine.

“You no longer desire my presence.” Her body trembled in rage as she towered over his cowering body. “You were the one that made me, and now you discard me like a forgotten toy.”

Fear ran through his body as he lifted himself off the ground. He tried to approach her, but she took two steps backwards for every one he took forward. “No, I did not mean it like –”

(Guardian)

She smiles sadistically, seeing the horror written over his face. Her fist has already come in contact with his left cheek; she moves too fast for his eye to follow (after all, this is her territory). The blood from his mouth drips slowly onto the white snow and stains it; the crimson red is in stark contrast with the paleness of the field. The feeling of exhilaration overcomes her and she continues to beat him; her knee comes in contact with his stomach, and he falls backwards onto the freezing snow once more, cringing.

He begs for her to stop, but his plead goes unnoticed, or rather, ignored.

Her mood suddenly shifts, and there are tears in her eyes yet again. “I’ve always been protecting you since then.” She grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls him up from the ground. “I shelter you from the cruel truth. I shoulder all the sins you carry!”

(Sanctuary)

“Shelter me…was it you who isolated me?”

It came back to him all at once.

It was he who demanded to go to the festival; his parents were reluctant, because of the crowdedness of the place. Despite the rainy conditions, the festival was still a popular attraction. But it was he who whined and fussed about not being able to go, so his parents finally gave in.

He enjoyed it; it was the first festival he had ever gone to.

Unfortunately, the happiness never lasts.

He found his voice again. “Every time, I would lose those who came to close to me.”

(Guardian)

He knows now.

This is the first thought that comes into her mind after his question. She had worried to how he will react to the truth that has been hidden away in the depths of his memory for so long; she had planned never to tell him.

He composes himself finally finds the power to speak again. “Every time, I would lose those who came to close to me.”

That simple statement enrages her. “They would only leave you in the end.” Her voice shakes slightly. “But I will always be here. I have sacrificed everything for you…and I have gotten nothing in return!”

(Sanctuary)

She threw him onto the ground once more and released the grip she had on his shirt. This time, he hardly felt pain; the throbbing from his previous wounds was still there. Ignoring the pain, he heaved his body off the snow, and hobbled slowly towards her.

“In the end, your actions only hurt me even more.” His voice was surprising calm, despite the multiple injuries he had suffered. It was a miracle that he could wear such a deadpan expression on his face at this time. "What you've created is far worse than the pain of someone important leaving."

“This was all for you.” Her voice was barely a whisper. Although her back was to him, he could see that she was deeply distressed.

Her voice breaks on the last word, and a pain not there before appears around her chest. She clutches it with her right hand, knowing it is a pain created by her imagination. But still, the realization is still too she was deeply distressed, and it pained him to see her like this.

He had to finish this himself, or this would never end.

He suddenly went up to her and locked her in a tight embrace. “Thank you.” He felt her struggle in his arms, but he held on tight. “It’s time to move on…for the both of us.”

(Guardian)

"What you've created is far worse than the pain of someone important leaving."

His words confuse her; after all she has done for him, it was all in vain?

“This was all for you.” A coarse sound replaces her usual tone.

Before she has time to react to his words, a pair of arms circle around her body and embrace her. “Thank you,” he says in a soft voice, “It’s time to move on…for the both of us.”

It hits her like a blow on the chest; it took the wind out of her lungs.

It is all over. This long duty; it is finally over.

A weight is lifted off her chest.

She smiles after a long pause; this time, it is a genuine smile. “So you no longer need me.”

There is no reply, but they understand, because they are one and the same.

(Sanctuary)

“So you no longer need me.” For the first time during this visit, she had an actual smile on her face.

There was no need for him to answer, because they both knew what the other was thinking.

“Forgive me.”

She squeezed his hands one last time before moving his arms to free herself from his grasp. As she started to walk away, he could almost hear her quiet laughter. Not once did she turn around.

In the air, a word lingered, unspoken:

Farewell.