Dust in the Wind

Something moved in over town, dissolving buildings in its way. A cloud of dust came roaring through the streets, panic spreading like bushfire. Concrete fell to the ground.

One thought echoed through Ron’s mind. “Janice”.

He got into a hotel. ran up the stairs. He fought his way past screaming guests and staff, climbed the fence to get further.

The dust got thicker. People more scarce. A piccolo coughing in a corner. A cleaner crying, praying. The building trembled.

He covered his mouth with his shirt, his lungs could hardly breath. Some shadows running by, screaming, coughing. Falling bricks and blocks crushing their way towards the ground.

Somewhere above daylight pierced through the concrete fog surrounding him.

Above him floated a monster, a ghostlike female of destruction. She stared into nothing, beyond it all, as if she was longing, searching for something that wasn’t there.

She touched Janice’s building nearby.

Ron coughed, tried in vain to clean his lungs. Around him the walls kept falling.

Hey! He screamed. Hey, look at me!

She turned her face towards him, looked down at him with empty, dead eyes.

These are for you!

He clung to the metal fence standing like a burned out tree from the falling cement. Held his roses out.

An eternal moment she lingered above, and reached her hand towards him. Everything around him strewed away. He fell.

He was lying in a pile of sand looking up on the wraith above. She was holding the bouquet in front of her face, dust falling from her eyes. Her chins cracked as a smile spread across her face.

Their eyes met. A spark of life. A feeling. The wind carried away what had been her as she dissolved into powder and disappeared.