~~~ Memory in Stone ~~~

"Found you!" a child like voice rang out through the forest.

"No!" a second child answered, "How did you do it?"

"Well the wings gave you away." the pink-haired girl grinned, leaning against the large oak tree her friend had been hiding behind.

The young avariel giggled, wrapping a wing around herself to pet at its soft, golden feathers. For a moment the two of them stood there silently, listening to the wind rush through the trees above. Sunlight pierced the forest canopy sending glistening rays of gold cascading throughout the forest as though Ra'Ma himself were reaching down to touch the earth.

Sarah smiled into the warmth of this light, a pool of it shining down on the two girls. It wrapped around and embraced the young girl, but when she looked to her friend, the light seemed to shrink away, as though some shadow were looming over her and her alone. Troubled, Sarah reached out and took her hand, smiling with the full warmth of the sun. The pink-haired girl looked confused at first, but then smiled and they both giggled.

"Come on!" Sarah cried and the two took off running, hand-in-hand. The forest rushed by in a blur, filled with the sound of innocent laughter and dried leaves crunching under foot.

"I can run faster!" the pink-haired girl shouted, dropping hands with Sarah and sprinting off in front.

Sarah tried to keep up for a few more steps before laughing and lifting herself into the sky with her wings. Her speed unmatched, she quickly took over her friend, laughing all the while.

But suddenly her friend stopped, a deep frown creasing her brow. Sarah swung around and landed beside her, reaching a hand to grasp her lightly, "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'll never be like you." the girl replied. Her face grew dark, twisted almost. Shadows seemed to creep up behind and consume her.

Sarah smiled still, squeezing her arm, worried but confused.

"I'll never be like you!" she screamed again, anger and darkness filling her voice. There was a stinging pain in Sarah's gut and her eyes shot open wide. She looked down to see crimson spilling from her, spoiling her dress. She collapsed into her friend, looking up with trembling eyes. The rays of sun that had once filled the forest now receded, taking all light with them.

The pink-haired girl looked down upon Sarah with eyes full of hate, and yet they also bore remorse. She held her in her arms as tightly as she held the blade in Sarah's gut, her words barely a whisper, "I'm sorry." and then she faded away into shadow.

Sarah's heart pounded in the darkness as her life's blood flowed from her like a river. The sky suddenly lit with a dull red, clouds swirling above. The trees thrashed in the wind and the ground cracked and groaned. In the distance a cloud of dust appeared, surrounding her on all sides, rapidly closing in and turning all to stone as it came. Sarah cried out for her friend, for her God. Her throat ached from her screams, and yet she couldn't make a sound. The ground beneath her turned to dull, grey stone, and a stinging cold passed into her legs, coursing its way upwards through her body.

Looking to the sky a single point of white light hovered above. She reached toward it with all her might, begging, aching, screaming silently, her fingers scraping the sky until the light disappeared into nothingness. Her whole body cried out now, cracking as the stone crept up and enveloped her fingertips and only darkness remained.

Sarah shot up in bed, arm reaching for the ceiling as she gasped for air and choked on that which she drew. She stumbled out of bed and spilled onto the floor, clutching her gut as though the pain were real. Sweat poured from her forehead, chilling her to the bone as the cool air of an open window made contact with her skin.

Slowly she pulled herself up with knees to her chest, trembling.

-~-~-

Originally submitted for Daedolus' "TERROR" writing contest.