Ice As Dark As Life, Darkness As Bright As Black

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

       Only a few days later, a small funeral was planned. Jack was sad that he had lost one of his guardians to a wild beast, especially the one who taught him how to fish, hunt, hide in the shadows...

       "Jack! Sweetie, where are you?" The young brunette turned around, and saw his mother gripping her black skirt with her smooth, soft hands, slowly making her way up the hill he was standing on. He brushed a strand of silky hair from his face, and looked at the forest of trees around their home and town. His eyes flicked upward, and he stared at the large castle resting on another hill that seemed faraway. 

       "Jack! Jack! Honey, Mommy was looking for you! What are you doing here anyway? We have plenty to attend to, so we must go back---" 

       "Mother. I miss Father. When will the pain heal, and leave my body? When will I stop feeling the misery I feel right now? When will I feel the love again...?" The young woman gazed at her son with forlorn, her heart throbbing softly with sadness and worry. She reached her hand out, and laid it upon his shoulder, rubbing it softly across the velvety material. She was unsure how to word her thoughts, but she understood that her blood and flesh was asking her for comfort, a way to forget the hurt for a while, in front of everyone.

       "...Jack, it takes a great deal of time for a person's heart to heal from distress, particularly if the person is closer to you than most others. I know how you feel, Jack, I loved him just as much as you did. But, the pain will slowly dull, leaving behind only a small ache in its place. It will take a while, but the hurt will lessen as we continue to live on."

       "But, will the heartache ever leave? Or, will it remain within my body forever, to torture my sanity to breaking points...? Mother, what will happen to me then? Will I be cast out of town, a stranger to the people who once loved my innocent nature? What will become of me...?"

       The widow stared at her son in shock, tears slowly making their way to her eyes. She gripped her skirt with enough force, her knuckles turning a shade of white. She pursued her lips, before letting out a quick sob, and dropped herself in front of her offspring. She cried into her fists, a few of tears falling onto her formal clothing. Jack immediately felt guilty, and he leaned forward to wrap his arms around his mother's trembling figure. Suddenly, the woman snapped her body straight, and yanked her child forward by his shoulders. Eyes blown wide, Jack gawked at his mother's restlessness and how hard her grip on his slim shoulders were.

       "M-Mother, please, calm yourself! Like you said, we still have to attend that---"

       "DON'T YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN! I NEVER want to hear that from your mouth! You can not talk so lowly about yourself, not when you mean so much to your father and me! Jack, we love you, I LOVE YOU. I don't want to hear those disgusting words ever again, for as long as I live. All that pain and grief we...I experienced, was worth it, especially when the result was an amazing child...Jack, you are not allowed to disgrace yourself by thinking about your own mind and body like this. You deserve all the love the world has to offer, and anyone who thinks otherwise, is just the spawn of the Devil himself."

      During the rant, Jack could feel his eyesight clogging with water, and he let out small whimpers as the tears flowed freely down his pale face. He sniffled, and hugged his mother close as he cried loudly. Soon, the both of them were reduced to nothing but a bumbling mess of tears and sobs. They clung to each other, their salty liquids streaming down their cheeks like waterfalls. After a few minutes of thunderous weeping, the two of them calmed down, and the only sounds that were audible were the soft hiccups and the wind brushing against the swaying trees.

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       "H-hello everyone. This is the day we say our farewells to my dear husband, John  Wrightham  Overland . He was, and will always be, remembered as a wonderful husband, an empathetic hunter, and a kind friend. I hope that today, he is watching us will open eyes, because he should understand the love we all harbor for him." Sarah looked up at the sky, the water in her eyes making the sunlight glisten in her chocolate pupils. "I hope that he will hear the words of our affection, and remembers the good deeds he did for this little town. May he rest in peace, and live a nice life in the sacred land above the clouds, aside the angels and the Lord." She smiled sadly, her eyelids a bright red and puffy as she closed them over her eyesight. "If anyone would wish to say anything to our departed companion, this is t-the right m-moment t-to do s-so..." With that, she quickly rushed off the small platform, head tucked between her arms as she wept.