Guardian Angel

The seventeen year old girl Leah wheeled herself carefully into the park, confined in her wheelchair, her figure looked withdrawn. Her head was down; her blonde hair covered her face and grazed her shoulders. She manoeuvred herself into her favourite spot and locked the wheels. With a pant of relief, she placed her pale hands on her lap and lifted her hand, her big green eyes drinking in the view in front of her, her crimson lips parted.

The birds chirped joyfully as she gazed into the heavens, a solitary cloud was illuminated by the sinking sun casting the cloud into a hazy red glow in the clear blue sky. Autumn had started its fight with Summer, descending into the park as the leaves broke away from the branches at the wind's command. The grass was still green and lush, but the flowers were closed up, no longer shining their beauty proudly. The wind carried the leaves to rest on the surface of the deep navy pond in the middle of the park.

Leah's eyes focused on the two shadowy figures opposite her on the other side of the pond. Two young children were playing merrily, the little girl chuckled delightfully as the blonde boy threw the strawberry coloured ball into her open arms. Leah's breath caught in her throat as she watched the two interact. Memories flooded her, her eyes blanked as she was swept into the sea of her past.

Leah felt as though she was watching the memory happening from above, although it was the younger version of herself in the memory; somewhat detached, as if watching a muted film that she had already seen countless times. The five year old Leah with blonde hair waved down excitedly at the little boy with black hair named Art. The chubby girl shouted something to him and watched happily as he clambered up on the climbing frame until he was face to face with her. His blue eyes sparkled mischievously as Leah tugged his sleeve beaming up at him, Art grinned back in return. Leah shifted in her wheelchair as she recalled the memory; it caused a smile to tug at her lips. The beacon of her past was now lit, without any resistance, she allowed herself to be taken down the path of remembrance.

She watched herself spying on Art as he struggled to move the box down the stairs, a smile danced on her lips as she glided past Art, who jumped and panicked as he lost balance. Leah laughed, her blonde hair shimmering as she grabbed the bottom of the box and helped him transport it down the stairs and carefully into the classroom without any accidents. Leah's gaze was fixed on her legs, unconsciously rubbing her left, a reminder that she would never walk again. The vision blurred and was taken over by another.

The next memory sent chills running up and down her back; she shook uncontrollably as the memory began to shape itself out. Leah was twirling and dancing in front of Art wearing a black shirt with a plaited red skirt completed with a red tie. Art frowned and tugged the stiff collar of his shirt, Leah made a comment that made a smile twitch at his lips; she continued to walk backwards looking into his azure eyes. Her foot caught on a loose stone and she stumbled; her eyes widened with shock as gravity pulled on her, her body fall dangerously towards the road, a cherry red car approaching swiftly. Time appeared to have been slowed down as Leah watched her younger self helplessly as fate took control of her life. The car was only a couple of metres away from Leah, she watched herself gasp as she saw the distance between the car as she hit the gravel, her body arching from the impact. There was no time to stand, Art had begun running towards her the moment she had fallen, but was unable to prevent her fall. He stood there, powerless to help her; the driver in the car screamed obscenely, he wrenched the steering wheel and jarred it to one side, the car lost its grip on the road and swerved, and the back tire crushed over her legs as the car bucked and jerked completely out of control. Leah's face twisted in distortion as the pain of feeling the pressure of the car tire shatter her leg bones into pieces. The car continued its rampage, and skidded furiously into the vulnerable Art. He looked death straight on in the eye, the car slammed into him throwing him backwards through the air, his glittering blue eyes dimmed as he fell unconscious.

Gradually the memory faded away leaving the present Leah in anguish; thinking about the past forced her to feel the spasms in her heart as though someone had stabbed her with a poisoned knife; that kept her wounds alive and raw, slowly eating her away. Just by the memory of the past, was sprinkling salt into an open injury.

The last time she saw Art he was in his coffin; the car crash hadn't killed him, but led him into a deep coma completely paralysed. He was kept alive by a machine, without the willpower to breath on his own. Leah was kept away during this period; her legs had splintered