**********
The newspaper dropped to the ground with a loud thud. The reader stood
motionless staring at it with an expression of utter shock and disbelief.
*It can't be! He--it--no!* Willow's mind raced with horrible memories.
The
memories that had begun to blur with time, but were now as clear as
if the
event had happened yesterday and not five years earlier.
The headline on the day's paper glared up at her with it's bold black
lettering, taunting her with it's words. *He's getting out. I don't
believe
this. It's only been five years! It was supposed to be 15!*
Willow ran to the phone, her hands shook as she dialed the number she
hadn't in so long. Raising the receiver to her ear, she waited for
the
other end to pick up. When no answer came, Willow placed the phone
on it's
hook very carefully and sagged against the wall, the tears welling
up in
her eyes.
"Why now? Why are they letting him out? What did I do to deserve this
now?"
She whispered brokenly, sliding down the smooth surface until she hit
the
floor.
The only sound that could be heard in the empty house was the sound
of
Willow's gut-wrenching sobs.
*****
Willow sat, huddled in a big fluffy quilt on her couch. She watched
unbelievingly as the news of her tormenter's release from prison was
documented.
She watched silently as the interviewer and cameraman ran to get a
statement from the man walking from the courthouse.
She listened silently as the man spoke of how he was glad to be a free
man,
enjoying the sunshine on the outside and eager to get back to his life.
The eyes staring into the camera seemed to penetrate Willow's very soul,
chilling her to the bone. Those eyes had tormented her for months,
even
years after it had happened, never once giving her a reprieve from
the
memories.
Willow continued to stare blankly at the flickering screen even after
the
news had finished, lost in her terror-filled recollections of the event
that had scarred her for life.
His name had haunted her for five long years, a name she'd never forget.
Mark Kingsman. The man who'd turned her life upside down. The man who'd
raped her.
As tears rolled down her emotionless face, Willow did something she
hadn't
in a long time. She prayed.
next