It was a chilly and somber autumn night; mist and fog covered the ground.  The colored leaves fell on the ground around a wailing Bart Terry.  The groans of a man so desperate to keep fighting could be heard as he picked up the lifeless body of the woman that he loved.  The crunching of leaves could be heard as he carried her body through the woods.  He fought through all the pain and despair by thinking about all his love for her.  Holding onto hope, he kept moving and never gave up.

Bart remembered the first time that he met her, the moment that his life had changed for the better.  He remembered seeing her weird mismatched eyes for the first time, the right eye blue and the left eye brown, the moment he knew that he had to get to know her better.  He remembered walking to her through the crowd of people at the hometown high school football game.  He remembered being a total wreck tripping over everything, trying to get to her.  He remembered the lights illuminating her like she was the star of a show.  Remembering the moments that he shared with her, he pushed through, trying to find hope in a hopeless situation.

He exited the woods and started walking on a lonely dirt road.  “It’s okay, we’re going to make it,” he said into the unmistakably chaotic atmosphere.  Feeling like a dead man, he walked down the desolate road; autumn leaves from poplar trees falling around him like rain.  He pushed through as rain drizzled like a constant stream of tears.  He nearly collapsed as a raven flew into him and knocked him backward.  He got back up and continued moving forward with a heavy weight down on the heart.  Using his memories with her as motivation not to give up, he pushed through, progressing forward.

He picked up speed, holding on to hope that he could help her or that it was all just a dream.  He used that hope to continue fighting until he made it to the small, tranquil town they lived in, Houston, Mississippi.  He headed somewhere, receiving stares and murmurs from strangers and people who were unaware of what was happening.  He crossed through town, arrived at a steep dirt road leading into a forest, and started cautiously heading up the slippery slope.  Covered in cuts and blood, he arrived in front of a small house.

Standing in the rain, he remembered the moments he shared with the woman in his arms.  He remembered introducing himself to her.  “Hi, my name is Bart…Bart Terry,” he said, the first time that he met her years ago.

He remembered her dazzling smile as she said, “Hi, Bart, my name is Abigail…Abigail Lloyd.”  

Cradling her in his arms, he knelt, recalling the rest of the night that he met her.  “Um…would you like to grab something to eat?” he asked her.  

“Sure, I would like that,” she said, smiling like a blooming flower.  He remembered walking with her for a bit and ordering food at the small yet busy concession stand at the side of the football field.  He remembered talking with her in the line and getting to know each other.

He gathered his strength, standing back up with her in his arms.  He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell, hearing the familiar ding-dong that used to make him feel ecstatic.  Hearing the locks click, he stood in the doorway, and the door opened to familiar faces with a look of shock as they saw him holding their daughter’s body in his arms.

“Come inside,” worriedly said Abigail’s mother, Tanya, an athletic, 45-year-old woman with blue eyes and black hair with white streaks.  Bart walked inside with tears pouring down his face as he remembered the first time that he had walked inside that house.  He set her down on the sofa and knelt beside her.

“What happened?” says Abigail’s father, Jack, a burly, 45-year-old man with brown eyes and dark brown hair.

Bart told Jack and Tanya everything that happened.  He recalled the horrific accident; he pictured losing control of the ATV and remembered hearing the thunk as their bodies slammed into the trees.  He remembered the sound of the frightened animals as they scurried away.  He recalled looking down to see his tattered clothing.  He remembered hearing the screams and groans of Abigail.  He recalled getting up with excruciating pain and crawling over to where he heard her screaming.  He recalled getting over to her and seeing her covered in blood with a piece of metal sticking out of her side.  Then, he recalled the moments of trying to help her up and getting her to their house.

“Come here,” Tanya said as she opened her arms and embraced him.  He stood there for what seemed like hours, tears streaming down his face, praying that it was only a nightmare.  “How about you go clean yourself up so that we can get you fixed up after,” she calmly said.

He walked to a room on the other side of the house and opened the door, momentarily taking in all the memories he made in this room.  He walked through the door and to the hand-carved dresser to the left of him.  He opened one of the drawers and pulled out camo cargo pants and a green T-shirt.  He went to a bathroom across the hall and closed the door behind him.  He took his clothes off and took a steaming hot shower while thinking about what happened.  He got out of the shower and put on the clothes he got from the dresser.

He looked in the mirror to see a 23-year-old skinny, athletic man with golden blonde hair, dark brown eyes, a chiseled jawline, and a military-style buzzcut.   He remembered when he first met Abigail and how much he had changed.  He remembered walking her to her house, the same house he was in now, and eating a wonderful meal.  He remembered making her laugh.  He remembered asking if she would like to go on a date with him, and he remembered her smile when she said yes.  He remembered walking home to the house he lived alone in and seeing his parents, Marvin- a middle-aged man with dark brown eyes and short, brown hair powdered with white- and Elizabeth- a middle-aged woman with dark brown eyes and long, blonde hair. 

“What are you doing here?” Bart asked with a look of surprise on his face.

“We just wanted to come by and pay you a visit,” his mother said.

“We brought your brothers,” his dad said.  Bart looks through the doorway and sees a young boy, around the age of 10, running towards him.  Bart opens his arms and hugs his youngest brother, Davey.

“I missed you,” Davey says hugging Bart tightly.

“I missed you too,” he says back.

He remembered seeing his other brothers, Alfred- a 20-year-old skinny-looking man with bright blonde hair and light brown eyes- and Lenard- a 14-year-old athletic-looking boy with light brown hair and dark brown eyes.  He remembered enjoying the night with his family and calling Abigail on his phone before he fell asleep.

He used those memories as motivation to not lose hope.  He opened the bathroom door and walked to the sofa where Abigail was lying.  He knelt beside her and grabbed her hand.  “How is she doing?” he asked Jack and Tanya.

Jack cleared his throat and said, “She’s not going to make it.  There’s nothing we can do.”

Tanya knelt beside him.  “You tried, you did everything that you could do,” she said with tears streaming down her face.

Bart buried his face into Abigail’s chest and sobbed for what felt like hours.  After a while, Tanya and Jack left him to be alone.  Bart continued sobbing and then, minutes later, lifted his head.  He kissed Abigail’s hand with tears like a river flowing down his cheeks.  “I’m sorry,” he said, “It’s my fault.”  He kissed her forehead and stood up.  He walked around the house a bit.  “Mrs. Lloyd!” he shouted, looking for Abigail’s parents.

“Yes?” she shouted from the kitchen.

He walked to the kitchen slowly with tears on his face.  “I’m so sorry,” he said apologetically.

“It’s not your fault,” she said with tears flowing down her face.  She walked over to him and hugged him tightly.  “It’s okay, it was an accident,” she reassured him.  “How about you get some sleep so that we can worry about this in the morning.”

“Okay,” he said as he started walking towards the sofa in the living room.  He lay down on the floor beside Abigail.  After thinking about everything that happened, he finally fell asleep.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Bart wakes up, groaning as he gets out of bed.  He slowly walks to the closet on the other side of his bedroom.  He opens the door and grabs a pair of camouflage cargo pants and a green T-shirt.  He slowly walks to the bathroom and closes the door behind him.  He changes into the clothes that he got out of the closet and looks in the mirror at the skinny 67-year-old man with short, gray hair and brown eyes.  He walks out of the bathroom and walks through a hallway to the front door.  He opens the door and walks outside, breathing in the fresh air.  He heads toward a scarlet-red 1979 Dodge Charger and gets inside.  He starts the car and pulls out of the driveway.

He starts driving and after a while arrives at a flower shop.  He gets out of his car and heads inside.  He gets a bouquet of scarlet roses and pays for them.  He heads outside and gets back in his car.  He drives away and, after a while, arrives at a cemetery.  He parks his car and gets out with the bouquet.  He walks to a tombstone in the middle of the cemetery and sits beside it.  He puts the bouquet in front of the tombstone.

Bart sighs.  “I miss you,” he says with a tone of sadness and grief in his voice.  “It has been tough without you, Abigail.” he continues.  He pauses, staring off into the distance.  “Your parents are doing good,” he says, “I just wish you were here to help me out a bit.”  He sighs and slightly smiles.  “Just a little longer,” he says, “I can’t wait to see you again.”  He sighs and gets up, heading back to his car.  With tears in his eyes, he drives off.  He starts crying as he drives down the deserted street.

On his way home, Bart stops by Jack and Tanya’s house.  Getting out of the car, he walks up to the door.  As he opens the door, he walks inside.  As he hears the shuffling of feet, he hears a sweet and light voice from the other side of the house.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s just me,” Bart replies as he walks into the kitchen.

“Oh, hey,” Tanya says as she hugs him.  “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, sorry, I’ve been busy lately.”

“Have you gone to visit her lately?”

“I just did,” he states as he stands there staring into the distance.

“That’s good,” Tanya states.  “Jack is out at the store.  Would you like to wait here until he gets back?”

“No thank you,” Bart pauses.  “I just came by to check on you two.  I’m sorry, I have to go.”  Bart stands up and starts walking towards the door.

Tanya stops him and hugs him.  “We’re here for you.”

“Thank you,” he replies.

He walks to his car and gets in.  Tears start to form in his eyes as he drives away.  On the way to his house, he notices a picture in the door compartment.  He takes his eyes off the road to reach for the picture.  He grabs it and looks at it, noticing that it is a picture of when he and Abigail first met.  He looks back at the road but then collides with a car coming towards him.  As he is tossed around in the card, he clenches the photo.  The last thing that he can think of is Abigail as he passes away due to all the bashing and tossing.

He later finds himself staring up at a bright white light.  Once his vision is refocused, he notices a hand stretched out towards him.  He grabs for the hand and realizes that it is the woman that he has missed for years, Abigail.  She takes him on a walk and explains to him that he died in a car accident.  He asks her what happened and she tells him that she made it to heaven, which is where they are now.  She tells him that they can spend eternity together, and Bart doesn’t understand.  She tells him that they are both dead and that there is nothing left for them.  He finally understands and spends the rest of eternity with the woman that he loves.