Sunburn

by Chloe Michelle Howarth

I would drape my own soul over her body to protect her from eyes like mine.

To be with her is a sin, to be without her is a tragedy.

Since I have known her, Susannah has been a flame in bloom. She took me from ash and made me human. I fear if she spends one more day in the garden, her flame will dwindle, and to ash I will return. She cannot wait any longer for me to be brave. If I don’t choose her, she will not wait around. I know this, I know this, I know. And still a naive part of me thinks that since we have made it this far, we will make it forever. If we existed for even a second, we could exist eternally. That might be too romantic to be true. She has existed without me before, she could do it again. Doesn’t she realise that I may never be ready to bloom like her? Doesn’t she feel me shaking with fear? What I need is her help. All she gives me is pressure. Oh, this fatal, impending freedom, which will give her all she has ever wanted and snatch away all I have ever needed. I used to think that she was just a bruise, a nice sort of pain that would fade away to nothing. That was all wrong.