Edward Miller
As Edward Miller sits on the park bench, he looks at the big, blue sky and begs, “Help me. Please, please, help me …” He is overwhelmed with guilt and grief, and warm, salty tears fill his eyes. A flock of birds appear in formation, and he wishes that he could join them and fly away. With eyes closed, Edward mutters to his god for forgiveness, remembering what has happened. Every detail of the event pierces his brain like a knife. “How could I have done this?” He opens his eyes and walks down the street. He sees his reflection in a store window, and his face looks like he has just witnessed the most horrible and gruesome thing imaginable. As a matter of fact, he has. Edward finds a house of worship and goes inside. It is exactly where he wants to be. After a few moments, he sits down and lets out a long breath. “How will I be able to explain it? Am I going to jail? What will I tell my family?” Roused from his reverie, Edward hears a noise and looks up. A tall man is walking down the aisle toward him. Edward looks at the floor, avoiding eye contact. The tall man, now standing beside him, whispers,“Rough day?” Edward keeps his head down. The tall man lingers beside Edward, waiting for a response. |
Edward feels the tall man’s steely gaze and, after some very tense minutes, the tall man leaves. Edward walks down the stairs and into the street. He feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around. It’s the tall man. “I know what you did,” he whispers to Edward. “You what?” “I know what you did.” “How could you? What do you know?” “You can run, but you can’t hide,” the tall man threatens. “I will make you pay for all of it. You just wait and see.” Edward runs down the street, hoping that the tall man doesn’t follow him. When he looks over his shoulder, the tall man is staring at him, and now he is laughing wildly. Edward’s brain feels like it is going to explode. “What am I going to do now? Where can I hide?” Edward closes his eyes again. He will lose everything. There is no solution. There is no hope. When Edward opens his eyes, he is shaking and crying, and his heart is racing. He can’t get the dream out of his head. From Carpet Creatures: Tales from the Deep Pile To join the Carpet Creatures project, please visit our TAE Gallery website. |
