The girl in the room

Tonight is story time around the campfire, so get yourself comfy.

Once upon a time, a young woman found herself in the depths of despair, surrounded by strangers, locked on a ward without hope or deliverance. It was the darkest time of her life. Everyday she would wonder the hall, the garden and the kitchen aimlessly searching for peace, for solitude, everyday she found none. Everyday was the same, wake in despair, drown it out with meds, eat what little she could to spare disapproving looks, and sleep only to wake back to despair. Everyday seeing the same walls, the same people, the same darkness. Until one day, whilst wondering, pondering how to get through another day, she heard a small sob from behind a closed door, gentle she knocked and opened the door. There, sitting on the bed, was a wane blonde beautiful young woman, her head buried deep with in her hands, her slender body heaving with every sob, her skin so pale she seemed almost a ghost. "Are you ok?" she asked the girl in the room, she waited but there came no answer. Quietly she closed the door and walked away, back to her own dark thoughts. The next morning she passed the door, again she heard the sobbing, again she knocked and asked "are you ok?", again there came no answer. Later on that day, the young woman saw the girl in the room, sitting quietly by herself in the garden, her ghostlike presents hardly noted by anyone. After a few minutes she disappeared, unnoticed to all except the young woman. The next morning there was no sobbing, this time she knocked and looked in, there she sat, the girl in the room. "come out and sit in the garden" the young woman requested, she held out her hand and was surprised when the ghostlike figure stood and followed her out, her head bowed down. Together they sat in the garden barely saying a word, but both knowing they were no longer alone in the darkness. After that the two women spent everyday chatting, or just sitting together in the garden drawing or watching the world go by, both knowing that even in the darkness they had each other to guide the way.

One day the young woman, feeling her soul would burst, that the darkness would never pass, began to cry. She cried and cried, now that she had started she couldn't stop. Sat alone on a bench, struggling to catch a breath between every heart wrenching cry, face drowned in tears, the darkness overwhelming. Suddenly a hand touched hers, she looked up to see the girl in the room sitting beside her on the bench and she realised in that moment, that she truely wasn't alone, that somebody cared. In that moment the girl in the room saved her.

5 years later the young woman stood with tears in her eyes, clapping and smiling, feeling honoured to be amongst the wedding guests of the girl in the room. No longer ghostlike, there she stood, proud and smiling on the happiest of days. Seeing her smile, seeing her happy, seeing her surrounded by love and people who cared reminded the young woman of the love and care she had found in their friendship. Finally they were both happy, both knew hope, and although they knew their journeys through the darkness still had someway to go, it was easier now that they had their friendship to hold on to, to guide them through, no matter distance or time. And most of all, they both believed in the future.

To the girl in the room, thank you for saving my life. I wish you all the happiness and joy in the world x x x