Time - MMC (July 11, 2016)

Four months, and thirteen days. There was a time when you thought there would never be a day that would go by when you wouldn't see each other, and now it's been over four months. A fire that spread in less than five minutes is to blame for this.

Thoughts of Ariel spin around in your mind as you pull your feet up onto the hard wooden chair where you are sitting and rest your head on your knees. The tears you didn't know you had inside you come rushing out, and you wrap your arms around the top of your knees, your left arm pressing into your forehead. Your fingers dig into your arms as you try to squeeze the pain out of your chest and pass it on to anywhere but there.

Minutes tick by. From just the sound of your wristwatch, you count the time that passes: seven minutes, fourteen seconds. Ariel used to think it was funny how you always knew exactly how much time was left until the bell would ring for the next class without even glancing at your watch... Your sobs start afresh from the remembrance, and you begin to rock back and forth, thinking maybe it will help you to regain your calm.

Your tears finally slow, and once you rub away the blur, you realize the thing you must do. Somehow, the thought of her watching from above as you play the music she taught you already calms you. Keeping in time, your fingers move across the burnt piano keys, growing less and less shaky with each note played. You feel the ache in your chest being released, and the thoughts of your friend slow in their spinning. Time ticks by, and you realize that there are two things the fire wasn't able to take from you: time, and her piano.

Hey, everyone! I haven't done a Monday's Minutes Challenge in forever, and it feels so good to write one again! I used the picture prompt this week and my story is 310 words. Thank you, Tessa, for hosting!

- Maddie