Other people’s heartache
Hello everybody, so this is my entry for the #VAWildWorld contest that’s hosted by @voiceartdesigns
The goal was to make up a story that connects the album title of Bastilles second album “Wild World” and their songs “Lesser of two evils” and “Good Grief”.
I hope you like the story, enjoy reading!
Other people’s heartache: Part One
She lived in a big city. Loud. Chaotic. Stressful. It was like an urban jungle – the Wild World was out there. And she couldn’t handle it. Her life was a constant battle. Every day she struggled to get out of bed and when she actually made it that far she was just asking herself who’s this act that she was hiding behind. Life seemed so pointless to her. People told her that she was lazy, but she simply couldn’t push her limits anymore. She had lost the fight and she knew it. Some days were harder than other. And today was one of them. She was lying in the corner of her apartment, crying all day long. Only the voice in her head kept her company. For years she’d managed to ignore the voice but it had been getting louder and louder. “You know that I’m the lesser of two evils. You can’t deny it”, it seemed to whisper. Whenever she felt lonely, the voice seemed to be there for her. After years of living this miserable life she was tired of fighting against the voice in her head. The voice and her, they had often talked about how this is all just a game. And one day they voice finally convinced her. It told her that there will only be a winner not a loser. She can’t lose. And so she walked up there. She climbed the endless stairs up to the rooftop of the building that she lived in. There she was standing for a while, feeling the wind blowing through her hair and probably enjoying herself for the first time in years. She knew that it was over now which made her feel relieved. She walked over to the corner of the rooftop but she couldn’t get herself to actually jump. Once again she was too overwhelmed by the situation and didn’t know what to do. So she turned around, took a deep breath and… fell. It was as if she was being pushed and she almost could hear the voice whispering “We’re not that different anymore. You and I, we’re not that different”. And she knew it was right. There was no loser. Nobody would miss her. This was a fresh start. This was never the end. It was the beginning of something new. She didn’t feel scared when she fell. She didn’t think about hitting the ground. It didn’t matter anyway because whatever would happen was out of her control. There was only one thing she knew for sure: She wouldn’t die. This was not the end. This was just a fresh start.
Other people’s heartache: Part Two
He was watching her fall through his fingers. He couldn’t believe it. She was gone. The love of his life. Gone forever. They’d been friends since they’d both been little children and today was the day. He finally wanted to tell her that he was in love with her. It didn’t matter that she was struggling. He had always been there for her and he would’ve never left her. What would be left of the world without her in it? He felt numb when he went home. He felt numb after the first bottle of wine. He felt numb after the second bottle of wine. It didn’t matter how much he drank because he didn’t feel anything at all. The weeks after her death were horrible. He didn’t care about anything anymore and in his thoughts she was still whistling a melody. The melodies of their favorite songs that always caught him off guard. His friends hadn’t seen him since the day that she jumped. He had probably lost his job in the meantime. The only times that he had left his house, were when he had to buy more alcohol. But not even the alcohol could wash his pain and his memories away. It didn’t matter how often he stumbled, he still missed her. It didn’t matter how many minutes and hours passed, he still missed her. One day though, many months after she had passed away somebody knocked at his door. It was his best friend. He was in such a drunken state that it took him almost half an hour to get up and open the door. But his friend didn’t leave. He wanted to be there for him. “You might have to excuse me. I’ve lost control of all of my senses.” he managed to mumble when he saw his friend’s shocked expression. But his friend just put his arms around him. His friend knew that the past months had been difficult. And that’s when he broke down. For the first time since she had died he cried. He screamed. He let out all of his sadness and anger. And he realized that he needed help. “I don’t know what to do. Call me a fool. Put me in my place.” he desperately cried. And so his friend helped him. And after months of hard work, he was okay again. He may always be broken and he may always miss her but he managed to live his life. A year after her death he visited her grave. He now knew that life wasn’t always easy. And sometimes he was struggling to get out of bed. He took a deep breath, looked at her name on the gravestone and quietly whispered to himself “We’re not that different – You and I.”