Fan Fiction ❯ Gifts ❯ Chapter 1

Gifts

 

Barbara stood on the promontory, inhaling the fresh desert air and admiring the view, as the sun set . The last several months had been hard on her, with opportunities to just relax and lose herself to the natural beauty around her, few and far between. Her mother, the one person she could really talk to and trust for good advice, had been lowered into the ground two weeks ago. Really, it had been a relief to finally see an end to the pain and confusion that had become the entirety of the once-strong woman's existence. Still, Barbara just didn't know how she'd manage without her.

She sighed and stirred the desert's coarse sand with a toe. The medical bills had gotten up there by the end, too; another couple of weeks would have been beyond her. Maybe if she had a better job—a career, even—she would have been able to afford care good enough to save her mother. But, no... all she had was a dead-end service position under an egotistical asshole of a petty tyrant—a man who wouldn't even let her rearrange her hours to allow her more time with her lonely, dying mother.

She felt a familiar rage rise as she thought of her mother, alone and in pain for the last months of her life, because some little prick thought it was more important to stoke his ego and flaunt his control of all the people under him. She shook her head angrily, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't there to think about such things; she'd had more than enough grief, anger, and regret lately. With a conscious effort, she cleared her mind and focused her attention on the desert landscape below. It really was peaceful there; maybe she could capture some of that peace and keep it for her own...

“Barbara?” a soft voice called from behind her. Surprised, she turned around; there shouldn't be anyone around for miles. When she saw the woman, she stopped and stared. Standing about five foot ten, she had midnight black hair and possessed almost unearthly beauty. Actually, the soft glow emanating from the woman's alabaster skin suggested that the 'almost' wasn't necessary.

“Who-who are you? How do you know my name?” Barbara asked in fear and wonder.

The woman smiled softly at her. “I am Angela. I've been watching over you since you were born. Before then, really.” Her expression shifted to one of concern. “What happened, Barbara? You had so much potential—how did you end up where you are now?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“You were given so many gifts—intelligence, creativity, physical ability... more than one person in a million is granted. We'd hoped to exalt in your accomplishments, Barbara, but they never came. Please help me understand; why did you squander what you were given? Why did you let these wonderful gifts wither away?”

Pale and trembling, Barbara stared at the other woman. Her chest constricted and she felt she could scarcely draw a breath. “N-no... I didn't have those gifts,” she whispered, shaking her head as tears starting to blur her vision. “I did the best I could! It ... it just wasn't very much.”

Angela sighed. “But you did. Each time you came close to unlocking your potential, we rejoiced and watched with eager anticipation. And each time, we felt despair as you gave up, or let yourself fail. We thought you might be an athlete, but you turned your back on it when it became difficult. You could have been an artist, but you weren't willing to unleash your passions and reveal your inner self. Finally, we thought you would end up a doctor or scientist, but you never applied yourself to your studies, either.

“Tell me why, Barbara. You could have had success and happiness.” Emotion choked her voice. “You could have had the means to save your mother, Barbara. And if you had succeeded in any field of your choosing, you would have found your true love.” With a sad smile, she added, “It would have been a reward for allowing heaven to rejoice in the glory which you engendered with your gifts.”

Barbara wrapped her arms around herself and trembled as tears ran down her cheeks. “I-I can still accomplish things! I'll go back to school and become what I could have been.”

But Angela just smiled sadly and shook her head. “Oh, how I wish you could, little one. With the support of you mother, you could have accomplished it—but now... I'm afraid it is just no longer within your reach.”

Barbara closed here eyes for a moment and tried to hold in the ragged sob of guilt and despair that sought to rip from her. Her voice hoarse, she quietly asked, “So, this is it? My life won't get any better than it is now?”

“Don't worry, child. It won't get any worse, either.”

“I see,” breathed Barbara as she turned around and stared down at the rocks many yards below. Her mouth twisted at the thought of decades of a life guaranteed to get no better than it was at that moment.

“I am sorry; it was never my intention to cause you pain,” said Angela softly before turning away, also.

Barbara said nothing as thoughts of wasted gifts and wasted lives filled her mind. Her body felt numb. “I let them all down; I let mom down...” she thought. “I was given so much more than everyone else, and I just threw it all away. If I let myself fall, would I be throwing another gift away or would it be what I deserve? Would Angela save me?” As her weight slowly shifted forward, little by little, she wondered, “Am I even worth saving?”

And behind her, a short distance away, a cruel smile slowly grew on Angela's face as she waited and eagerly listened for the sound of a body impacting stone.