Something

This post is designed to go with the Walk Off the Earth (Gianni and Sarah) cover of Say Something. If you want to read and listen (which I'd recommend) the link is here: http://youtu.be/fqVNm0c8nnQ

The expression isn't perfect. It can't be.
But I'm trying anyway, damn it.




The sun is setting, and the two of them are standing on a ledge together to watch.
Below lies a forest, settling for the night. Webs glint in the treetops, and there is a deep sense of connection. Signs of movement, life...safety.
To the side is a mountain, standing stark against the desert beyond. This little oasis would have been overtaken years ago, but for that peak.

The silence resonates, as the colors begin to blend and shift in hue and intensity.
He turns to her.

"Say something, I'm giving up on you.
I'll be the one if you want me to.
Anywhere, I would've followed you.
Say something, I'm giving up on you."

Her eyes seem distant, sad. But as the moment passes, she says nothing.
He looks away and whispers to himself, praying he is wrong about the ending of this story.
He never is.

"And I am feeling so small.
It was over my head.
I know nothing at all."

"And I will stumble and fall.
I'm still learning to love,
Just starting to crawl."

He needs something.
Maybe it's mercy. The sky seems locked in that blending of color and light that has fascinated artists since time began. There is a weight in the air as it flows past the ledge and rustles the trees.
Turning back, he lets the wind bolster his courage a little. The words come out less as a request than a plea.

"Say something, I'm giving up on you.
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you.
Anywhere, I would've followed you.
Say something, I'm giving up on you."

*cymbal*

The moment condenses, coalesces. This is the crux.
She moves to turn away. In that last second, her eyes are cold, and it hits him like a blow.

The sun doesn't set, it flares and burns out. She fades out of sight before his eyes.
She was never there, not really. It's the inside of his mind, after all.
He lowers his eyes, and in as much a sigh of resignation as a cry of despair, speaks.

"And I will swallow my pride.
You're the one that I love,
and I'm saying goodbye."

There are tears in his eyes. The forest below is still, in the sudden darkness.
Above, the stars blink in a network that is...that was...the connection between the two souls.
The sun was the center, not a star so much as a beating heart. The stars dim and flicker, as the first tear falls to the earth.

*drum roll*

The earth creaks and trembles, and the trees groan and shudder.
The mountain begins to crumble and collapse to the ground.

"Say something, I'm giving up on you.
And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you.
And anywhere, I would've followed you.
Say something, I'm giving up on you."

The connections in the forest turn black, branches rotting and roots spreading disease.
The sense of safety is gone, and the land is desolate and forsaken in a matter of seconds.
It is toxic now, even more a wasteland than the encroaching desert. It would take fire to cleanse it properly, but all of the light in the world has gone out. There is no warmth.

*reduce*

"Say something, I'm giving up on you.
Say something..."

Closing his eyes, he sits on the last remnant of the ledge. 
It's his mind. He could fix it, couldn't he?

It was her mountain.


- C