Oh, wow, it's been a while...I almost forgot how to post
It's just a small thing, your feedback is highly appreciated!


**

One Second


One second tore us apart.

That thought hunted me ever since that fateful morning.

The sun shone as it always did and time hurried forward as if nothing new and horrible was bound to happen. I remember walking towards my desk when Jack and Sue hurried inside, their faces reflecting their worry. Something inside me seemed to feel that things were not right, that something loomed on the horizon. The coffee I drank seemed to grow bitter with every sip and my stomach kept on twisting.

We went to the scene shortly afterwards. It’s been a year and yet it still burns in my memory every time I close my eyes. It seems to take forever to get there, clearing our way though traffic and road blocks. Every movement seemed slower, every sense sharper. The acrid scent and taste of fire burning, the sight of so many people on the ground and the sound of their suffering all echoes in my mind in moments I least expect them to.

We thought we had seen it all; fear and pain and death, stared at the face of cruelty on a daily basis and yet nothing could have prepared us for this moment…the moment when you realize that this time…this time you look for your friends between the destructions.

She came to me at that very night, filthy and sore and we've been together ever since, riding the aftershock of the explosion together and remaining side by side throughout the weeks and months that followed.

No one spoke of love or feelings, no one asked unnecessary questions. At first we simply allowed it to happen, allowed it to continue and then I realized that my nights were darker without her, my days emptier…

I watch her now, a year after and wonder if she returns my feelings. She watches the bright memorial and buries her toes in the cold grass. I find myself walking towards her, my arms moving to hug her as I kneel beside her. She turns to face me, her long hair framing her sad face.

She leans her head against my shoulder. "I love you, Bobby."

My throat tightens and there is a strong burning sensation in my throat, I want to say the words, I long to shout them from the top of the world but the brightness of the cold stone stops me. "Tara…" I whisper.

She smiles at me and I know she sees everything thorough my eyes. "It's alright…" she motions with her head. "Look…they're here…"

I nod my head and suddenly realize…

One second brought her to me.

What a gripping beginning! Whose names are listed on the memorial? What caused the explosion?

So many questions and I'm glad they are all in your more than capable hands.

great start, so many questions

cath

Bell, I'm glad to see you back. What an intriguing start!

Kim

Can you tell I'm excited to have you back writing? What a gripping beginning, leaving us on tenterhooks until the very end trying to figure out who "I" is. A sobering thought: That same second likely caused someone else to lose their loved one. It's a reminder to us all, I guess, to seize the moment and cherish what we have when we have it.

kav

It's great to see you back, Bell.

Looking forward to what is to come.

Welcome back, Bell. A story from you is always a treat.

As always, your very first sentence is enough to captivate and keep us waiting for more. This looks like it's going to be a thrilling ride.

Wow, Bell... let me first say welcome back! I've missed your stories!

You've captured so much in this one simple post and I just don't know where to begin, so I'll just repeat my first response.... Wow.

Welcome Back bell!

This was a very powerful beginning...I can't wait for your next post!

**


One second tore him apart.

And it was the most frightening thing I have ever witnessed.

My team leader, my friend, my love…my soul breaking down.

He found them first and the sight alone seemed to break something inside him. His ashen face grew paler and from the sight of him, he was screaming something…anything to get help.

I couldn’t pick up his words, slurred from his efforts to overcome the obvious noise around the wreckage. I was alone in my world of silence, wondering how all the colors suddenly turned into shades of grey, noticing the small changes in his demeanor as rescue workers gathered around him. He watched them from afar, slowly turning from their fierce team leader into their friend, their family.

His hands began to shake and when a pile of cement was pulled off them I saw him backing away, faster and faster until he was out of my sight.

I chased him.

We're here. I feel him signing in my hand and I turn to face him.

I see the white memorial outside the window and then his face is in front of me and his brown eyes pull me into their depth. The touch of his lips is warm and delicate and yet I know my husband well enough to feel desire behind the gentle touch. The kiss deepens and I get lost in the moment, lost in him and in the way that brought us here.

His lips create a delicious sensation in my womb, his tongue sweeps along my throat and brings shivers down my spine. I surrender to his ministrations and forget everything. In my hazy mind there is nothing but my avid response to his body and his breath mingling with mine, there was never any bombing…my husband never suffered nightmares…we were still the same as we have always been.

But we are so much different then we were.

He sighs as I open my eyes. "We should go, Sue."

I smile at him, watching as the dark desire is covered by dark sorrow. "I'll be right behind you, Jack."

He turns away from me, placing his full attention on the white memorial.

One second takes him back in time.

Bell, I was just thinking about you the other day and hoping you are well. Welcome back - it's wonderful to see a story from you!!!

I forgot for just a second how powerful a writer you are - but with the first word I am pulled in and will be along for the entire ride!!!

Joy

Wow! I can't wait for more!!!

Em

wow

cath

Welcome back, Bell! I missed your masterful writing.
I already love this story. I'm afraid, though... afraid to read the next post and not find Myles and Lucy. Or D. You can't do something so cruel to us... Well, technically you can but...

Ornella

Wow! To say this story is powerful would be a gross understatement, Bell.

Kim

So powerful... no Kim was right... that word just isn't good enough. There is no word to explain how deep this story is, Bell.

And I gues the only good thing about this incident was that Jack and Sue found each other, though it doesn't offer the relief I was hoping for.

hm so jack ands sue are ok as is Bobby and possibly Tara though im not ahundred percent on that one

Wow! What powerful writing! You are drawing me into this story completely.

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Wow Bell, it's great to see you back. With those two posts you've got all my hairs standing up right on my arms.. Beautiful. Such depth.

Somehow you've managed to thread together pure, raw emotion in a very captivating read.

kav

Another new challenge story! A belated welcome, Bell!

9/3 Post - Indeed a very chilling beginning. I have no idea where you are going with this, only that it is riviting. Bobby accounted for and Tara? in the wreckage, now accounted for? I'm not sure...could she be in Bobby's imagination?

9/4 Post - Jack and Sue accounted for....now you didn't warn us of a character death...so.....I just don't know what to expect!

Lynn

I'm still not exactly sure what happened but I found myself wanting to scream right along with Jack. OUCH!!! Very powerful, gripping! Scared to read more, but I will.

**


It was a one second decision.

In one second I decided to accompany her, me of all people, to pick up her wedding dress.

She was visibly surprised, unable to conceal her reaction but I insisted and she relented, although she did gaze at me with confusion when she thought I was too busy with the traffic ahead. Surprisingly meeting her fiancé at the mall caused an amusing hysterical reaction from her and I found myself hugging a white fluffy dress in my arms when darkness hit us in full force.

The loss of control frightened me more then anything. I remember dropping the wedding dress and reaching out for them, right before the floor disappeared and I was unable to control the long fall that came afterwards.

I remember nothing afterwards.

Nothing but emptiness.

When I woke up again my mind seemed to be disconnected from my body. I knew it was wrong, horribly wrong. I knew that I should be mad from the pain, that the unnatural position I found myself in meant nothing but pain.

And yet I was quiet, holding onto the warm body beside me and hoping that I would make it…that we would make it.

Only when I saw her I started crying; slow, burning hot tears that forced their way through the soot that covered my face. She was breathtaking only because she was there, lighting my face with a flash light. She smiled at me and spoke to me but I couldn’t pick up any of the words she spoke. Her gloved hand wiped the tears away and examined my injured body.

The ground beneath me shook but she never faded away, holding my hand in hers until the world shifted before my eyes and brightness shone upon us. She was gone from my sight and more people gathered around me. I recognized Jack's face, watching as he slowly backed away from me, his eyes reflecting his pain…his fear.

My angel showed up beside me as they uploaded me onto the ambulance and her presence brought a powerful wave of pain with it.

Her soothing hand could not stop my screams.

Her cold fingers slide across the scars that are tracing the right side of my face. "We're here, Myles."

I nod my head and gaze at her as she unbuckles the seatbelt, guiltily noticing once more how similar she is to her…her bright smile, her dark complexion. I do not want to think that I love her only because I compensate for my own mistakes, or because she was there when I pushed them all away and yet sometimes I am unable to stop that thought from resurfacing. I wonder if she notices…if she even imagines it to be possible. I wish I could know for sure.

She waits for me to join her and I reach out for her hand, squeezing it and smiling down at her.

In that one second, I know she is my world.

You've given me goosebumps, Bell!! Okay, if I'm reading right, we have Bobby and Tara accounted for, as well as Jack and Sue!! We have Myles, but I don't think he's with Lucy!!!

You have me totally captured!!!

Joy

This just goes to show that lives can change in the matter of a mere second. This is very powerful stuff, Bell!

Kim

Wow! I'm speechless. I thought the other posts were riviting, but they don't hold a candle to this one. How do you do it? They're just words...words! But when you put them together like this, they take on a force of energy that is explosive...indescribable. WoW!

Lynn

Incredible how you're drawing this all together -- everyone's reaction to that one second in time that changed them all.

kav

This is a brillant story Bell!!!!!

Wow! Bell you are amazing!!!

Em

Oh wow, Bell. Your writing is so ... wow.

And I'm fearing the worst. Have they lost Lucy? Who is Myles with?

<whimpers> My stomach hurts...

~Siti~

Ah, Bell. You've been missed. Welcome back, and please don't stay away so long in the future?

Every word has just drawn me in to this torturous situation they've had to endure and left me with so much curiostity, it's hard to explain. I'm anxious for the rest of the story and to see how you handle all their emotions. Well, I guess I know that already though... expertly, as usual.

Tina

Wow...




Wow....




Wow.....


Because of you, I can't think of anything else to say but "wow"!

I've truly missed your writing, Bell. There's so much information in this post to process, but my brain just won't function like it's supposed to because even it's speechless by this post.

I think I'll just sit back and kepe reading for a while, until my brain can catch up to speed.

**


In one second, I lost everything.

When they pulled me out of the wreckage I knew, feeling that something was missing, knowing that my life was changed forever, that nothing would ever be the same again. I was alive…and my other half was gone.

Have I gotten over him in the year that passed?

I don’t believe I ever will.

It seemed like after everything that happened, we all chose to stay away from each other. Myles didn’t return to work and would probably suffer from his legs permanently. I didn’t return to work…and no one questioned me about it.

I didn’t speak to any of them for many months but I'm not surprised to see them there, standing together. It makes sense to me that after all this time we would still search each other out.

"Luce?" his voice shakes me from my thoughts; he is my anchor for now, although I know he wishes to be more.

"They're all here." I whisper.

They came to respect and remember, the dead…and the living, who changed so much since that morning.

My heart clenches painfully as we both walk towards the memorial and the small group of people who stand beside it. When Sue catches sight of me she opens her arms and I willingly step between them to return the hug. I hear D and Donna as everyone welcome them and tears slid shamelessly down my face as I hug them all in silence.

We stand in silence for a moment, paying our respects for the dead and the survivors.

In that one second, our world is whole.


~Fin~


Thank you for everything, it was a pleasure to write it.

Powerful, Bell. That is the only way to descirbe this whole story...powerful.

Kim

Incredibly powerful. I can't be any more imaginative than that. Very thought prevoking, and it makes me realize how important cherishing our seconds is.

kav

WOW!!!! The was amazing....a very powerful and thought provoking story...you did an excellent job!

Very powerful and thought provoking.
thanks,
Terie

I'll never think about "one second" the same way again!!!

Thanks for sharing!!!

Joy

wow bell what an amazing story, so very gripping, and i can't believe i didn't see this before. but honestly this was very very intense. the changes they all went thru... and how they all decided to go an but never really forget. very very beautiful bell. really beautiful

Wow a really emotional story. It pulled me in and I couldn't stop reading. Well done!

Bell

This is the first story I have read of yours and what a gripping, emotionally charged one! To quote Kav, “incredibly powerful”. You have definitely given us pause to consider how fleeting our life and way of life can be. All it takes is One Second to alter it forever.

You definitely have a new reader fan and I'll be checking out your other stories. Thank you for sharing your extraordinary talent in this challenge.

Lynn

Another masterful piece of writing, as all of your works are! Like a true artist, you paint a myriad of emotions so skillfully with words. I'm in awe.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

I... I just don't know what to say. Again you've left me speechless, but the thought of a person's world falling to pieces in one second... I can't even put my thoughts into words that's how much I loved this story.

Powerful and awe-inspiring. That's all I can say.

Wow! So good Bell!

Em

No fair Bell. I don't want to cry today. But if I think about htis little emotional gem of yours for too long, it's inevitable. Well done.

Tina

Very powerful!

Well done!!!

One Second - Bell this was incredibly gripping and inspiring at the same time. How a life can be changed forever, or even end in that One Second in time reminds me of a very important question I learned to ask in an evangelism ministry years ago. If you were to die today, are you certain you would go to heaven? This story reminds me how important it is for one to know, as all it takes is One Second.

I haven't seen anyone mention this, maybe it's something no one wants to say, but I see everyone accounted for but Bobby and Tara??? Am I right in thinking the memorial service is for them??

Wow...yes I know it been said before but still...It was powerful, intense, overpowering...thank you for that beautiful and fascinating story!
Josy

There are some stories you read and you just think -- Wow. This is one of those. I felt transported into the brief moments in each of their lives. I felt their pain and their emotions so vividly through your words.

Thank you for the reminder of the value of "One Second." I think I'll go kiss my children good night again.