Three bonded stories.

Have you ever seen the blood dancing in the water: falling down at a slow pace, spreading and drawing the beautiful picture of loss? Being all pressed by the walls of the water, the voice of the blood shouts with a striking power, it sets its own rules and like a queen occupies the transparent kingdom with a red sunset. And no one can deny the beauty of that show even if it carries a terrible story behind the scene.

He was observing that show… he was enjoying, or maybe not… His eyes were unintentionally invited to the VIP spot of the bloody performance – performance whose main characters were dead, probably smiling man, and alive trembling creature. He was not far away. He saw everything. He was a witness, a witness of a crime, of a horrible action, of the performance of his life. And he…

***

It was a nice morning that day. Happy Johnathan decided to go for a running, let’s call it refresh himself before another busy day. With a special thermo-clothes, music in his head and some weird smile on his face he stepped outside of the house as quietly as he could. Johnathan’s wife was sleeping – he didn’t want to wake her up, she needed rest. Well… they needed rest: she was pregnant.

With the thoughts of her Johnathan was gladly working out in order to stay healthy and support his wife. He loved her and she loved him. It was a happy marriage with all its colors, childishness and responsibilities. They were in love, expecting a desirable outcome of their feelings.

Every second morning, Johnathan was running near the riverbank. That morning was absolutely the same: same feelings, same way, same pace, and the same goal. He was always wearing the headphones, however with the acceptable volume, so he can listen to what’s happening around. It wasn’t that necessary since they’re living in the private house around the forest. There was no one around, except some stranger going on his bike through the wooden bridge to ‘somewhere’ and two or three passing cars. A perfect place for a solitude you would say. And actually, yes… it was.

***

June, 16th – another day. Mark woke up, took a shower and drank some disgusting filtered coffee. He never liked it, but it kept him running. His wife woke up with him and followed exactly the same procedures. They watched some news, discussed them, laughed at some point, dressed and went to work, however in different ways. They didn’t have kids, however they enjoyed each other as much as they could. Elizabeth, Mark’s wife, was everything to him. It was a mutual and right decision to dedicate their lives to each other, and the years of life proved it to them. If spouses could, they would even work together, however it was not like that and every morning Mark and Elizabeth were going different ways with the loving thoughts about each other. Mark was going by bike to work – he was for the safe environment and it was not that far away. He was passing his neighborhood, short forest track, a bridge in the middle of it were he was seeing only one man running every two days and then in 2-3 miles getting to the city where his work took place. And that morning was the same, however with some small correction.

***

- Dave, please, do not do that! Please, Dave! Leave me, Dave, it hurts… Please! – she cried in agony.

- Don’t you dare shout, right now. You deserve nothing…

And he let her go. She came half an hour later from her work, just half an hour later. He was jealous and never let her go anywhere without him. Dave was not entirely bad man; he was bringing everything to the family. However, his anger, possessiveness and jealousy were making him do some horrible stuff to his wife. He was transforming into a beast with no other feelings but hate. He was beating Margo very rarely but hard and painful. And the fact that he was doing that was always standing between them. Dave’s wife was patient and loving woman. Somehow, she was trying to manage him; however, it was practically impossible. Margo listened to him all the time, but on the other hand, she was crazily afraid of him because she never knew how it might end up.

June 16th, Margo was preparing lunch for Dave – she had to leave it in his car. Rushing to work Dave without saying the word went to the car. He was still angry because of her “late” coming home. Every day he was going by the road that comes through the forest – much faster way to get to work.

That morning he went the same way. And on the Big-Eye River Str. way, near the Big-Eye River, three lives, three different stories met deciding the fate of each other.

Dave was driving fast. He was still angry. Somehow, he was trying to get back to normal and remember if he didn’t forget anything. At some point, he noticed that there is nothing on the passenger seat (where his lunch was supposed to be staying). It was a catalyst… Dave got angry, furious, and insane because of the ‘stupidity’ of his wife. He tried to look on the back seat: Dave just bent over for a second to take a look and he didn’t manage to see…

He didn’t manage to see running Johnathan, who WAS smiling – he was happy, probably too happy to notice that the car was moving towards his back. And at that moment, Mark was coming closer to the bridge when he heard the noise of the car bumping into something or someone. Mark stopped his bike, Dave stopped his car, Johnathan just stopped… he stopped living.

Mark was shocked of the seen accident, however very curious what happens next. He wasn’t visible because of the trees and he was just watching. Mark saw how Dave went out of the car all red and saying something to himself, grabbing his hair and hitting his feet against his car. Dave approached the body, realizing that it was already just a body of some dead man. Really, he didn’t give that much of the thought and pick him up, however trembling from what he was going to do. Dave grabbed Johnathan, barely went down to the river, and just threw his body there. “He’s already dead, what’s the point to get caught because of that?”, - Dave was telling to himself. He just threw Johnathan to the river.

Mark was glued to the ground at that point. It was so close; he could see the killer’s face, the dead person and almost every detail considering bloody art. Yes, it was a performance of his life. And he… he just waited. He was waiting until a crazy stranger would leave, so he didn’t get noticed. Mark did nothing, he didn’t go the police, he didn’t call anyone including his wife, he just waited to be able to go to work. Both man went to the their destinations and only poor Johnathan will never get home alive.

It's a question why Mark did what he did, however he believed that getting involved would be just additional headache for him and his wife. Who needed that, right? Police coming to the house, constant interrogation, and probably spoiling the life of some stranger: what if he had children and no one would be able to take care of them. Mark was trying to calm himself down in every possible way. That story was following him for a while: news about missing man, news about finding him dead in the Big-Eye River, talks, gossips, etc. It was a great burden to carry alone and suffer from feeling of remorse. Nevertheless, life was going on; day by day, slowly but surely, the memories were disappearing, no feelings, no burden - everything was forgotten. Mark was smiling with his wife, going the same way to work, full of energy and happy that everything was so great. He will never know that Johnathan’s wife was raising the child alone, however happy that she has his son, whose name was also Johnathan. She overcame her sorrow and dedicated herself to her son, trying to give the best for him. She will also never know that there was some scared observer, who let everything stay unknown.

Life was going on… And several years passed.

It was another summer day: sunny, hot, noisy from the dancing fountains and with the air tasting like a cotton candy. Mark and Elizabeth went to the park to take a nice walk and just enjoy themselves. Time was passing slowly and every moment reminded a touch of the heaven – they were happy. In the end of the warm, enjoyable Sunday, the couple decided to grab a bite in their special restaurant, where they ordered the same table they have been ordering for 16 years already.

Mark and Elizabeth were coming to the crossing, when his phone rang and he had to engage in the heated discussion with his boss. The traffic light was still red to pass the road. Elizabeth was looking at the restaurant across the street and at some point, a small boy caught her attention looking and smiling at her from there. She was so captured by his energy and pure soul that some maternal feeling started appearing in her heart. “Probably, children ARE the light of life. Maybe, it would be really nice to have a kid”, - the woman was thinking. She was looking at that kid, thinking about the idea of having one, and with her mind and heart full of maternal thoughts, she made two confident, inattentive steps immediately when the traffic light signaled green. It was not her mistake, she didn’t notice. No. It was just some impulsive person who was trying to pass while the yellow light was still on. Well, he did not manage...

Mark, who was watching on the wall of the building behind him and talking with his boss, turned around on the sudden noise to observe another bloody scene. Apparently, it wasn’t that capturing as the previous one he was witnessing several years ago. He didn’t not have time to observe, he wasn’t hiding and staying still. He was desperately trying to help his wife while it was already too late. And you know, she was also smiling – like Johnathan.

It was a mess: people screaming from shock, the police and ambulance sirens were letting know that they are on the way, and Mark was crying, trembling, beating the road with his weak from shock fists, and begging Elizabeth to open her eyes, to live, to stay with him. He didn’t even pay the attention to the pulled over car and the desperate man standing behind him and just watching.

After the arrival of the ambulance and police, Mark finally stood up and looked into the eyes of the man who killed his wife. With a fierce look on his face and absolutely no doubts, Mark was ready to start beating that man to the death and he was almost there, when something stopped him, something hurt him that badly in his heart that Mark just stood and was looking into the eyes of a killer - he knew him. He saw him before. He was killer’s observer once. The memories that faded away with the flow of the time came back immediately and transformed into unbearable pain coming from the slightest touch of the air.

Mark was looking into Dave’s eyes trying to silently accuse him in what he’d done. However, the thoughts were coming some different way. It was Mark’s fault. The death of his wife was all on him. It was his karma for hiding the truth. Mark realized that if he did not hide the facts about the Big-Eye River accident, Dave wouldn’t be there, Dave wouldn’t be driving right now, Elizabeth would be alive. Elizabeth would be sitting in the restaurant, smiling and telling her husband about the idea of having kids. And probably they would have ones, or probably not; but they would definitely be together – she would be alive. And Mark will never know that Elizabeth was looking at small Johnathan Junior before her death. And actually, he will never know about those maternal thought of his wife. He will only know that his horrible actions several years ago took a life of the closest person in his life. Whatever it was: fate, karma, punishment, it just came back and hit him in his face. It showed the price of what he did not actually do, and you know it was very expensive. It was priceless.