After the End

© Ayr/Gray

The Unicorn Challenge.

A magical new weekly writing opportunity from him – C. E. Ayr – and me.
The rules are
Maximum of 250 words.
Based on photo prompt.
That’s it.

Click here to read other stories from the prompt: 03/05/24

After the End

Once upon a time there lived a little girl who had roller skates and a dog.
She loved them both.
She went on imaginary adventures on her skates, always with her dog.
Everything has an end though.
She learned this, because one day her dog died.
She wanted to know what lay beyond death.
In her sadness, she imagined skating to where the world stops.
But she always met a fence in these daydreams, and beyond it a desert.
All she had to do was climb over the fence and explore.
But she couldn’t make herself do it.
It wasn’t that she was frightened.
She just could – not – cross – that – fence…

When she was older, they told her God had no beginning and no end.
Surely then, He had to know the answer to her search?
She became a nun, learned to obey without question.
They said this would lead her to God.
It didn’t.
She left.

She tried psychology, searched right down inside herself.
Wandered among the ghosts from the past that haunted her dreams.
But there she met the fence again, warning her not to go any deeper.

Then one day, while out walking, she came across a deserted barge.
She climbed aboard, settled on its flat roof to watch the reflections of the sun on the water.
A dog came by, lay down at her feet and together they watched the swans at play.
They were at peace.

And they lived happily ever after…