When the snow falls, and you're in pain...

*Drip*...

Water dropped down from the ceiling so gracefully as if it was waltzing in the air. Moonlight crept through the open window, illuminated the floor which was coated by a fragile mask of raindrop...

And there she was, with her bare foot on the seemingly crystal floor, slowly made her way forward...

Do you think that the white color of the cold snow would turn red...

"Where are you going, Fran..."

Into a wonderful bed of roses ?

She could hear it... Her favourite song echo in the void. This place, it looked so beautiful, as if it were made of glass, but so dim, so empty...

Are my eyes close? If they open, will they see that the sky is in the color of blue and not gray...

"Fran..."

Then she stopped.

Or am I inside a cage, so broken?

A bird cage, a sophisticated designed one at that. It was in the color of white, so pure, so innocent. Lifting her hand, she slowly opened the small door. But right at the second when she touched the cage, it turned into red and started bleeding. Inside was a knife, a torn picture of her father and mother...

And a image of herself with a bloody knife.

Let's dance tonight, to the clock burning every second away, second away, second away...

Then a hand extended in front of her. A white skinny hand. She looks up, only to see a white skeleton dressing in a black suit with a top hat, smiling at her.

The fading light, leaves everything in darkness, swallow and gone, swallow and gone, swallow and gone...

She took it.

"Fran, don't do this..."

The music was still playing, she heard it, every single note. How beautiful it was, how heart-warming it was...

And how she wanted to be in harmony with it...

"There are shadows, in the closet..."

"Fran, stop..."

I said when I was just a little girl...

Her feet moved elegantly with the music and with her dance partner. He still kept that smile, his eyes fixed on hers.

Foolish and young, with an innocent tongue, outspoken...

"Fran, why aren't you listening to me?"

The skeleton led her to the hallway with plenty of mirrors lied on the sides. Every time they passed one, she saw a face, a familiar one, saying something about her, her life, her personality, her past...

Her parents...

Are they still there? If there are gone...

And without her noticing it, something felt down from her cheeks to the glittering floor. The skeleton stopped. He held her hand tightly, his other hand pointed at the last mirror in front of them...

Will they be waiting and greeting me with warm welcome and smile...

And through it, she saw her parents were smiling kindly at her, opening their arms to her...

As I go with them while I'm broken...

And she smiled back to them.

"No, Fran, stop! Fran!"

Let's dance tonight, to the clock burning every second away, second away, second away...

Everything felt so void, so as this place inside the mirror. It seemed to have no end, as she was falling down deeper and deeper...

But she just calmly closed her eyes...

"Fran!"

The fading light, leaves everything in darkness...

She was stopped, in midair, by a firm hand grasping hers.

"Fran, please wake up... "

Then she slowly opened her eyes.

"You knew that was not me, didn't you... "

In front of her was that same skeleton guy, however this time, he wore a much different smile, a kind and caring one...

"I did..."

She replied without any emotion.

"Why did you do this..."

"He asked. His worried eyes looking at her in much concern.

"I can't take it anymore, Itward..."

She smiled, but it was the saddest smile in her life...

"I have heard too many things... The people are so cruel, and you..."

She looked up at him with teary eyes...

"You were not there when I need you the most..."

She spoke with shaky voice...

"Fran...."

"Itward..."

She cut his line.

"This is what best for me... I want to have peace, even just for one second in my life... "

And she released her hand as it slipped away from his grip.

Swallow and gone, swallow and gone, swallow and gone...

"No!"

He jumped down the pit, trying his best to reach her, and he did...

"I have never left you Fran."

"Don't lie to me... "

"I'm not."

His kind eyes fixed at hers, not even a single trait of deceive...

"You will see Fran. I'm sorry that I wasn't there, but you will see why, Fran..."

Then he embraced her, gently and tenderly....

"You need to wake up Fran, for your sake, your parents'... and for mine... "

"Itward... "

There was a ray of light shone through the darkness. She looked at him as he wiped away the tears in her eyes as they kept on falling...

"Don't let Remor get into your mind, Fran. "

Slowly, he let her loose toward the ray of light...

"Be strong, my dear, and you will be alright."

Then he let her go, into the last ray of light...

_ _ _ _ _

"Itward!"

She called out as opened her eyes, but there was no sight of him. Above her eyes was a white ceiling, and she was lying on a bed with an oxygen breather. On the desk behind the bed was multiple medical equipment.

So she was in a hospital all the time...

Or was she...

Moving her hand slowly to her neck, she could feel the marks which the rope left. It felt pain when she touched it. She sighed.

Right at that time, somebody entered the room. A nurse to be precise, and she seemed shock staring her. The nurse rushed out of the room and returned with a doctor not too late after. The doctor was surprised too, seeing how his patient had regained consciousness.

"This is a miracle."

She said as carefully examined her patient. Everything seems to be in a good stage. The doctor looked at her in disbelieve.

"I thought you were gone... Your heart had almost stop beating for a moment back then..."

Fran didn't know what to say, but then something hit her mind...

"How did I get here..."

She asked, in a weak voice.

"A man dressed in black brought you here."_The nurse replied. "However, he was gone before we could even asked his name."

Fran startled at her answer.

Could it be...

"Well, you still need to stay here for a couples of days, just to make sure that you would fully recovered. After that, you can go home."

And Fran silently nodded as the answer.

_ _ _ _ _

After spending one week at the hospital, they finally let her go. Standing in front of the door, she took a deep breath and opened it. Nothing had changed, just that things got a bit dusty. Locking the front door, she went upstairs to her room. Everything was still the same as the day she decided to hang herself, but just one thing...

There was a small present box lying on the bed.

As always, her curiosity got the best of her. She took a closer look at it. No sender's name or what so ever. Fran picked it up and carefully opened it. A piece of paper fell down, revealed a necklace beneath it. Fran took the necklace and examined it. It looked like any ordinary necklace you could find in any shop. Right then, she saw the piece of paper on the bed. Fran picked it up and started to read...

"My dear, today is a very special day isn't it? It's a day that years ago, a brave girl had her first cry in this world. I'm very sorry for heading off without telling you. I wanted to give you a surprise, and I hope you will like it. Just press the little button and you will see.

Happy birthday my dear. I wish you the very best."

She pressed the small button on the side of it, which made the lid popped up, revealed a small clock inside.

And inside that clock, Fran saw the picture of Itward. In her dim lit room, a hand writing glowed on the glass surface of the clock...

I will always take care of you, my dear...

...

The end