Story
''Carefully, she dropped the knife''.
There are no happy endings here so don't expect any. This is the story of Marina.
Carefully, she dropped the knife.
Already she could feel the warm liquid on her skin
It was comforting.
She leaned her head on the wall behind her
and shut her eyes... For the last time.
Over a decade before
Marina had been born into this crazy world.
Growing up she had never had a father who dotted on her
or a mother who called her ''cherie''.
No one knew when she'd had her first step
and no one cared that she had 6 toes.
She'd grown up in an orphanage with 50 other kids.
No one knew that she never ate lunch
because the school bully 'taxed' her.
No one noticed that she'd had blisters
and no one cared to kiss her bobo's.
Surprisingly though Marina grew up into a fine young girl.
At twelve, she had her first hang-over.
At fourteen, her first kiss.
By the time she was sixteen,
She'd lost all her baby fat and become a little lady.
She had 2 warnings, 1 suspension and detention almost everyday,
but no one was more optimistic than she.
She'd read a handful of books and
She'd learned that every cloud had a silver lining.
Her prince would come and steal her away from her foster parents
and he would cherish her for all of eternity.
Then she met Josh.
who was attentive and sweet.
It was summer, and he brought her flowers.
Typically, she fell head over heels.
Her prince was finally here.
Marina had had no one to tell her
that high school seniors were after just one thing.
At seventeen, Marina was 3 months pregnant
and Josh was no where to be found.
Her foster parents were mad.
She couldn't go back there.
So back to the orphanage she was sent.
All the other girls sniggered and pointed when she walked past.
Lost with no friends, Marina spoke to her unborn child.
She made promises that it's life would be better than hers.
That was what kept her going.
She began waitressing by day
and studying by nightfall.
Her pregnancy became more evident
making it hard to go to work.
But Marina wouldn't give up.
She worked up until the moment she felt the sharp pain
and her water break.
20 hours of labour later,
Marina gives birth to a premature daughter
whose lifetime was approximately 23minutes.
Distraught, Marina became depressed and bed-ridden.
Her only visitor. the dishwasher at the bar where she'd briefly worked.
Over and over in her head, she replayed her life story.
That was when I met her.
Young and fragile-looking.
But she was far from fragile.
Though I was older than she was,
Her eyes said that she'd seen more than I had.
In fact, Marina had seen it all.
After gently coaxing, she opened up enough to talk to me.
While she spoke it was as if time itself had stopped for her tale.
When tears filled my eyes, she laughed!
The first I'd seen and it transformed her face.
She was more beautiful than I'd initially thought.
After her mirthless laughter,
she said to me, "don't cry on my behalf
for I will get my due".
Marina died 3days after- Suicide.
She'd been found in the bathtub
with both her wrists slit.
On getting to the site, I was outraged.
How could she have been so stupid?
But that was before I saw her.
The paramedics and everyone else
were too busy seeing what they wanted to see,
that they missed something rather important.
On her face, was a smirk.
A genuine smile!
She looked almost haughty in the tub.
Like she pitied US and not vice-versa.
Then it made sense.
Her due - was her death.
In her reasoning, she was going to a better place.
I had to smile back at her.
Then I said a little prayer for her.
That night when I got home
I thought about Marina.
She'd taken her life into her own hands,
She was strong!
People needed to know her true tale.
Not the rumors and fabrications.
I pulled my laptop towards me
and started typing.. ''Carefully, she dropped the knife..
Many people will read Marina's tale
For the thrill or to feel superior over her.
Others, so they can scorn her,
Even in death.
Only one out of a gazillion,
will see the true message
behind the story...
The legacy she had left behind!
The story of beauty... Marina's tale
Lemony Snicket once wrote that a book's first sentence often told you what sort of story the book contained. This is no book but the same rule applies. The first sentence of this note is,''Carefully, she dropped the knife''.
There are no happy endings here so don't expect any. This is the story of Marina.
Carefully, she dropped the knife.
Already she could feel the warm liquid on her skin
It was comforting.
She leaned her head on the wall behind her
and shut her eyes... For the last time.
Over a decade before
Marina had been born into this crazy world.
Growing up she had never had a father who dotted on her
or a mother who called her ''cherie''.
No one knew when she'd had her first step
and no one cared that she had 6 toes.
She'd grown up in an orphanage with 50 other kids.
No one knew that she never ate lunch
because the school bully 'taxed' her.
No one noticed that she'd had blisters
and no one cared to kiss her bobo's.
Surprisingly though Marina grew up into a fine young girl.
At twelve, she had her first hang-over.
At fourteen, her first kiss.
By the time she was sixteen,
She'd lost all her baby fat and become a little lady.
She had 2 warnings, 1 suspension and detention almost everyday,
but no one was more optimistic than she.
She'd read a handful of books and
She'd learned that every cloud had a silver lining.
Her prince would come and steal her away from her foster parents
and he would cherish her for all of eternity.
Then she met Josh.
who was attentive and sweet.
It was summer, and he brought her flowers.
Typically, she fell head over heels.
Her prince was finally here.
Marina had had no one to tell her
that high school seniors were after just one thing.
At seventeen, Marina was 3 months pregnant
and Josh was no where to be found.
Her foster parents were mad.
She couldn't go back there.
So back to the orphanage she was sent.
All the other girls sniggered and pointed when she walked past.
Lost with no friends, Marina spoke to her unborn child.
She made promises that it's life would be better than hers.
That was what kept her going.
She began waitressing by day
and studying by nightfall.
Her pregnancy became more evident
making it hard to go to work.
But Marina wouldn't give up.
She worked up until the moment she felt the sharp pain
and her water break.
20 hours of labour later,
Marina gives birth to a premature daughter
whose lifetime was approximately 23minutes.
Distraught, Marina became depressed and bed-ridden.
Her only visitor. the dishwasher at the bar where she'd briefly worked.
Over and over in her head, she replayed her life story.
That was when I met her.
Young and fragile-looking.
But she was far from fragile.
Though I was older than she was,
Her eyes said that she'd seen more than I had.
In fact, Marina had seen it all.
After gently coaxing, she opened up enough to talk to me.
While she spoke it was as if time itself had stopped for her tale.
When tears filled my eyes, she laughed!
The first I'd seen and it transformed her face.
She was more beautiful than I'd initially thought.
After her mirthless laughter,
she said to me, "don't cry on my behalf
for I will get my due".
Marina died 3days after- Suicide.
She'd been found in the bathtub
with both her wrists slit.
On getting to the site, I was outraged.
How could she have been so stupid?
But that was before I saw her.
The paramedics and everyone else
were too busy seeing what they wanted to see,
that they missed something rather important.
On her face, was a smirk.
A genuine smile!
She looked almost haughty in the tub.
Like she pitied US and not vice-versa.
Then it made sense.
Her due - was her death.
In her reasoning, she was going to a better place.
I had to smile back at her.
Then I said a little prayer for her.
That night when I got home
I thought about Marina.
She'd taken her life into her own hands,
She was strong!
People needed to know her true tale.
Not the rumors and fabrications.
I pulled my laptop towards me
and started typing.. ''Carefully, she dropped the knife..
Many people will read Marina's tale
For the thrill or to feel superior over her.
Others, so they can scorn her,
Even in death.
Only one out of a gazillion,
will see the true message
behind the story...
The legacy she had left behind!
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