After Images

See a beautiful girl with pale-white skin, long curly black hair and a smile to melt the heart of the devil himself. She’s wearing a pink hat and is shy and comes across naive and friendly. See her standing with her black guitar, standing self-consciously on the stage in front of a thousand people. See her hesitate and then start strumming her guitar. Hear her voice; melodic and angelic, slow and happy. See her achievements: Deputy prefect, the garden she raised money for at her school, her good academic record and her group of loving friends. See her now and you would not believe from whence she came. Drugs, alcohol and destruction is sewn by her and god I still miss her. See the tall lanky 15 year old boy with that ready smile. See him playing guitar and making jokes with his friends. Feel comfortable in his easy-going company. See the glimmer of exciting in his green eyes. Enjoy his humour and his intelligence and warmth. He has a quiet and open and confident nature that fosters respect and care in his friends. Give his best friend leukaemia. Watch him as he can do nothing as his best friend suffers and dies in another country. He buried party of his soul at the funeral.