Ballad of the Broken Hearted

Aralyn Marrienne was perfection
Every day she washed and brushed her hair,
She would carry herself proudly,
And she walked through the day without a care.

Everywhere she went the girls would chatter,
All of the boys couldn't help but stare.
The teachers praised the good student she was,
And her judgment was always good and fair.

But within her mind that was oh so admired,
She carried the foundations of a plan.
A plan that formulated day and night,
One that was doomed once it began.

So while she smiled and waved,
While she walked among her peers,
She waited for the night approaching,
And counted all of her fears.

The bus pulled up behind her school,
And with her friends she boarded,
But as the wheels began to turn,
Something in her face contorted.

Her friends would ask her worriedly,
"What's wrong, Aralyn? Are you feeling ill?"
"No, no, everyone, I'm fine! I swear!"
But her voice was frail and trill.

A silence invaded them from the inside out,
It lasted until the very last stop.
They shared goodbyes and friendly hugs,
But they feared the horrors the night might drop.

Her footsteps carried wistfully,
She seemed as normal as ever,
But when the neighbors came and passed, she said,
"You know, nothing lasts forever."

They would stop and look at her,
Confusion written on their faces.
She smiled in response and said,
"But maybe, just maybe, you will go places."

Again they did not understand her,
She seemed to be speaking in code.
So they continued onward,
While the sky above them glowed.

The day was sinister, that was sure,
Because the smile that Aralyn held,
Was twisted and skewed uncomfortably,
And her rare, creaky laughter was expelled.

She slowly opened her house's front door,
She stepped inside and slipped off her shoes,
Said a robotic hello to her mother,
And left so that she could muse.

The rest of the day was scarily silent,
And Aralyn's family was worried.
So when dinner time came around, they feared,
Because to the table, Aralyn usually hurried.

Her seat was empty, left untouched,
As was her food and plate.
Finally, it occurred to them,
That she wasn't just simply late.

"What could've happened, you think?"
Her mother had questioned, scared.
"It's best we just investigate,"
And they stood, not one bit prepared.

They were quiet in walking down the hallway,
And even more cautious at her door,
But still they pondered frightfully,
Their feet glued to the floor.

"Hello, are you in there? Answer us, dear!"
But inside there was no answer.
"Could she be asleep? Should we just go in?"
The question and uncertainty spread like a cancer.

Finally the door was flung open,
All eyes landed on the empty room.
The window was left agape.
What could they do but assume?

"Perhaps we should call the police!"
Aralyn's brother was shaking with fright.
"That will do no good," said her father.
"It has hardly been one night."

For minutes their eyes scanned the room,
Searching for a sign of her being,
But alas they uncovered nothing--
That is, nothing they were seeing.

In the room they slowly walked,
And soon they found a note.
"Hey, look over here!" shouted her brother.
"Look inside! Read! What is it that she wrote?"

The paper was unfolded carefully,
For they feared what the contents might bring.
But they found only a few words,
Still, their hearts began to sing.

"Dear family," the note read,
"I cannot bear it much more.
The heart break is too much."
Here their eyes spilled tears galore.

They had not known her pain,
They had assumed it was not much.
"How could we not have known?"
Her mother cried, her chest she did clutch.

They read on and found only a bit more,
Reading, "Do not blame yourselves at all,
For I promise it is my fault.
My fault that everything good should fall."

"So I've gone, and I promise I won't return.
You should know I never hated you, never."
Their eyes read the last few words,
"But I'm sorry, I must go. Goodbye. Forever."