Heartbeat || Short Story (Part One)

Jasmine Peters read the letter in silence, a tear tricking down her pale cheeks. She crumpled it up, and threw it across the room. It couldn't be true. It was a lie. She knew it wasn't true. Yes, she knew that young men died in this war all the time but not her fiancé. Not Edward Wylds. 

"Oh, please Lord, don't let this be true. Not Edward." she covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.

"The car is packed" Jasmine's mother said, entering the room, of the hotel that they had been staying in that night, "Wait, honey what's wrong?"

"Why didn't you give me that letter yesterday?" Jasmine shouted at her mother, pointing at the crumpled paper that now lay by the dressing table, "That letter was for me and you didn't give it to me."

"Oh, honey, I wanted to wait until we got home. I didn't want to ruin your last day of this trip with that news." her mother was by her side in a second, "I'm really sorry, love. Everything will be alright, you'll see. Now, come on dear."

"Nothing is going to be alright. He's dead. Edward is dead. And you just expect me to get up and continue life like nothing has happened. Well, you are wrong if you think that is possible. My life is over. Nothing will ever be the same. Now, tell me again that everything is going to be alright!"

"Honey, we need to get down to the car. We will talk about this, we will get through this."

Jasmine tried to stand up, but her legs didn't want to hold her weight, and she grabbed on to the chair quickly, bursting into uncontrollable tears. Her mother grabbed her arm, picked up Jasmine's last bag and helped her out the room and down the stairs. 

                                                                           

****

Jasmine didn't speak for the two hour car journey home. As soon as they arrived she headed straight up to her room, and locked the door.

Mrs. Peters told her husband everything, as they sat down in the living room, with cups of tea. 

"We are going to need to keep her occupied, I think we should try get her out the house. I am worried if we don't she will just stay locked up in her bedroom for the following weeks. It really is a great blow for such a young women to lose someone she loves so much like this."

Mr. Peters didn't say anything, just sat there in silence thinking. 

His wife continued on, "I think I will take her with me to pick up the fabric from town this weekend, after she has had a little time alone, and maybe next week she can help me in the store getting the new orders in. It would be great having some extra hands there, especially with Mary Hopkins and Lucy Roberts off."

"Sounds like a great idea, Lucille." her husband responded, "I think that will do her some good."

****

Jasmine stayed in her room for two days. She refused to go out or eat, and lay on her bed with Edward's letters  scattered across the bed, and floor. She held the book he had given her the last day they were together, tightly to her chest, as tears streamed down her cheeks and onto the papers. 

"Oh, Edward. Come back to me, Edward." she mumbled over and over, rocking back and forth. 

On the third morning, Jasmine needed to get out. She didn't know where she would go, but she needed to get outside. 

Early that morning she tiptoed down the stairs and out of the back door. Breathing in the fresh air, after not stepping a  foot outside since coming home. She started to walk, not knowing where she was going, just following the path she had walked so often, and before she knew it she was standing outside the old Farmer Conner's barn, which was now falling apart. 

This old barn, which wasn't so run down those years ago, was the place she had first met Edward, when they were both ten or eleven years old. It was over ten years ago now but Jasmine remembered that day as if it was yesterday. If she closed her eyes she could still hear the laughter and shouts of the students running around there that summers afternoon. Edward was new in the area, and they had quickly become friends after a game of truth or dare in which Edward's sister, Charlotte, dared him to kiss the girl on his right which happened to be Jasmine. That peck on the cheek had started the amazing ten years that had followed. 

They always came back to this spot whenever they wanted time alone together. She sat on one of the two overturned barrels that had been by the side of the barn for as long as she could remember, and placed her left hand on the empty barrel beside her, where Edward always used to sit. 

It was at this very spot that he had told her he had enlisted to fight in this terrible war. 

It was on that day that he had promised her that he would come back to her. His very words were, "I'll be back, that's a promise. I'll be back for you, before you know it. You'll see."

 Now, he was gone. Gone forever, and she couldn't believe it. She would never be able to see him again. All she had of him were those letters, and a few fading photos. And soon the photos would be completely faded, and the papers would fall apart, and eventually even the images in her mind would fade. 

Tears formed in her eyes again. She buried her face in her hands, and cried. 

"Jasmine?"

She slowly moved her hands away from her face, and looked up. It was Charlotte.

Seeing the young women that was to be her future sister-in-law, she burst into tears all over again, and jumped off the barrel and fell into her friend's arms. Her whole body shook, as she cried.

"He's gone. Oh, Charlotte, I can't believe he's gone." Jasmine sobbed, "I miss him so much!"

Charlotte held tightly onto her best friend and rocked her, as she cried, "I know, love. I miss him too."

****

"Jasmine, are you ready? We need to be at the store in half an hour." her mother called up the stairs.

"Coming." Jasmine shouted back, appearing at the top of the stairs a second later, wearing a black dress.

"Come on, Jasmine, love. You can't wear that." her mother sighed, "Put the one I washed last night for you on, and hurry up."

Jasmine groaned, and dragged her feet as she went back into her bedroom. Appearing downstairs a couple minutes later in her blue dress, with the white ribbon around the waist.

"There you go, you look lovely. Now come on, we need to walk down to the store and we are already running late and there are so many things to be done." 

"I hate this dress." Jasmine moaned, as they headed out the front door, and down the path towards the store. 

"Don't be silly. That's one of your favourite dresses." her mother smiled, taking her daughter's arm, "You used to wear it at least once a week."

"No, it was Edward's favourite dress. He went to the dress makers with me and he saw this dress and persuaded me to buy it." Jasmine said, with a sad sigh, "He said it made my eyes shine brighter."

"Oh, love. He wasn't wrong there." her mother smiled sadly, putting an arm around her daughter's shoulders and kissing her forehead.

They soon arrived at the large store and Jasmine was soon set to work stacking the shelves and laying out the fabric and  material in the clothes and sewing area. She managed a small smile when a customer came over asking for help to search for something or to make an order but deep down she wished that Edward would walk into the store and take her away with him. 

To Be Continued....

I hope you liked this story so far, I know its a bit sad but I promise I will try end it on a more happy note...

Also, I am not sure if I like the name of this story so if you have any better ideas for it let me know!!
I'll try and write, and post, part two tomorrow.