There was no sound when Enid hit the ground. Just like everything else, the thud was stopped as soon as it started, and all was again quiet in this grey-grey world.
Just the quiet scrape of dust beneath her palms, her fingers cloawing at the dirt as her lips wobbled. Her eyes shut closed as a lone tear escaped, travelling across her face to hit the ground.
Her fingers soon trembled against nothing, and that too soon stopped.
Enid's breathing slowed down, and the burden of emotions she had been carrying- of being an imposter, or being unwated- it all lightened as well. She had had a taste of feeling nothing at all, and she wanted to go back to it.
To that numbness...
She didn't want to feel anything at all...
The world around her stayed still and for once, she was grateful for it. It was still grey, still eternally sunlit.
And it would remain so after she had passed. This endless stage would swallow her whole, and continue on it way it did.
Enid was relieved.
No more expectations, no more sorrows. No one hating her or hurting her. She was free to just...die.
Her chest rose once. Fell. Then stilled.
It was easier not to move.
Easier to stop thinking.
And all was quiet in her world.
The door was still there, and so was the horse. The Sun still shone... and it continued on.
...At least for a few beats.
For somewhere beneath that numbing silence, there was something, something in the woman who lay on that path that refused to lie still.
It was small, minuscule even. The thing that refused to die, refused to give up.
But it was enough.
It began as a flicker, a thread.
A whisper...a voice she hadn't heard in what felt like lifetimes...
"...Little..."
"My...moon..."
"My little moon..."
Her eyes flickered beneath the eyelids, peace disturbed by this errant voice.
Her brows furrowed in consternation, the voice was one that she had heard before, but couldn't place...
...The thought was fleeting though. She screwed her eyes tighter, burrowing in on herself. No. She didn't want to hear anything anymore.
She just wanted to be left alone.
"Enid.."
"My dear little Enid...my little moon..."
Unbidden, tears came into her eyes, her chin wobbling as an image flashed before her. Of an old woman sitting in front of her, chin resting on her folded knee as she cleared away the weeds from a garden, with a little girl by her side.
"Enid?" She spoke softly, her voice at one warm and ridden with the huskiness of old age.
"Hmm?" The child answered, her hair in two single tails atop her head, dropping like fountains. Her tongue stuck out of her mouth in concentration as she pulled the weeds with both of her little hands.
The old woman chuckled, as she watched the child fondly.
"ook, grandma, ook!" The child held out the offending weed like a prize to her grandmother, who nodded at her, eyes sparkling in the setting sun. The summer breeze blew through the land, as the returning birds chirped from the sky.
"Well done, Enid. Well done."
The girl beamed at the praise, as she went to remove the next threat to her grandmother's precious garden when...
"Gramma? What about this one?" She pointed at a small yellow flower.
"This?" The grandmother shifted from her crouch so she was facing the fllower. "Isn't this flower beautiful?"
She smiled as she reached out a finger, brushing the petals before turning to her granddaughter.
"Yes!" The child nodded furiously, her head bobbing and the fountain hair moving back and forth.
The old woman laughed at the young girl before taking her smaller fingers in her own, and reaching out to make the child touch the delicate beauty.
"This flower grew pretty well on it's own, didn't it? When there was no one around to see it, when there was no one around to care for it..."
The child continued moving her little finger over the yellow petals, careful of the softness. She didn't answer, but the old woman continued.
"This beautiful little flower, this forgotten bud survived for itself, my little moon. It needs no one else to do so. Because survival itself is enough."
When the little girl looked back at the older woman with confused eyes, she just chuckled.
"My little Enid. You must promise me something."
"Promise, gramma?" She titled her head.
"Yes. Promise me, that just like this little flower, even when you're alone, even when you find no reason, you will be strong. You will continue on, my little moon. Even when I'm gone."
"Gramma..." Her lips wobbled as tears filled her eyes, "are you going some'ere? Wi'out me? When 'ill you be back?"
She just smiled in response, gathering the little girl in her arms as she answered, her own tears unseen by the child,"Not now, my little moon. Not for a long time..."
And they swayed togther, as she asked again, "So Enid, will you be like this little flower? Will you be my little flower and be strong?"
Little Enid pulled away from the embrace as she jumped to her feet, answering confidently "Yes, gramma! I'll be your little flower!"
The old lady chuckled, as she exclaimed adoringly, "Oh my, a little flower of my own! How lucky I am!"
And the two continued on weeding the little garden in the setting Sun, sitting on their heels as the little yellow flower danced in the wind, at last free to breath the fresh air after a life hidden under the weeds...
The real Enid, lying on the ground was heaving deep sobs now, her tears pooling under her head, as her body shook. Her wails fell flat in the lifeless world around her, no wind to carry them.
At long last, she pushed herself up, her eyes blearily opening against the cursed Sun as she took in her surroundings. Nothing had changed, not on the outside at least.
She grit her teeth as her eyes blazed around the tears. Pulling herself to her feet, she stumbled as she found her balance, found her strength.
"I will be your little flower."
Her words echoed, seemingly to no one but herself. But that was enough.
She screamed. Loudly.
The sound reached far, as she glared at the lifeless place. At the grey sky.
Enid continued, "Is this what you wanted? Did you want to see me break?"
The world remained unresponsive.
Another scream of pure rage left her. She turned, looking for something, anything that would let her express her rage.
The door. The dastardly door.
She sneered, as she stomped towards it, her blood roaring in her ears. Her hands reached out, the splinters and nails digging into her palms, breaking the skin as she struggled against the hinges holding it.
Enid at last pulled the door clean off. Her blood spilled on the grey cobblestones, the red vivid and stark against the numb world.
The world fought back.
The streets fought back, the Sun shone harshly, as if trying to burn her down, the houses started folding in on themselves as she continued her mayhem.
The wooden horse came next. Then the house next over, the walls painted a vivid red of her blood. the garden dug into with the spade and the soil spilled around.
She continued to destroy, to break down this world that was holding her hostage.
She had no idea where she was, and why she was here. But that didn't seem to matter.
All that mattered, was that now, she had her name. And she would survive.
Her screams disturbed the peace of the place, as she hurled her anger towards the walls of her prison.
...And the Sun cracked.
Like a large ball of light and sound, it cracked and spilled blinding white light, that soon overtook everything in its path, even Enid as she stood, her hands shielding her eyes. The noise that spilled force enveloped everything, including her.
She had torn apart her cage.