Chapter 1: Solace
Tears of dew silently fell from the azure clouds, gently carried by the dance of zephyrs. At last, Columbia had reached the riparian of the lake. She dipped her hands into the water. A bolt of frost shot through her arms, the perspiration of the clouds immediately deepened as the blue above darkened, and divine light struck the lake. Columbia fell away from the water in shock, as the breeze started pushing her into the arms of the forest. She could hear the winds cry out in pain, the once still lake erupting in violent gushes. The wails quickly turned dormant, as the wind halted, and the lake became silent once again.
Looking down at her chest, Columbia drew her attention to the eloquent dances of a fine garnet gem, projecting an aura of grandiose as the centrepiece of the necklace around her neck. It was a gift from her parents, a symbol of their love for her before their untimely murder. Holding back her tears as fond memories of her parents flooded her thoughts, Columbia quaintly moved her fingers towards the gem.
Immediately as the tip of her fingers made contact with the gleaming gem, a wave of pain rippled through her mind, like blades of steel puncturing her head. A raw layer of maroon exuded into her vision, as her other sensations dimmed. Columbia fell to the floor, an unknown force crushing her breath deep down her throat. However, as quickly as the pain shot through her head, it disappeared. Columbia opened her eyes, making out her distorted, liminal surroundings through her blood-red vision. A sense of confusion struck Columbia, only to be soothed by a voice she hadn't heard in years.
Columbia turned around to see her father. She saw him clench his rifle tightly. He had been expecting an attack from the British ever since Madison's Congress declared war. When their eyes met, a shard of sadness pierced her heart. To Columbia's disappointment, there was no compassion in the cloudy, glass spheres resting within his eye sockets. With his mouth wide open, he charged into the forest, with Columbia following closely. Dashing through the loose leaves and branches, Columbia kept her eyes trained on the figure of her father as gunshots rang out around her. At last, a final, deafening shot oscillated throughout the stale air. Columbia stopped to see her father clasp his chest, with an achromatic liquid discharged into his palms. He quickly rummaged through his left pocket to pull out a silvery locket. Columbia was shocked to see a faint picture of her alongside her father within. With tears flowing from her eyes, Columbia quietly observed as her father pulled the locket close to his chest, as the life faded from his body. As raw emotion overwhelmed Columbia, she fell to the ground as her father vanished, sobbing furiously.
In the distance, the anxious murmurs of forest wildlife were interrupted by a dissonant shriek. Columbia looked up to see herself on the bank of the lake in the embrace of her mother, surrounded by a group of British soldiers. Although she was a great distance away from the scene, Columbia could hear her mother comfort her, with words she had forgotten. "I'm sorry, my precious daughter. I've failed you. I've failed as your mother, your caregiver, and your creator. I won't be able to help you in your journey through life. If my sacrifice today leads to your survival, then it is the least I can do. Now get in the boat, and leave." Columbia tearfully watched herself climb into the boat, as her mother let the soldiers slash at her with their swords. Glancing over, Columbia saw herself frantically setting sail to her fragile boat, drifting off into the distance. But unlike what she remembered, she watched wordlessly as the Columbia in the boat was swallowed by the waves of the lake. A tide of water pummelled over her head, reaching at her throat with cold, forceful hands. Before losing her breath, Columbia felt the sharp metallic edges of the necklace's chain grazing her skin. Pushing against the water, she tore the necklace off her neck.
Columbia felt the coarse sand on her back and stood up to see the necklace in the palm of her hand, and her feet planted at the shore of the lake. She was relieved to see the crimson in her vision had lifted. She clenched her fist and threw the necklace into the deep end of the water, watching as it elegantly sank like a stone. Tears of comfort fell from Columbia's eyes, as she came to the realisation that her parents wanted her to be happy, and died for her. Although the burden of their deaths still laid heavy on her shoulder, she was ready to move on. She dived into the lake, and with fluidity floated gently at the surface.
