The bell rang.

It was a sharp, iron sound. It cut the air.

Elara stood in the mud.

She held the stone.

It was cold.

It was heavy.

The crowd watched.

They wore grey.

Their faces were blank.

They stood behind the ropes.

The ropes were thick.

They were wet.

Elara looked at the stone.

It was a river rock.

It was smooth.

It was black.

She held it in her left hand.

Her right hand was free.

Her right hand was shaking.

A man stepped forward.

He wore a sash.

The sash was red.

He spoke.

His voice was loud.

He called her name.

He called her traitor.

He called her thief.

He called her ghost.

Elara did not answer.

She looked at the ground.

The mud was deep.

The mud was brown.

It sucked at her boots.

The stone grew heavier.

It pulled her arm down.

She felt the weight.

It was a physical weight.

It was also a moral weight.

The man pointed at her.

His finger was thin.

It was pale.

He pointed at the stone.

He said, look.

He said, see.

He said, it is false.

The crowd murmured.

The sound was like wind.

It was low.

It was cold.

Elara lifted her head.

She looked at the man.

He was tall.

He was old.

His eyes were hard.

They were black.

They were dry.

He did not blink.

He did not breathe.

He was a statue.

Elara spoke.

Her voice was small.

It was thin.

She said, I am sorry.

The man did not move.

He did not nod.

He did not shake.

He stood still.

The bell rang again.

It was softer this time.

It was far away.

It sounded like a bone breaking.

Elara closed her eyes.

She opened her eyes.

She looked at the stone.

The stone was still black.

The stone was still smooth.

The stone was still cold.

She saw her face in it.

It was distorted.

It was pale.

It was young.

It was not hers.

It was someone else.

It was her brother.

His name was Thomas.

He was gone.

He was in the ground.

He was in the city.

The city was alive.

The city was watching.

The city was judging.

The city was hungry.

Elara moved her hand.

The stone fell.

It hit the mud.

It did not break.

It sat there.

It was whole.

The man stepped closer.

He stepped over the mud.

His boots were clean.

His boots were dry.

He did not get dirty.

He never got dirty.

He was above the mud.

He was above the rain.

He was above the fear.

He looked at the stone.

He looked at Elara.

He said, you are wrong.

Elara said, I know.

He said, you are weak.

Elara said, I know.

He said, you are lost.

Elara said, I know.

He said, give it up.

Elara said, what.

He said, the stone.

Elara said, it is not mine.

He said, it is yours.

He said, it is your sin.

He said, it is your shame.

He said, it is your ghost.

Elara looked at the stone.

She looked at the man.

She looked at the crowd.

The crowd was silent.

The silence was loud.

The silence was sharp.

It cut her skin.

It cut her heart.

It cut her soul.

She felt the pain.

It was real.

It was deep.

It was old.

It was new.

It was now.

She lifted her hand.

She reached for the stone.

Her fingers touched it.

It was cold.

It was wet.

It was heavy.

She lifted it.

It was hard.

It was impossible.

But she lifted it.

She held it up.

She held it high.

The light hit it.

The light was grey.

The light was dim.

The stone did not shine.

The stone did not glow.

The stone did not speak.

The stone was just a stone.

The man watched.

He did not move.

He did not speak.

He just watched.

Elara held the stone.

She held it for a moment.

It was a long moment.

It was a short moment.

It was a lifetime.

It was a second.

It was nothing.

It was everything.

She let go.

The stone fell.

It hit the mud.

It did not break.

It sat there.

It was whole.

The man spoke.

His voice was soft.

It was low.

It was kind.

He said, thank you.

Elara did not understand.

She looked at him.

He looked at her.

His eyes were wet.

They were soft.

They were sad.

He was not a statue.

He was a man.

He was tired.

He was old.

He was afraid.

He was alone.

Like her.

He was like her.

He was not the enemy.

He was not the judge.

He was a brother.

He was a friend.

He was a victim.

The crowd moved.

They moved forward.

They stepped over the mud.

They stepped over the stone.

They did not look at Elara.

They looked at the man.

They looked at the ground.

They walked away.

They walked into the city.

The city swallowed them.

The city swallowed the light.

The city swallowed the sound.

Only Elara remained.

Only the stone remained.

Only the mud remained.

Only the rain remained.

The rain was cold.

The rain was wet.

The rain was clean.

It washed the mud.

It washed the stone.

It washed the ground.

It washed the air.

It washed the sky.

It washed the world.

Elara stood in the rain.

She was wet.

She was cold.

She was clean.

She was free.

She was alone.

She was not afraid.

She was not sad.

She was not happy.

She was just here.

She was just now.

She was just alive.

The stone was gone.

The stone was buried.

The stone was part of the mud.

The stone was part of the city.

The stone was part of the earth.

The stone was part of the past.

The past was gone.

The present was here.

The future was blank.

The future was white.

The future was empty.

The future was open.

Elara turned.

She walked.

She walked away.

She walked into the rain.

She walked into the dark.

She walked into the city.

She did not look back.

She did not need to look back.

The stone was behind her.

The man was behind her.

The crowd was behind her.

The past was behind her.

She was forward.

She was here.

She was now.

She was alive.

The rain fell.

It fell on her head.

It fell on her shoulders.

It fell on her hands.

It fell on the ground.

It fell on the stone.

It fell on the world.

It washed everything.

It cleaned everything.

It ended everything.

It began nothing.

It was just rain.

It was just water.

It was just life.

Elara walked.

She walked slowly.

She walked steadily.

She walked quietly.

She walked alone.

She walked free.

She walked home.

Home was far.

Home was gone.

Home was here.

Home was now.

Home was her.

She was home.

She was here.

She was now.

She was alive.

The end.