I ran, the leaves crunching under my feet as my bare toes splattered the rain and mud. My chest heaved with exhaustion, yet I dared not stop. They wanted to separate us so badly, for so long. All of these rituals and motions they made me go through, only to feel so despondent, so dead inside. Like she might feel now. I wanted to assure her that I was here for her still, always would be, and so I ran.

The cemetery was on the other side of the forest. I saw the gates and climbed them, running to her mound of grass-less dirt and beginning to claw with my hands like some wild animal. I tore through the mud and the stones and the wood and unlatched the coffin.

Then… there she was. I held her hand tight, and I wasn’t ever letting go.