The area
was packed with little kids; playing loudly on the swing set, climbing on the
monkey bars and spinning constantly on the roundabout. They were everywhere,
screaming happily as their devoted mothers watched over them protectively; like
a lioness watching over her cubs. Everyone was occupied, they all had something
to do, someplace to be. All except for one little girl who sat alone in the
corner. Dressed in a bright pink top and denim shorts, the four year old pulled
back her long, curly blonde hair- showing her red, unhappy face. Her deep blue
eyes reddened as warm tears slowly trickled down her pale face, revealing her
misery. Clutching onto her small, treasured Hannah Montana doll, she searched
around the small park. Though all she could see at the time was a vast expanse
of grassy fields, and a crowded street. She knew she wouldn’t find her mother.
The tall woman was seemingly wealthy
and very self absorbed. She was walking out of a designer shop, where she had
just bought a real Dalmatian fur coat for a ridiculously inconsiderable price-
displaying no concern whatsoever for the poor, unfortunate Dalmatian that had
been murdered just for her fashion taste. The flamboyant coat- boldly printed
with the designer label- was absolutely covered in black spots, desperately
begging for attention. She was wearing some dark Versace sunglasses, which cost
more than an iPod touch. Hanging from her wrist was a small, brown Chanel
handbag which flawlessly matched her prominent, dark brown slip on high heels...and
her ego; gracing her long, thin neck was a striking sterling silver necklace.
She was a narcissistic, big-headed Barbie
doll.
Swollen with pride, the arrogant,
egocentric woman walked boastfully to her deep purple convertible which was
parked nearby on the crowded road.
Five past four. The little girl had
been waiting for her mother for the past thirty five minutes. She was getting
nervous. Then suddenly, out of the blue, the girl noticed a woman waving at her
in the distance. She had stopped crying. She looked closely, squinting in the
glint of the sunlight. The woman had a shopping bag in one hand. Her face was
round, and her deep blue eyes glimmered with her milky complexion. Her long,
wavy blonde hair glinted as she gave her daughter a consoling smile. She was
just across the road from the park, which was now less crowded.
“SOPHIE!”,
she shouted, her voice loud but compassionate. She was well aware of her
lateness.
The purple convertible speedily ran
down the busy road, lined with designer shops and business places on each side;
it rushed through the amber traffic lights, and darted along just before the
lights flashed back to red- its engine roaring fiercely for the attention of
passing pedestrians. Veering past a luminescent yellow minibus full to capacity
with old folks on their way back to the local home; the gasps and screams from
the seniors were almost loud enough to drown out the screech of the tyres of
the minibus, as the irritated driver hit the brake pedals immediately.
Despite perceiving what had just
happened before her eyes, the prestigious woman still made no attempt to bring
the purple convertible to a halt. Clearly oblivious to the fact that a pink
figure was becoming more and more visible with each turn of her wheels.
Darting down the crowded street
impulsively, like a horse racing towards the finish line, the petite blonde
four-year-old ran happily towards her mother. With her doll in her hand, and
her soft, curly hair swept back by the wind; she proceeded towards the busy
road, her eyes locked firmly on her mother.
Her mother slowly walked towards her,
arms wide open, ready for a hug. But the sun, which had momentarily gone down,
came back up again. The blinding rays stung her eyes- causing her concentration
to be diverted to searching for her chic, dark brown sunglasses. She stopped shortly.
Then, she dived her hands deep into her gigantic black handbag dangling from
her high shoulder.
The girl kept running, noticeably
ignorant to her surroundings. All
her attention was still concentrated on her mother, rather than where her tiny,
impulsive legs were taking her. She was unaware that she was crossing the road.
The purple convertible advanced faster
and faster. The elegant woman took a huge gasp as she slammed her brake pedals;
causing the tyres to screech for a halt, but they weren’t able to grasp hold of
enough tar to cease movement. The overpowering smell of burnt rubber could be
noticed almost instantaneously, like a blow to the gut.
Physical
contact had been made.
The headlights and her head harshly
collided; within a short, momentary second, both individuals were covered in
splatters of blood. With her mouth wide open in disbelief, the girl’s mother
screamed in complete shock and utter devastation as her bag fell to the ground
with a thump. Tears of blood immediately streamed down her red face as she ran
frantically towards her daughter.
Following this one, brief second of
concision, a cornucopia of noise, shock and pain engulfed the air. The
collision threw the lifeless, frail body of the four-year-old girl about five
metres in front of the damaged vehicle, landing with a loud THUD as it hit the
solid, hard, tar-covered ground.
Both the
car and the girl were motionless.
