2011 Student Writing Awards Booklet - Santa Fe Community College

path away from his troubles. He could not see anything else.
They knew it would not be difficult to finish. They had laid the
final foundation. They left him for a time, so that he would continue to
weaken. All they had to do was wait until he grew to hate himself yet
again. Then they would strike again. They would deceive him with their
last, cruelly conceived solution, and their work would be finished. All was
right in the world.
And so now they stand on the unseen realm.The beloved finally
knows them. He sees them and quakes. He perceives them and reveres
their supremacy. They face each other, searching each other's eyes. Each is
imploring the other for mercy, but alas! It cannot be given. One must
prevail. There is no other way. They wait until the time is right. The man
stands tall. His eyes are a deep scarlet, almost black, for he has seen the
hideous creature that is Hate itself. His face is pale as the moon, for he
feels no compassion; his heart is cold. His hair is dark as midnight, like the
secrets that he forces the beloved to protect.The raven is posted on his
shoulder, calm, intelligent, and strong. It waits for his command, eager to
finish the work.The beloved stands alone. There is no one to protect him,
and though he is silent, he begs for mercy—or that the man is swift in his
action. Darkness—not the lack of light, but the absence of hope—surrounds
him, yes; it even smothers his heart like a fog blots out mountains
from existence. He desires no more than to understand the man's and the
raven's hearts. He beseeches the night with the groaning that foreshadows
death,“Why me Why must I suffer” Perhaps if he understood he could
drive them out.
46