new song alert

The girl sat sobbing in the shadow of the battered penthouse shed. He tried to catch his breath, bent over, his hands on his knees but keeping a wary eye on the girl, her legs sprawled outward beneath her.

She looked up at him, her face contorted and tears streaming down it. There was bottomless pleading in her eyes. He thought of all the frightened animals he had seen across the years and looked beyond her for just a moment to the darkened city beneath them.

Her sobbing slowed and he stiffened, readying himself.

He’d barely pulled her back from the edge the last time.

He considered socking her in the jaw, like they do in the movies but he’d never socked anyone in the jaw and he figured the one thing you could count on in real life was that violence is never the same as in the movies. He figured that either the blow would kill her or give her brain damage — or just make her crazier and harder to control.

He’d chased her to the roof of the old 12 story apartment house, a few paces behind her. She’d hesitated on the ledge and he grabbed her arm, hurling her back away from the edge of the roof.

For an impossible amount of time they had struggled. He tried to drag her to the doorway but it was impossible to get her through and down the stairs. In time her struggle against him turned into wracking sobs, her shoulders heaving. He pushed her down against the penthouse and tried to speak soothingly to her. She seemed oblivious to him.

And then she bolted for the edge.

He caught her as she scrambled up onto the ledge, cutting her bare arm on the exposed masonry. He could smell the blood that glistened on her arm and the ocean but all he could see was her against the night sky and all he could hear was his own blood pounding in his ears.

She was standing, swaying. The full moon seemed a distant observer. It should have looked huge, hovering above the horizon — but it looked tiny and far, far away.

For a moment he was frozen — then his mind went completely blank and he just grabbed her. He thought they were both dead.

But they weren’t.

Not this time.

Broken, Too

I want to help you, baby
but I just don’t know what to do

I tried to love you, baby
but I just couldn’t think for two

I thought I could save you
I thought love might pull us through

I thought I could fix things
but I found out I’m broken, too

I thought I could fix things
but I found out I’m broken, too

I want to help you baby
but I just don’t know what to do

I thought I could fix things
but I found out I’m broken, too

I thought I could fix things
but I found out I’m broken, too

(C)2008, TK Major