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It was raining when Sonia opened her eyes. She was laying in the mud with her head against a downed tree. The tree beneath her head was sticky with blood, and when Sonia tried to get up, the whole world swam in blinding, disorienting pain. She pushed herself onto her knees in an attempt to gauge her surroundings, but the pain affected her vision. She tried to remember what she was doing in the woods and how she came to lay in it, but the pain was affecting her thinking. All she knew was that she was in a terrible state. The pain was so great, that she vomited, dropped back onto her stomach, and convulsed into shock before passing out.

She woke up again sometime later, moaning in agony.

"What time is it? I have to get up. I have to do something. I don't know what happened to me, but I don't want to die.”

She didn’t have the strength to stand, so she crawled. Her soaked jeans trailed through leaves and mud along the forest floor. Several times, she stopped and collapsed back into the mud and blacked out into unconsciousness before she awoke once more and continued on, all without a destination in mind. She was delirious, unable to comprehend what had happened and why. She couldn’t tell where she was and where she needed to go. Her only thought was to keep moving, and so she did, until she was too tired to go any further. She laid back onto the forest floor and slept, waking and sleeping as her head injury raged. The wind and rain was cold but felt good against her skull, so she laid there.

The rain beat down on her tired body. Soaked to the bone and shivering from the cold, she laid there all alone. Once again, her loneliness crept into her thoughts as she remembered her boyfriend and his awful mother. That was her life. One bad relationship after another, and no matter what, she always ended up alone.

She was cold, wet, and covered in mud from head to toe. She coughed and retched as spats of blood speckled the ground in front of her. She wept loudly.

Nobody knew, and nobody cared that there was a girl lying in the mud, lost and afraid. And they didn't care about her battered and bloody face. She was a girl with no future. She was nothing. And she would always be nothing. How did she live for 24 years without a single person noticing the suffering of a girl that only wanted to be loved? She hated this world, and she hated her life in it. She just wanted to die. And this was as good a spot as any.

There was something about nature she really liked despite the cold and wet ground she laid on. She thought that if she was going to die, why not die here, in her sleep? So she closed her eyes and listened to the soothing sounds of the forest.

The sounds of the forest were harmonious, like a choir of wind, rain and trees. And she loved it. The rain pattered on every surface it could reach, and the wind tossed it in a swirl. The wind and rain danced together in a symphony waltz of swirling beauty. She didn't need to see it. She could feel it on her body as the wind pulled and tugged at her muddy clothes while the rain massaged her back. She imagined that they were dancing for her. As if the forest could feel her anguish. The wind blew strongly at the trees, causing them to moan eerily as they swayed violently amongst the blustery storm. She slept.

It felt like time flowed differently here, as she fell in and out of consciousness. The rain stopping and starting periodically.

"I must be experiencing a concussion." She thought. She did seem to hit her head pretty hard. She thought this, until she vomited where she laid.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure I have a cold. That's not surprising, though. I've been screwing around in the rain for quite some time now. I have to get up. Wanting to die, and feeling miserable while it's happening are two different things, unfortunately."

She saw what looked like the silhouette of a large building some distance ahead of her. And she could have sworn she saw a shadowy figure running toward it, which looked like a child. But that's crazy. Children shouldn't be in the woods at this hour, let alone in this storm. She wanted to run after it to make sure the thing was safe. But unfortunately, her beaten and broken body refused to move for her. The back of her head throbbed and screamed in pain, and her new sickness made her feel heavy with nausea. So she laid there and slept.

She awoke sometime later, startled by the sound of crashing thunder. The rain was replaced by a blanket of thick white fog. Her head snapped up at the wrathful display in the clouds. Even through the forest ceiling, The sky lit up by a score of raging lightning. The way the lightning played on the thick fog was like something out of a horror movie, and it scared her. At least enough for her to look around and gauge her surroundings. Once again she spotted the silhouette of a large building and, getting to her feet, ran toward it. Well, it wasn't necessarily a run. It was more like a zombie walk, which is precisely how she felt.

Lightning flashed around her like a raging battle in the sky. She couldn't help but be in awe at how fearful and awesome nature truly was. She continued into a wide clearing that revealed a large open field where the mysterious structure stood. Now she could see the sky in its entirety. Gorgeous constellations sparkled down on her from the heavens as massive lightning thundered frightfully down on the earth, the sound of it making her ears ring.

She continued slowly through the fog. It was a weird sensation wading through the fog like a lake of swirling smoke. She couldn't see anything below her waist, so she had to step carefully so as to not trip on anything she couldn't see. The lightning was so powerful that it seemed to light the whole world. Everything around her lit up in a stroboscopic fashion, causing everything to look strangely animated. She couldn't help but to imagine the thought of ghouls and ghosts emerging from the white smoke around her. It seemed like the perfect setting for a scary movie, where monsters lay in wait for their unsuspecting victims. She reminded herself that she too, just moments ago emerged from the fog herself.

"My hair and clothes are ruined. I probably look worse than a ghoul." She thought, a half smirk forming as a she waddled through the fog. Though it still hurt to smile, it didn't stop her from snorting in stifled laughter as she attempted to breath through the pain.

When she finally reached the building, she noted that the structure seemed old, even ancient. It looked like it was fully made of stone. The style of the structure was ornate and fancy, like something out of a medieval fantasy. It looked vaguely similar to a small castle or large church. She wasn't sure which one. After trying the front door, it swung open with an eerie creek and it let her in.

Once inside, Sonia stood motionless near the entrance, waiting and listening for any signs of life. If anyone was here, surely she would have scared them. Her face, though the swelling had gone down, was still covered in bloody mud, as was the rest of her body. She felt that she must look like a crazy person.

"I am a crazy person. I talk to myself. Regularly."

No sounds could be heard within the building.

"Hello! Anyone here?"

No one answered. She could have sworn she seen someone running around the property. But perhaps due to the storm, she could be seeing things. She shuddered loudly as the wind came through the partly opened door, giving a whistley moan as it rustled her matted hair and wet clothes. She closed the door and barred it for good measure.

"Wouldn't want anyone coming in after me." She thought. She wasn't sure how far away from civilization she'd wondered, and she wasn't sure whether her boyfriend was willing to come running in after her. Either way, it made her feel safer.

"At least I'd be safe from zombies." She thought, amusedly.

The building was certainly old. Mice and cobwebs aside, it had the strong musty odor of a building that hadn't seen a mop for a very long time. Clearly, it's been neglected for many years. The main room was spacious and grand. Much too large for your average church. Though, there were two small rows of pews on either side of the enormous prayer hall, with the main central aisle large enough for a bus to drive through.

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"Maybe even two." She thought.

From where she stood, she could almost make out a set of stairs leading to a darkened altar.

There was a series of long, crystal glass windows that lined the walls of both sides of the great hall. The flashing lightning lit the hall in a strobing, eerie fashion. Causing the shadows to dance and move along the walls and floor as the cracking lightning spidered its way across the sky. It lit the room in such a way that gave Sonia pause. With every lightning strike, she could see a group of figures at the end of the hall. They didn't move, but they were there.

"Hello. Um. I'm sorry, I'm lost and I'm in need of shelter. Is that ok?" Her voice came out a bit more nasally than normal, due to her stuffed and broken nose. She fidgeted nervously. There was no answer. Not even a slight movement. There was something odd about the way they were holding themselves. She stole herself and decided to walk cautiously down the massive aisle. Doing her best to be as polite as possible as she approached the unmoving figures. Her feet echoed with each wet, muddy step along with her shivering body and chattering teeth.

The lightning illuminated speckles of dust that floated freely in the great hall, giving the room a mysteriously magical feel.

Mice and birds retreated for cover as she approached. Or were they bats? She couldn't tell. The winged creatures made no sound as they flew, but she could somewhat see them as they went.

After several paces she stopped, resting her hand on the nearest pew. It's dark polished wood was sturdy, allowing her the brief time to rest as her head throbbed and her vision blurred. She moaned in pain, shook herself off and continued on.

The closer to the figures she became, the more she was certain that they weren't people at all, but in order to be sure, she reached out her hand and placed it on one of the figures shoulders.

"Excuse me, ma'am."

She was right. It wasn't a real person, but a life-size marble statue. It was smooth to the touch, save for the layer of thick dust that covered it. There were three that she could immediately see. The one she touched was that of an elderly woman. Sonia felt that she looked about 60 years old. With long braided hair that rested over her shoulder. The old woman was on her knees with her left hand on the floor and her right hand outstretched toward the alter. There were two other statues behind her that looked like children, huddled behind the old woman. A little boy that looked no older then 3 or 4 years old, and a little girl that looked a little older. The look on their faces were that of terror.

Interesting

Upon closer inspection, she spotted three other figures scattered around the stairs leading to the alter. Sonia thought that it was odd the way that they were placed. Weren't statues supposed to be like decorations or some form of art? Some churches also made statues that represented the people that founded it. She imagined that they would've been more useful or artistically more pleasing if they were against a wall, or at least not scattered on the floor, blocking the stage. It was an odd choice, indeed. What was the intention? Were the array of figures depicting a story, or maybe a scene from a scripture?

Despite the fact that this odd structure was old and abandoned, not to mention it was dark and stormy outside, the atmosphere within the building was strangely eerie. It was hard for her to describe it. The air was quiet and still, as if the building itself was holding its breath. Like it was under some kind of spell. Maybe it was the odd figures that gave her the impression.

She decided to climb the stairs to the alter for a better look of the figures on the floor. A higher elevation, she reasoned, would give her a better view of the rest of the building.

As she climbed, however, she almost toppled over in frightful panic as a giant pair of legs came into view. She couldn't believe her eyes. Clutching her hands to her chest, she said only two words.

"Holy shit!"

The giant pair of legs belonged to another intimately detailed marble statue of a male figure sitting on a gigantic chair. It was a massive figure. His head reaching up toward the high ceiling. He also had long braided hair, like the woman's, it lay over his shoulder. He also wore a crown on his head. He was a king.

Sonia was a little embarrassed for herself, having been startled by an inanimate object. But she had to admit, it was an imposing figure.

She made her way around the enthroned king, taking her time to examine him properly. He was huge. Standing next to him, with her height, his knees were up to her head. She wondered who he was. Coming full circle back in front of him, she found an etched plaque at his feet which read,

"The Nameless King - May he forever suffer in silence.

"Well, that doesn't seem very nice" She said, looking up at the Nameless King.

"Why do you suffer in silence? Actually, why do you suffer at all?" She asked him. She looked back at where the old woman knelt, and wondered if she was reaching toward the king. Once again, she asked herself if this was depicting some kind of story or scenario. It looked as if the woman had come before the king and was either being denied or judged. It was hard to say. The king himself had an emotionless look on his face.

"What kind of king were you?"

Sonia discovered an equally impressive throne to the right of the king and decided to climb onto it. From atop the throne where she stood, she could see the great hall in its entirety. She stood there for a moment and studied the room.

The morning sun had begun to rise, filling the hall with soft light. The lightning had stopped, but it continued to rain, which pattered against the beautiful crystal glass windows.

She noticed that there were more figures speckled throughout the hall. Some of them were sitting in the pews. Some of them crouching near the walls, like they were terrified of something. Sonia didn't know what to think of this. It looked as if they were all frozen in time.

Suffering in silence.

Sonia sighed, taking a seat where she stood on the throne. She was too small to fit into it properly, but still imagined what it would've been like to be a queen. To be a figure of power and reverence. If she were a queen, who would dare raise a hand against her? If she were a queen, what would she fear? Nothing.

"If I were a queen..."

She looked up at the massive stone king next to her. He had a very handsome face. If he was a real person, she could see herself being attracted to him. She looked out at her subjects, and began to role-play.

"My people! What can the King and Queen do for you?" She shouted. Her voice echoing throughout the hall.

"You there" she waved a gesturing hand in one of the figure's direction. "What can I do for you?" She asked.

"Taxes!? Ha!" She shouted with a huff, turning her head to the side for her best snooty impression.

"Next! Hey, you there, in the pew!" She shouted, slapping her hand on the high arm rest.

"You will not interrupt the Queen's business! And you! There's no eating in here! Guards! Take them away!" She said, almost breaking character, giggling at her silliness. Her accent more like a colonial American than a British royal.

"And you miss, what can we do for you?" She said to the old woman

"What? You're poor, you say? You need food, you say? How dare you come to the King and Queen for such matters! Guards! Take!—-

She paused, holding a shaky finger toward the old woman. She wasn't sure if it was a somber whisper on the wind, or the expression in the woman's face that spoke to her, piercing her sensitive heart. Or the fact that she realized that the woman wasn't reaching for the King. The expression on the old woman's face was that of a desperate beseeching plead, which instantly broke Sonia's heart. The old woman's eyes held a painful anguished cry as she reached toward Sonia, toward the Queen.

Suffer in silence

Sonia sprang from her perch and raced over to the old woman, throwing her arms around the marble stone figure, and cried for her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She said with short, shaky breaths. It was more then just a cry. She unloaded on the woman, all of her sorrows and all of her pain. And she had years of it. Because no one ever cared to comfort her. So Sonia comforted the woman the way she would've wanted to be comforted, sharing her sorrow with her and loving her the way she would've wanted to be loved. She cried for a long time, holding the woman until she had no more tears to shed.

The sounds of echoing sobs could be heard by all in the building, and at the same time, heard by no one. Maybe it was the words "Suffer in silence" that truly resonated with her. For she has been suffering in silence her whole life.

"No one deserves to suffer in silence" she choked on her words as she said them. She pulled away from the woman to examine her and then leaned in as if to whisper a secret. Her eyes inches away from hers.

"If I were your queen, I would've given you everything. Even my very life. Because you would've been mine. What good is a throne if my people suffer. What wouldn't I do for my own?

She felt the words welling up, and though it might have seemed silly, she said them and meant it.

"I love you" She said to the woman. She caressed the old woman's face and kissed its forehead before getting up and stepping away. The stories she read in book about a love that always wins, was how she wanted to live. That is who she chose to be and no one was going to take that from her. The statue must be depicting a real person, and that was who she chose to love.

She stumbled and swayed a little as she turned to face the great king. Climbing up onto his lap, she looked up at him and yelled angrily. Her fever, making her delirious and emotional.

"And you, oh great king. What do you have to say for yourself? Huh?! Look at your people! Why should they suffer for you? What have you done?! She shouted, slapping her hands on his chest.

Sonia's head swam with sickness and fatigue. Catching herself from falling, she sat down on his lap and laid in the crook of his arm and fell fast asleep.

Silence fell over the great cathedral. Silent and still. And though it came unseen and unheard, life was stirring. There was light in the old woman's eyes. It started dimly and slowly grew to a brilliant divine blue. Tears welled up in them. And then she blinked.