This is a short story that I began writing a while ago, I know that there are many gramatical mistakes and I meant for this to be a novella yet I don't know if it's worth continuing or not. What I ask is for you to read it and to tell me your opinions. In Silence : Prologue: Notebook She put down her pen, closed the notebook that she was writing in, turned off the lamp and then laid her hand on the table. That is when the crying began. She cried for a while and as the loud hurt filled groans turned into soft painful sobs she drifted off away from consciousness and into the world of dreams. In her dream there she saw her father. She could see his black dress pants and shoes his silver silky tie and his hair neatly combed. She saw that his face was smooth and freshly shaved. It was her big day and there were only 3 hours left and then his daughter would be married. She would be married to a man that both he and his gorgeous wife both found trust worthy and exceptional. The tears, they just kept falling. Even when sleep came. Shiyoka awoke from her dream. Her breathing deepened then slowly calmed. After a few minutes you could hardly tell that she was breathing at all. As if there was no life in her. “Life” she said, looking down at her notebook that lies mocking on her desk. She knew that it was useless for her to talk towards her notebook. For it was an inanimate object that could not respond. It had no life. But again she mouthed the word “Life” and then “What is the point?” there was no answer. Just the gentle glow of light streaming in from the window gleaming down on the black notebook cover. Just a reflection of light. That’s the only answer that the notebook has ever given to her. She shut her eyes, this time sitting upright. And that’s when the visions came, the visions of that perfect nightmare of a day. She was holding her fathers hand, walking slowly down the red rosy aisle while the pianist plated “Here comes the bride”. She looked at her family and friends sitting on the pews, smiling in anticipation. In just a few minutes Shiyoka Taranaki would become Shiyoka Garner. What was really great about today was that her parents approved of her marrying this man. Marrying outside of ethnicity was not a common thing at all in her culture. She could feel the breeze of the air conditioner gently massaging her flesh. Her neck mostly and as she finally let go of her fathers hand and walked onto the stage where Jason Garner, her husband to be stood, everything began to go wrong. As she let go of her fathers hand a man sitting in the middle pew arose and pulled from his left pocket a .45 mm shot gun. He raised it to the air, accurately aimed for the back of Takayo Taranaki’s head and shot, one, two, three times. After that he carefully raised the gun to his ear, smiled and pulled the trigger on himself. Shiyoka screamed, running back to her father with bullet like speed, wrapping her arms around him, cradling him in her arms. The tears gushed down her eyes uncontrollably She pleaded; she begged and wished and hoped. She swore and cursed yet no matter what she said, or what she did she could not feel her fathers’ heart beat. She could not feel his pulse, could not make him breath. She could not do a single thing for him. Not one, all that she could do was weep. Aia and Koko Taranaki, Shiyoka's sister and mother also screamed rushing towards the stage, not worrying about the man that had just shot himself. They greeted Shiyoka and both began to cry, pacing in back and forth notions. Mean while Garry Right, one of Jason's close friends was calling the police on his imported Japanese cell phone that Shiyoka had given to him last Christmas. He looked back to the man lying motionless in the middle pew and then back at Takayo, who was lying sickeningly with his head splayed out on the steps leading to the stage. Aia's tears stopped as she stared at her father squeezing her hand into a fist and applying pressure then releasing without even knowing she was doing it. Her eyes began to dry completely and soon all that she was able to do was stare at her father. Her wonderful, generous, loving father. No, he was not any of those things. Not right now, right now he is dead and unable to be generous, wonder or loving. Dead meant that he couldn't be anything but lifeless. Aia looked towards the middle pew and at the man who so aptly shot her father then himself as if there were no wrong being done. She looked at him, and audibly asked "Why?", knowing of course that she would get no answer, and also knowing that she already knew it. Shiyoka opened her eyes and sighed. That was a full year ago. A year since her grandfather had shot her father. For what? Because he didn't approve of her marrying gaijin. Someone out of their culture. She knew that he did not well support her relationship with Jason but she thought that he could at least attend the wedding and be happy for her. But no, he had shot his own son, not Jason. He shot Takayo for agreeing to such blasphemy of letting one of their children marry outside of the Japanese ethnicity. Shiyoka thought that, that was blasphemy. Those letting such hatred ruin love, ruin happiness. She opened her notebook and turned to the front page, the only page that had been written on and looked at the words splayed out across the page. The page looked inviting to her, like there was a hope yet to be found inside of her agony. She read the words quietly to herself and noticed how they each chained together in a peaceful rhythm, or at least that was what it seemed like to her. "I lived a life Brought into this world by the man That did so much good And tried to bring peace out From what ever means that he could. I lived a life, With so many pain filled days Then I met him and he took my tears away He was amazing and warm Yet the warmness could not seize The hatred that love sometimes brings And now the pain it will not stop Not for a second nor will it ever These are my words of thanks To my family and friends Thank you for supporting me But now my life must end" The words kept replaying over and over again in her head. She thought "Should I?", "Should I not?" and when it came down to it rationality didn't matter. All that mattered was that she had found away to make her pain end. She looked to her open notebook and to the window that the sun so gently shone through. Shiyoka arose from her chair, walked over to the window of their three story house lifted it and jumped out. : End of Prologue: : Chapter one: Funeral. The room was filled with light. White bright mighty light as Dr. Mckeen would say. He was now consulting Koko Taranaki with the details of her daughter. Telling her what he thought was the most reasonable outcome. She was nodding her head slowly keeping her tears away so that the doctor could not see them. Jason, who in fear of any other tragedies like that of his supposed wedding day who had drifted away from the family in the past year was also there. He was holding Koko's hand while Aia kept running her mouth asking the doctor outrageous questions that he could not possibly answer. But he understood, these people have a loved one, with a two legs and an left arm broken along with a mighty gash on her forehead. Koko after awhile finally shot up enough courage to ask Dr. Mckeen the question to which the answer she feared the most. "Do you think she will live?" Mckeen looked at understandingly and said softly "There is really no telling, it does not look good" He lowered his head looking down at his shoes and continued. "But, to be perfectly honest. I don't think she will make it". The room fell silent and the only noise was that of the innocent buzzing of florescent lights. Shiyoka's family sat in the waiting room in the hospital. They were waiting to see if anymore could be done for Shiyoka. Koko was sitting in the hard chair resting her head on her knees and swaying as life she had just lost all of her sanity. : (Was )To be continued (Don't know if it should):