And Then She Was Gone Novels & Stories

"Until…' Then she was gone." Not gone the way people disappear into crowds — shoulder-turned, heads-down, absorbed by motion. Gone the way a flame goes out. Between one blink and the next, she simply was not there. The space where she had stood held nothing but platform grime and a discarded ticket stub and the fading warmth of afternoon light. Kai's hand stayed raised for several seconds more, fingers spread, reaching for something the world had already taken back. * * *

“And I’m not waiting anymore.” Then she was gone. Door open. Night swallowing her whole. And I lay there, bleeding into the silence.

God, yes, I need her there. So all I can do is stand there in shock as she kisses my mouth one last time, slips back into her damp dress and disappears from the coffee shop patio without another word. By the time I realize she isn't coming back, she's long gone. Nowhere to be found on the sidewalk, on the street. Gone. What in the hell just happened?

she said in that soft voice. "But you do not love me anymore," she said and I shook my head. "No... I do... I do love you." I said to her and the smile on her face disappeared and slowly she faded too, slowly. Yes, she was gone, I was just hallucinating, I had lost her a long time ago and even though her memories haunt me, she would never come back. she was gone, forever.

In my head, Ann’s smile from earlier flashed— Faint. Cold. That wasn’t pouting. That wasn’t sulking. That was goodbye. The thought hit me like a lightning strike— She’s gone. Ann is gone. And this time… it’s real.

And not in the way people mean when someone moves away or cuts contact. She was gone. Gone in the way that meant we’d never get her back. Gone in the way that meant I would live the rest of my life with this necklace in a drawer and the sound of her voice, the truth of it, echoing in my ears—too late.

It was a glance shared between us, a silent acknowledgment that the act was about to end. The night she left, everything seemed eerily quiet. Mamma's goodbye was whispered, her touch lingering for a moment longer as if imprinting a final memory. And the next morning, she was gone to never return. ***

My eyes scan the words. "Don't come looking for me. Nor my child. It's over." That's when I know that she's truly gone. To be continued…

she said. With those final words, she began to pull away. I watched as her form split into a transparent light. The shape of her face faded into the brightness, scattering into tiny particles until there was nothing left of her. She was gone. The white light around me began to fracture. The walls of the void cracked, and everything went dark again.

She smiles at me, “You’re not where you think you are. She’s still waiting.” I stare at the mason jar and felt a little more confused of what she said to me. I pulled my head up and found that the girl was no longer there. “Faith? Hello?” I hollered and looked around but she was no longer here. She disappeared completely without any remnants and how in hell did she disappear so quickly like thin air.