by R. Twine
The family thought it was better to go to bed early.
‘We’ll have to be up at five in the morning,’ Alexander insisted. ‘Tomorrow’s Saturday, and the highway’s going to be jammed.’
‘We are all for it: the sooner we set off, the earlier we’ll get to Paris,’ Laura agreed while covering her little finger with tenderly-pink nail varnish.
At night the air was stuffy. Laura turned over in her bed, tossing her pillow, unable to get a wink of sleep. After midnight her body got sweaty, her head became lead-heavy – and Laura suddenly got immersed in something akin to a dream half-mixed with reality. She saw her deceased mother, Catrine, all dressed in black, standing nearby, holding the picture, and staring at her daughter. She was crying. The angel left the canvas, made a circle over Laura, then descended and reached out his hand with the bouquet in it. There was a sinister smile on his face…
At dawn, Miriam entered the kitchen, poured herself some coffee and looked tiredly at her mother. ‘Mommy, I had a terrible night. I was scared: someone came in my room, I could feel it. And then I heard somebody singing by the window; it was a weird song. At first I couldn’t move – I was so frightened, but then I stopped being frightened, got up and pulled the curtain aside. There were some people in black cloaks going around our house, and singing in strange voices. Then they came over and stared at me with their sad eyes. Afterwards they started to disappear, one by one, leaving only a cloud of smoke where they’d been.
Laura froze.
‘Perhaps, they wanted to warn me about something. Mommy, can we put this trip off or make it on some other day?’ Miriam was clearly worried. Alexander entered the kitchen, saw Laura and Miriam holding each other in their arms, and asked, much surprised, ‘What’s the matter?’
Laura sat everybody down at the table and said emotionlessly, ‘I hardly got a wink of sleep last night. My heart ached – either because of fear or because of premonitions…’
Laura, as pale as a ghost, came to the cupboard, pulled the jewel box out and put it on the table.
‘I saw my mother, again. She was crying, and there was the picture with the smiling angel in her hands. The angel reached out his hand to me with a bouquet in it. Then the angel came out of the picture, turned into a man in a dark cloak, and beckoned to me with his hand. He stood there, watching me, his stare sending shivers down my spine. Then the man disappeared, leaving a transparent door in his place. There was a bright light coming through the crack in the door. Finally the door swung open, bringing into view a narrow corridor with a lot of stairs going upwards in it. I looked at my mother, meaning to ask her something, but she merged into the darkness silently, leaving me alone by the opened door. Suddenly there were billows of smoke coming out of the door; I screamed…and woke up.’
‘What’s the meaning of all this?’ Alexander looked frustrated. ‘What do you say to putting our trip off or cancelling it altogether? Miriam, you’ve got dark circles under your eyes. Did you have a sleepless night, too?’
‘I did, Daddy. Somebody’s been in my room, too, but he had a nice voice which told me everything would be all right…’ Miriam didn’t have the nerve to tell her father everything that happened that night.
Laura came to the wall, and stared intently at the picture.
‘I’ll take it down, after all. Alex, take the picture to the studio and wrap it up in a cloth, and when we come back from our vacation I’m going to give it away to some museum. It would be better for us all.’
Alexander took the picture and stared at the angel.
Suddenly he looked bewildered. ‘Laura, his expression has changed – it has become kind of ominous…’
‘Daddy, this picture has nothing to do with the dreams. At least, that’s how I see it and want it to stay that way… And there’s one more thing, I want to go to the Alps,’ Miriam said.
‘This time I’m going to take the ring with me.’ Laura took the gorgeous emerald out of the jewel box and put it on her finger.
Several days later the Hendersons went to Paris.
Laura was marveling at her ring. She brought it to the windshield of their car, letting the sunrays pass through the jewel. It sent specks of sunlight dancing across the car interior.
‘My Mama was very fond of this ring and never took it off. I remember one of my mother’s friends once saying something to the effect that it was none too safe to go around wearing such an expensive piece of jewelry every day. But Mommy laughed it off, and countered that it’s much safer to have the ring on all the time, because it gives its owner some protection; besides, it was impossible to remove it forcefully. Her friend was much surprised and not inclined to believe her, but my mother told her a story. It was late in the evening and she was returning home, when suddenly two men caught up with her in a dark side street. They started tearing her handbag from her hands. Then one of them noticed the ring, and tried to take it off my mother’s finger. She was in the grip of fear and couldn’t even call out for help, help came on its own: suddenly an enormous dog came running up and charged at one of the robbers. The dog was then followed by its owner who apprehended the second perpetrator before a patrol car arrived. After this accident my mother never parted with the jewel that safeguarded her against all troubles.’
‘Strangely enough, this is the second time I’ve seen this big truck behind us,’ Alexander said interrupting her, and looking nervously into the rear-view mirror.
‘Alex, everything’s going to look strange to you now,’ Laura said smilingly.
‘Honey, there are some weird stories connected to you and your family. Perhaps that’s the reason I’m winding myself up…As for your mother’s story, it could have been sheer luck, a happy coincidence.’
‘Maybe it was, who knows.’ Laura replied. ‘By the way, the ring’s really priceless. Some people approached me trying to tempt me with a huge sum.’
‘And?’ Alexander asked.
‘And I refused to sell it, of course’ Laura laughed.
‘May I try it on, Mom?’ Miriam asked.
‘Sure you may, darling,’ Laura took the ring off her finger and gave it to her daughter.
Miriam put the ring on and marveled at it. ‘I like it very much, too…’
A strange noise coming from under the hood of their car became increasingly loud, and in a few seconds pungent smoke filled the car’s interior.
‘Damn this car!’ Alexander swore angrily. ‘Something must be wrong with the engine.’
He slammed the brakes on, lowering the speed abruptly and tried to steer the car towards the roadside. The smoke stung their eyes. The honking of horns was deafening. Suddenly the car veered off, and Alexander yelled, ‘Get out of the car, quick!!!’
‘Oh my God, Alex!’ Laura screamed. She unfastened her belt, then the belt of the petrified Miriam, pushed the door open and pushed her daughter out onto the road.
A giant truck rammed them from behind, and threw the Hendersons’ car onto the opposite lane towards the oncoming traffic… towards their destiny.
Chapter 8
A handsome man came up to me, smiling; he was giving off a blinding golden light. He took me by the hand – and a pleasant warmth flooded my body. A wave of lightness engulfed me, and we skyrocketed at an enormous speed.
As we ascended along a narrow corridor it was getting increasingly light around us. I felt a powerful surge pushing me upwards from beneath. Then my feet touched solid ground, and I turned round – the stranger gave me a farewell smile, and disappeared, leaving me alone in a clearing where fragrant flowers grew. I had never seen such beauty before; the fragrance coming from the flowers was so pleasant that an overwhelming sense of bliss came over me. So I stood enjoying the place; a light breeze caressed my body, and the singing of birds was pleasant to my ears.
After a little while curiosity arose in me, and urged me to go further ahead towards new sights. I wandered around taking in the beauty of the gorgeous flowers and after some time I came to a small bridge.
The water beneath it was so crystal-clear that it was possible to see pebbles at the bottom, and fish swimming over them.
‘‘It’s so strange that I haven’t seen another person yet. It looks as though nobody lives here,’’ I thought.
Night wouldn’t come to replace the day. There was constant daylight everywhere. Time seemed to have stopped there. I picked a small bouquet of flowers, and brought it to my face time and again, drinking in their delicate fragrance.
‘Miriam,’ a voice came from behind me; the voice was so familiar and so dear to me.
‘Mom?’ I turned in surprise and threw myself into her arms.
‘Daddy and I have missed you so much, my dear… It seems like it’s been ages since I saw you last – that’s how much I miss you,’ my mother said, holding me in her arms. ‘I love you so much, my darling daughter.’
‘Why are you crying, Mommy? And where’s Daddy?’
‘Come with me, my dear, and I’ll show you the new house where daddy and I live.’
‘Which house, Mommy?’ I asked her, puzzled.
‘We have a new house now, Miriam. It is over there, some distance away,’ she answered, pointing her finger.
‘But why aren’t there any other people in this place, Mom? It looks as though nobody else lives here.’
‘Only angels and our loved ones visit this place…’
We came to a small wooden house; my mother opened the door and let me in. Inside the room I saw a familiar figure. My eyes filled with tears, and I dashed forward.
‘Daddy!’ I cried out, throwing myself into the arms of my beloved father.
‘Miriam, my dear girl,’ he whispered, pressing me to his chest. ‘I’m so happy to see you…’
‘Mom! Dad! We are together at last, again! It was so lonely without you!’ I exclaimed, overjoyed.
We chatted happily and laughed over daddy’s jokes. My mother finished cooking in the kitchen, and then invited us to the table where there was everything you might think of: fruits, vegetables, herbs, cheese, bread and milk – in fact, the table groaned with food. I wolfed the food down – it was only then that I realized how hungry I had been.
‘Everything’s so delicious – as it has always been!’ I mumbled with my mouth stuffed full, and reached out for another lump of pudding.
Suddenly I noticed that my parents didn’t even touch the food; they just sat staring at me.
‘Why don’t you eat?’
‘We are not hungry, Miriam,’ my father answered with a smile on his face.
After I felt satiated, we left the table and went out to a garden.
We set off for a river where we made ourselves comfortable on the bench at the riverbank. We sat silently watching the water flow but soon mommy broke the silence. Suddenly she became very serious. ‘Miriam, Daddy and I will always stand by you. There’s one thing you ought to keep in mind: you shouldn’t worry about us because everything happened as it should have happened. And you see with your own eyes, we are well off here. You shouldn’t be afraid of anything. That’s the main thing, my darling daughter.’
‘Miriam, we have to tell you what happened… Do you remember we set out for a vacation?’
‘Yes, I do, of course I do.’
‘We had a car accident. Your mother and I died on the spot, but you, Miriam, you survived. You suffered some injuries and for the time being you are lying in a coma.’
‘Died? How is it you died?’ I asked, unable to grasp the sense of what I heard.
‘We are dead, but you are alive, my darling daughter,’ my mother explained to me.
‘But here you are, right before my eyes, I can see you very well!’ My heart sank, and I felt hot tears burning my cheeks. ‘I want to stay with you!’
My mother embraced me and said, quietly, ‘Miriam, we promise you will never be alone.’
‘You should be aware that we will always love you, but, unfortunately,’ my father said, choosing his words carefully, ‘fate decreed just so and not otherwise. Miriam, I don’t want you to suffer. It will hurt me much to see you crying. Just come to terms with the fact, and accept the situation as it is.’
I realized that my parents were trying to help me survive the shock I still had to live through after I came round. They wanted to heal the wound in my heart even before it appeared. But I wasn’t willing to come to terms with the fact of their death, so I burst out crying – with loud sobs, covering my face with my hands, trying to ward off the pain that was tearing me apart from within.
‘In that case I’m going to die, too, so that I can be with you,’ I harped on, brokenly. ‘I cannot live without you. I don’t want to live without you…’
My parents were silent. They just stood there, their faces frozen and sad.
At that moment I felt there was something warm behind me, and turned to face the same man that brought me there. He had a compassionate and expectant look on his face. The light he emanated engulfed my entire body, and I felt my pain gradually easing off. It was only then that I noticed a pair of giant wings behind his back.
‘Darling, it’s time for you to go back,’ my mother said, embracing me. ‘Take good care of the ring because it’s priceless, Miriam.’
‘I love you so much…’ I told them, saying goodbye.
‘Miriam, my darling girl, know that your daddy will always love you!’ My father kissed me on the top of my head as he used to do in my childhood.
‘Take care of yourself…’ My mother whispered.
I stood there, watching my parents walk away. Suddenly I felt a passionate urge to run after them; I was about to dash forward but at that very moment a hand touched my shoulder and halted me.
‘Your time hasn’t come yet, Miriam. Don’t worry. I shall alleviate the pain in your heart. My name’s Michael the Archangel. I’ll always be by your side.’
‘We were so happy together, why do I have to be alone now?’ I asked.
‘You are not alone, Miriam,’ he disagreed softly. ‘Unfortunately, I cannot change the course of events… The only thing I could do was to give you this meeting. I wanted the people you love most to tell you what happened in their own words.’
The Archangel took me by the hand and we started to descend. A light breeze was cooling my skin. I refused to resign myself to the idea that I would never see my parents on Earth. I didn’t feel like going back to the place where life wasn’t worth a penny and could be brutally interrupted at any moment.
‘‘Why didn’t I die, too?’’ This thought kept torturing me. But Michael the Archangel intervened in my train of thought.
‘Miriam, the time has come for you to return to the material world because your life has just begun…’
‘All the good things I’ve had in my life are now in the past. I’ll never be happy again and I know it. I’m doomed to a life of loneliness, and often death will come to take the people I love away from me…’
‘You shouldn’t talk like that,’ the Archangel said, lowering his eyes.
But it seemed to me that he admitted the truth of what I told him, and had nothing to say to deny it. There was one more thing I became aware of: I wasn’t afraid of death anymore.
Chapter 9
‘Where am I? What’s happening to me?’ I asked, speaking into the void.
All I heard was the sound of quick footsteps coming closer.
Then there was a high-pitched woman’s voice near me. ‘She’s coming to! Follow her cardiogram, heartbeats and temperature…’
I couldn’t open my eyes – my eyelids were very heavy and remained immobile. My mouth was parched, I was awfully thirsty, and pain was enveloping my lead-heavy body like a cloud. I gasped for breath, listening to what was going on around me. Who were these people? My mind was a total mess: I couldn’t understand anything at all. The pain was concentrated somewhere in my chest. I cried out, and a damp shroud enveloped me again…
‘Our darling girl…’ The quiet voice of my grandmother, Polette, made my eyelashes quiver, and I
managed to lift my eyelids. My granny was hard to recognize: eyes welled up with tears, dry bitten lips, quivering cheeks. Stroking my hand, she could barely hold back her tears, but tried to force a smile when she saw me opening my eyes. My granddaddy, Gregory, was sitting near her, gripping his walking stick. He looked even worse than my granny: very old now and stooped, with hollow cheeks and a sharpened nose. It was clear that my grandparents were taking it very badly.
‘You’ve come round at last, thank God! How do you feel? We were so worried…’ my granny said feebly.
‘Mom and Dad – where are they? What happened to them?’ I demanded, staring at my grandparents.
Granny sat down on my bed, took me by the hands and said in a soft tone of voice. ‘They both died in a car crash…We’ve buried them…’ She swallowed hard.
I felt great pity for my parents. My heart ached, and I bit my lip, painfully, but couldn’t prevent tears from running down my cheeks anyway. I felt sorry for my grandparents. I felt sorry for myself. They had lost their only son, and I had lost my parents. I was left alone in this world, while pain and emptiness settled in my heart. How was I supposed to live my life after such a terrible disaster?
‘I want to leave this world!’ I said between the sobs. ‘I don’t want to live!’
‘You shouldn’t say such things, darling…’ my grandfather said, wiping away his tears.
‘I refuse to believe they are gone!’ I made a desperate effort to move, but my body wouldn’t obey. ‘My arms and legs are aching, any movement hurts me,’ I complained. ‘Granny, how am I supposed to live now?’
‘Everything’s going to be OK, Miriam, and you’ll recover. You’ll come live with your granddad and me and we will do our best to make you happy again.’
But I knew I’d never be happy again, I’d never be the same. I cursed my fate for having been so cruel to me. I wanted to avenge my loss, but who was to become the object of my revenge?