Worlds Apart

by Luke Loaghan

  Gazing at the ceiling, I was amazed by its architecture. The concrete walls were stained, covered with dark colored smoke. I waited in the center of the great hall. Several minutes passed by, and still nothing. I touched the walls. The mysterious smoke engulfed my hand. All I could hear was silence.

  From the far corners, a shadowy figure appeared. There were no lights in the building; visibility was provided only by the light from the moons through the dusty windows, high above the floor. The figure came closer. I was startled by its familiarity. It was my grandfather.

  “I know why you’ve come, and I’m here to talk you out of it,” he said.

  “Grandpa?” I asked happily. I walked closer to him, eager to embrace him. He was bigger and stronger than my grandfather was at the time of his demise.

  “I’m not your grandfather, but this form, this image, is how your mind wants to see my energy,” the apparition said. “Your mind is extrapolating; it’s the only way you have to process the energies here. There is nothing in the material world that resembles what we really look like here, in this plane.”

  “Where can I find Delancey?” I asked with a lot less happiness in my voice.

  “Delancey is no longer yours. She has died, and her soul is here, but you are making a big mistake by coming here,” the apparition said.

  “It’s my fault. It wasn’t her time. She was too young,” I said.

  “Listen, David, it was her time. No one passes before their time. It wasn’t your fault. Even if you had done everything different, picked her up, brought her to the prom, put her in a bullet proof dress, it was her destiny to pass that night.”

  “I don’t believe that. I could have protected her. It should’ve been me and not her. I should’ve stopped Sam!” I cried out.

  “It wasn’t your time yet. It could not have been you instead,” he said. “That’s not the way things work.”

  “Are you here to stop me?” I asked.

  “I wish I could stop you. But that is something that occurs in the physical world, where you belong. No…I’m here to allow you stop yourself. You need permission to bring her back. Someone is waiting for you beyond the Great Hall. If you get permission to take her, which is doubtful, have you considered what she’d be like in the material world?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “She won’t be the same. She won’t be one hundred percent. Her body has already started to decay, her foot is gone, and her soul has already been gone too long. The longer you stay; the same will be true for you.”

  “I’d rather have some of her than none of her,” I said.

  “David, she could be a zombie for the rest of her life, or even a vegetable.”

  “That won’t happen,” I said.

  “You’re stubborn but it won’t help you here.”

  “Where is Delancey?”

  “Before you see Delancey, heed my warnings carefully. I ask you again, not to do this for her sake. You’re better off just being in love with a memory, a memory of a beautiful girl, a memory of your senior year in high school. Don’t bring back something ungodly to the material world.”

  “I really just want to see her.” I was obstinate, and annoyed.

  The being went back toward the shadows, vanishing from the room. A light emerged from the end of the Great Hall. It slowly headed toward a corridor. I followed the light, up the stairs, and around a stone balcony. The light floated slowly, and when it crossed into the moonlit area, it became Delancey.

  She was wearing her white prom dress. She was whole, and angelic, and absolutely beautiful. Chains were attached to her ankles. I quickly ran to her and we embraced. She was happy to see me. Tears filled her eyes.

  “How did you get here? Are you …not alive?” she asked.

  I explained how I had traveled here and told her to come back with me.

  “I can’t just leave and go back with you. I’m no longer part of the material world.”

  “You were always out of my league, out of my realm. We were always worlds apart. This is no different. I came here to plead for your soul. I need you back. I can’t go on without you. I love you so much, I’ll do anything. Come back with me,” I said.

  “It’s not that easy,” bellowed a deep echoing voice. It thundered throughout Ellis Island, deafening me and filling me with fear. The voice sounded familiar. It was the most frightening voice I had ever heard.

  Delancey, squeezing my hand, said that we should go downstairs. We headed to the lower level. Her chains clanged against the stone floors. I kept looking behind, but no one was following. We walked down the concrete stairs and out of the moonlight. I followed her down several flights of stairs, until we were under Ellis Island.

  We entered a small room. The darkness made it difficult to see my hands just inches from my body.

  “Allow me,” said the same deep voice, echoing, even louder. I shivered as an icy breeze blew into the room.

  A small flame lit a candle on my right side, and then a candle on my left side. The room started to illuminate. To my surprise, it appeared that I was inside the principal’s office at Stanton High School.

  Two large balls of light moved toward me, and stopped behind the principal’s desk. One of the lights transformed itself into an all too familiar form.

  “Eddie Lo?” I thought to myself.

  “Not quite…but Eddie Lo for now.” My mind extrapolated the energy into a familiar shape and form. But this was not an ordinary energy. It had a very strong magnetic pull, draining me of my strength and thoughts.

  The other ball of light transformed into an image of Christine.

  “I’m here to get Delancey back,” I said by telepathy.

  “Of course you are,” said Christine. “Why else would you be here?”

  “Dead is dead. There is no getting her back,” said Eddie Lo. I did not know why I was interpreting this being as Eddie Lo. A strange accent formed the sounds of their words. All communication was telepathic.

  “It’s because I’m the coolest guy you know. Just like Eddie Lo was the coolest guy you knew in the physical universe.” He’d read my thoughts.

  “I really need to get her back. There has to be some way. She was taken too soon and I’m certain she shouldn’t be here.”

  Eddie Lo took a deep sigh. “No one passes on before their time.”

  “David Orpheus, I have wanted to meet face to face for some time. You are a very talented musician, and we enjoy your music here. Music penetrates every layer of the universe, transcending all the planes of existence,” the Christine energy communicated.

  She moved slightly, exposing reptilian skin in the place of legs. I glanced at Eddie Lo. Both of their lower bodies were serpentine, like the scaly skin of a large python.

  “I know you so well, Orpheus. I have heard your music for so long. I have heard you blame me for everything, and I have heard you say time and time again that you are not afraid of Death. I know of your talents, and how your lack of confidence has held you back. I know about your confusions, and how you second guess pursuing your dreams. Actually, you second guess everything. I know your pain, and your hunger for happiness.” Eddie Lo started to uncoil.

  “Delancey was too young. We were just married. We didn’t have any time. I was robbed.” My fear was all consuming. My nervous system went into overdrive. “You cheated me out of a life, out of happiness, just as you did before, when you took my mother.”

  “Delancey was your wife, for as long as she was supposed to be. Your mother was your mother for as long as she was supposed to be. Even if you had taken Delancey someplace other than your prom, something else would’ve happened; it was her day. Her name was on my list that day. So was your mother’s, when you were eleven years old. That’s how it works. I only find out who’s coming here the day they are supposed to arrive on the ferry,” said Eddie Lo. His tone was firm, and I barely had enough courage to make any more statements.

  “Are you Death?” I asked.

 
; “I’m more of a keeper of souls. But people see me in many different ways.”

  “Is this hell?” I asked.

  “Hell?” Eddie chuckled. “Hell is back in Brooklyn and where you reside. This is just a waiting area. I make sure that souls are here for as long as they are supposed to be.”

  “I don’t follow,” I said.

  “Well, some go to heaven, and others get reincarnated. Some leave and visit their old friends and relatives, and others go somewhere else to repent. I have no control over any of that. I just make sure that the souls that are here stay here…hence the chains on your wife.” Eddie Lo grew bigger, and his face and complexion changed slightly. He looked more regal than he had just a few moments before. Christine stood by his side, not speaking.

  “What is your name?” I asked.

  Eddie Lo was now a towering figure, replete with a golden silk robe and crown to match. The top of his head reached the fifteen foot ceiling. A beard had grown on his face, long and gray. He resembled a middle aged Chinese Emperor. He didn’t answer. Never before had I felt so small and weak. Christine became larger and older as well. She uncoiled, expanding toward the ceiling next to Eddie.

  “What can I do to get Delancey back?” I asked.

  “That is an interesting question,” said Eddie. “You are in a room with what you most desire, and also that which prevents you from obtaining your desires. I am your opponent, and I cannot be defeated.”

  “I would never fight you, what would be the point?”

  “If you bring her back, she’ll never be the same. Anyone who is here for more than a day starts to fade,” Christine commented.

  “So you are saying that she can come back?” I asked, hearing only that there was a possibility.

  “Every now and then it happens. Souls have managed to go back to your world – the material world. You call it earth, we call it Gaia. But they are never exactly the same as when they left Gaia.” Eddie Lo was shimmering in the moonlight. He hovered above Delancey and I.

  “How do I get her back?” I asked again.

  “Do you know who I am?” he said.

  “What should I call you?” I asked.

  “If I were you, I wouldn’t call me.” His sinister laugh echoed. “Every time you mention my name, I hear you. If you mention it enough, I show up, and I’m afraid you wouldn’t want me showing up.” He glistened in the moonlight like a thousand diamonds. As terrifying as he was, he was resplendent.

  “Some call me Hades, or Pluto, Yama, or Yamraj. Others call me Yima, and even Yan Lo and Enma Dai-O. I’ve been called Anubis, and Osiris. I have a thousand names, every culture, every people that has ever walked the Earth has had a name for me. But I urge you not to call me, not to remember my name. It’s up to me if you leave with her or not, but there is always a price to pay…a great price.” I gulped at the mention of this price.

  “He’s the Ruler of the Underworld, THE God of Death,” said Delancey. “David, don’t make any deals that I wouldn’t want you to. I don’t want to go back as a zombie or worse.”

  I dropped down to my knees and begged him to let Delancey come back with me. “I can’t go on with her, I have nothing left,” I pleaded with him, choking back tears. The Ruler of the Underworld remained silent for a while. The other figure, the version of Christine, moved adjacent to him, and whispered into his ear.

  “I do like the way you play the guitar,” Christine said. “I heard you play Worlds Apart at your graduation. The pain in your voice, the haunting grief that you sang with, I loved it. I truly love your agony; its music to my ears. You have a very bright future in music. The entire world will know who you are. Such God-given talent and now you have what every great artist needs – suffering, torment, and pain. You should thank us, Orpheus.”

  A solid gold double electric guitar appeared on the desk. Its luster was unmatched, its shine unrivaled. I picked it up, feeling the weight of solid gold in my hands. There was an unfamiliar strange feeling. The guitar was magical.

  “What would you like to hear?” I asked, hearing my grandfather saying, “All that glitters isn’t gold.”

  “Play something for me. Play something with all your heart and all your emotion. You know what I want to hear. Something you haven’t played in a long time. Worlds Apart isn’t the only song you sing with anguish and pain.” Christine had a seductive voice. The Ruler of the Underworld grinned.

  I held the guitar close. My reflection was visible in its gold luster shimmering in the moonlight. Through the dusty windows, three moons loomed in the night sky. I closed my eyes, and thought about my mother’s funeral. I knew exactly what they wanted to hear.

  I recalled my mother in the casket and all the people at the funeral. I could remember the flowers, and my sullen grandparents and melancholic uncles. Young Harry was sobbing. My father was standing in the back, stoic with red eyes. I was wearing a black suit.

  My eyes remained closed as I recalled another image of my mother, a few years before her passing. She was happy; my entire family used to be so happy. We were on a different course then. My father was much younger, full of life. We were on a beach, playing with a colorful ball. I hadn’t thought much about that day, but now it was so vivid, and so real.

  The memory of how sick she became and how quickly she deteriorated replayed in my mind. I recalled her coughing. She looked like she had not slept. I remembered the hospital rooms, the chemotherapy treatments. She had lost her hair and so much weight. My mother had even lost the color in her face. I remembered coming home from school, and finding her dead. That was the day that everything changed. That was the day that my course was altered. I was on my way to becoming something special, someone happy, and that was the day it ended. At her funeral, I played classical guitar, in honor of my dead mother. It was the last time I played her favorite song. It was the last time I played Ave Maria. It was the reason why I did not want to do the school play for Mr. Zoose. I vowed I would never play that song again. But now, I had no choice. Now everything depended on my rendition, and it needed to be powerful. It had to be powerful enough to convince him to let me have Delancey back.

  My chest swelled with emotion, my heart sinking with heaviness. A single tear trickled down my face. My fingers quivered as I held the pick. I played Ave Maria on guitar, and the longer I played, the more I wept silently. I kept my eyes closed, and continued to picture my mother. It was the most painful song I had ever performed, and that’s why I had not played this song since my mother’s death. I played without pause, without hesitation. I played despite the agony, and the extremely sad and painful feeling that the song brought from the depths of my memory, from the depths of my soul.

  Someone was singing, in a haunting voice. The voice accompanied my guitar play. My eyes remaining closed, I could hear her voice. It was celestial, coming directly from the heavens. I continued to play, and the voice continued to sing. Was it just in my head? I wept all the more, as I played the guitar with increased emotion, increased sorrow. The singer’s voice was overwhelming.

  When the song ended, she stopped singing. Slowly my eyes opened and my mother

  was standing in front of me. She was an ethereal vision of love and beauty. Her radiance emanated warmth. I wanted to reach out and touch her but I hesitated. Overwhelmed with emotions of both happiness and sadness, I burst into tears. I held my hand out to her, and all I could say in my tear riddled voice was, “I miss you.” She placed her hand on my head and smiled. Slowly, a single tear fell from her eyes onto my head. She dissipated into thin air.

  The Ruler of the Underworld and his consort were smiling and clapping their hands. “Well done. It’s truly a gift from the heavens to play as great as you do. Fantastic performance! You have moved me, and my consort, and here is what I am willing to do for you.”

  I tried to recompose myself.

  “There are three things you have to agree to before you can take Delancey back. The first…you can never play the guitar for anyone other than me ag
ain. You can never play for an audience of any kind, even if it’s one person. I will visit you whenever I want you to play for me.”

  I thought about the band, and my musical career. We were scheduled to record the album the next day. This would mean the end of my musical career. I could never even play for Delancey.

  “Don’t do it, David. You have a God-given gift. People need to hear your music. You were given this gift for a reason. Don’t let him take it away,” Delancey pleaded with me.

  It would mean giving away my destiny and any chance I would have to become a successful or even unsuccessful musician. I could never even play on the subway.

  “Fine, I agree, if I get Delancey back,” I said.

  The towering serpentine empress and the God of Death laughed out loud. Their sinister laughter bellowed like thunder.

  “Second, leave here and trust that Delancey will follow you back. Trust that she is behind you, and never look back to check. You have to trust that she is following behind. No second guessing.”

  “How can I trust YOU? You have cheated me out of every chance of happiness in my life? How can I trust anything after having lost my mother?” I asked.

  “If you can’t trust me, who can you trust? I’m the most consistent thing in the universe.” His laughter ceased.

  “And finally, you must get back to your world and your body before sunrise, or else you stay here forever. Go now! I hope you make it back in time. But if you don’t, I still win. You have only until sunrise.”

  The God of Death and his consort vanished into the distance. There was one and half moons left in the night sky. The half moon that remained had already started to fade.

  There was little time left. I started walking back toward the main hall, hearing footsteps behind me and the chains clamoring. Delancey was behind me, and I kept going. We climbed up the stairs, and left the dining hall. I ran for the main exit. In the moonlight, two shadows were on the floor. One was clearly mine, and the other looked like Delancey’s figure.