It is the shockwave of pain he feels first, and then he hears the scream he hears, before he feels himself flying. He crashes onto the pavement ahead, a warm thick liquid oozing from his mouth. He can't move, pinned to the ground as though a giant foot is stepping right on top of him, forcing him not to wake up. He is in agony, but he can feel himself drifting, plummeting into darkness. Then just as he hears the feet running towards him, feels the ripples they impact on the hard cement, there is nothing. To the onlookers, this is what they would call sad and heart breaking.
But this is before he wakes up, as though he were just dreaming. Someone is trying to pump into his chest, as though resuscitating him, but he feels fine. He sits up, but he goes right through the man, a medic he assumes, as though the man is made of air. Nothing makes sense. Why are all these people gathered around him? He looks around- women with forlorn looks on their faces, others are talking amongst themselves, clearly shocked. Next to him are the flowers he bought for his fiancé. He smiles, they are still intact; Sue loves roses. He stands and straightens himself up, brushing dust off his custom made black suit.
"Out of the way!"
Someone shouts, as two people, a man and a lady, more medics, come wheeling in a stretcher. This does not make any sense; why would he need a stretcher when he feels perfectly fine? In fact, he can neither see any visible wounds, nor does he feel any pain. "I am okay, people. Really. Look at me…" he starts, before he realizes nobody can hear him. He sees the medic he passed right through (still strange and inexplicably disturbing) stand up. The others join him and for the first time, he sees what they are all seeing; himself on the ground. The version of him on the ground looks horrible. A broken wrist, one of his ribs is protruding from his chest and the blood is all over. He touches himself and he knows he is real, but what of the other him now being lifted onto the stretcher? Is he... he doesn't want to think about it.
"This one is lucky. He is alive, but barely! We need to rush him to the hospital now! The other one wasn't so lucky…"
"I am sorry John, I know you tried to help her," the female medic says, as they cart wheel the stretcher onto the awaiting ambulance, which speeds off towards the hospital. Finally, still not believing what he has just witnessed, he looks around. A car seems to have crashed right into a lorry. It looks mangled. No way could the driver have survived this, he realizes sadly. The unlucky driver of this car must have been what the female medic was telling the other one called John. But he clearly heard them say he was alive; so what is he now? Clearly he cannot be two people at once- no laws of Physics or any other laws permit that; not even the parallel universe crap his friends keep joking about.
"Hey."
Someone whispers, and he turns around to look. A woman, seemingly no older than 30, stands before him. She is beautiful; her face isn't what you would call light, but it isn't dark either, and he can see a smile playing on her full lips. Her long black hair is dropping down her head majestically. He wonders why he didn't meet her before he met Sue.
"Hey," he replies.
"I just wanted to get home. You must be the man I hit. I am so sorry, my head was distracted."
"It's okay, I am ok," he says, before he realizes that she can hear him. But if he can hear her and he can hear her too, then this means.. Oh God! How is this possible? How can he talk to her is she was declared dead by the medics? She must have read his thoughts, because she says, "Alex, don't worry about me. I am going to a better place. But not before I do one last good deed. I want to help you, Alex. My name is Sally"
"Help me? How? But you're…"
"Dead? Well, yes. My body is, my spirit isn't. "
He takes in a moment to take it all in.
"So, we're spirits?"
"Yeah," Sally says, before she touches him softly on his shoulder. "You don't need the flowers now," she says as she takes them from his hand and throws them away.
Suddenly, they are in a hospital; an Operating Room. He can see surgeons and nurses in a frenzy. Then he sees himself. They are operating on him. They must be trying to save his life, but nothing seems to be working. The nurses are panicking, while the surgeons, knowing they have to be calm and collected if this is going to work. If they panic too, they will undoubtedly make a fatal mistake. They cannot let that happen.
"Alex, I am sure now you understand what is happening, right?"
"Yes," he says sadly, "They are trying to save my life."
"Correct. I want you to hang in there."
Now they are at his house. Sue is standing in the living room; God she is an amazing woman. But she isn't alone. She looks happy, almost too happy; this is not how a woman that knows her fiancé is about to die behaves. And she isn't alone. There is a man with her he hasn't seen before. They are holding wine glasses. Alex can't make it out at first, but slowly the words come, as though sound travels slower in the spirit realm.
"We are almost there baby!" the man says and kisses Sue on her lips and she kisses him back.
"God works in mysterious ways, Andrew!" she replies, before kissing him again. "Thank God because I don't know I don't know the slightest thing about murder."
"I know Sue. That would have been the hardest part. And now that hurdle has been removed. All we need to do now is falsify his will."
"Killing him wouldn't have been so hard Andrew, what was bothering me was how I would have looked him in the eyes and told him I was expecting his child when it isn't even his."
"Don't worry about it. He's gone. Right now, you need to go to the hospital grieving like a normal woman is expected to."
"I know," she says, before she gulps down her remaining wine and walks out, leaving Andrew in the house. His house!
Alex is too stunned to speak. For the first time in what seems like ages, Sally finally speaks. "Alex, this is why I want you to hang on in there. Do you understand now why you need to hang in there?" Sally asks to which Alex nods.
"Good," Sally says, before she walks up to him and plants a kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye Alex," she smiles, "We will meet again someday," she says slowly vanishing from his sight all the while waving goodbye at him. He waves back…
When he wakes up Sue is lying on his belly, staring at him, coldly, a murderous look on her face. "Did I disappoint you Sue?" he asks as he pushes her off him.
But this is before he wakes up, as though he were just dreaming. Someone is trying to pump into his chest, as though resuscitating him, but he feels fine. He sits up, but he goes right through the man, a medic he assumes, as though the man is made of air. Nothing makes sense. Why are all these people gathered around him? He looks around- women with forlorn looks on their faces, others are talking amongst themselves, clearly shocked. Next to him are the flowers he bought for his fiancé. He smiles, they are still intact; Sue loves roses. He stands and straightens himself up, brushing dust off his custom made black suit.
"Out of the way!"
Someone shouts, as two people, a man and a lady, more medics, come wheeling in a stretcher. This does not make any sense; why would he need a stretcher when he feels perfectly fine? In fact, he can neither see any visible wounds, nor does he feel any pain. "I am okay, people. Really. Look at me…" he starts, before he realizes nobody can hear him. He sees the medic he passed right through (still strange and inexplicably disturbing) stand up. The others join him and for the first time, he sees what they are all seeing; himself on the ground. The version of him on the ground looks horrible. A broken wrist, one of his ribs is protruding from his chest and the blood is all over. He touches himself and he knows he is real, but what of the other him now being lifted onto the stretcher? Is he... he doesn't want to think about it.
"This one is lucky. He is alive, but barely! We need to rush him to the hospital now! The other one wasn't so lucky…"
"I am sorry John, I know you tried to help her," the female medic says, as they cart wheel the stretcher onto the awaiting ambulance, which speeds off towards the hospital. Finally, still not believing what he has just witnessed, he looks around. A car seems to have crashed right into a lorry. It looks mangled. No way could the driver have survived this, he realizes sadly. The unlucky driver of this car must have been what the female medic was telling the other one called John. But he clearly heard them say he was alive; so what is he now? Clearly he cannot be two people at once- no laws of Physics or any other laws permit that; not even the parallel universe crap his friends keep joking about.
"Hey."
Someone whispers, and he turns around to look. A woman, seemingly no older than 30, stands before him. She is beautiful; her face isn't what you would call light, but it isn't dark either, and he can see a smile playing on her full lips. Her long black hair is dropping down her head majestically. He wonders why he didn't meet her before he met Sue.
"Hey," he replies.
"I just wanted to get home. You must be the man I hit. I am so sorry, my head was distracted."
"It's okay, I am ok," he says, before he realizes that she can hear him. But if he can hear her and he can hear her too, then this means.. Oh God! How is this possible? How can he talk to her is she was declared dead by the medics? She must have read his thoughts, because she says, "Alex, don't worry about me. I am going to a better place. But not before I do one last good deed. I want to help you, Alex. My name is Sally"
"Help me? How? But you're…"
"Dead? Well, yes. My body is, my spirit isn't. "
He takes in a moment to take it all in.
"So, we're spirits?"
"Yeah," Sally says, before she touches him softly on his shoulder. "You don't need the flowers now," she says as she takes them from his hand and throws them away.
Suddenly, they are in a hospital; an Operating Room. He can see surgeons and nurses in a frenzy. Then he sees himself. They are operating on him. They must be trying to save his life, but nothing seems to be working. The nurses are panicking, while the surgeons, knowing they have to be calm and collected if this is going to work. If they panic too, they will undoubtedly make a fatal mistake. They cannot let that happen.
"Alex, I am sure now you understand what is happening, right?"
"Yes," he says sadly, "They are trying to save my life."
"Correct. I want you to hang in there."
Now they are at his house. Sue is standing in the living room; God she is an amazing woman. But she isn't alone. She looks happy, almost too happy; this is not how a woman that knows her fiancé is about to die behaves. And she isn't alone. There is a man with her he hasn't seen before. They are holding wine glasses. Alex can't make it out at first, but slowly the words come, as though sound travels slower in the spirit realm.
"We are almost there baby!" the man says and kisses Sue on her lips and she kisses him back.
"God works in mysterious ways, Andrew!" she replies, before kissing him again. "Thank God because I don't know I don't know the slightest thing about murder."
"I know Sue. That would have been the hardest part. And now that hurdle has been removed. All we need to do now is falsify his will."
"Killing him wouldn't have been so hard Andrew, what was bothering me was how I would have looked him in the eyes and told him I was expecting his child when it isn't even his."
"Don't worry about it. He's gone. Right now, you need to go to the hospital grieving like a normal woman is expected to."
"I know," she says, before she gulps down her remaining wine and walks out, leaving Andrew in the house. His house!
Alex is too stunned to speak. For the first time in what seems like ages, Sally finally speaks. "Alex, this is why I want you to hang on in there. Do you understand now why you need to hang in there?" Sally asks to which Alex nods.
"Good," Sally says, before she walks up to him and plants a kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye Alex," she smiles, "We will meet again someday," she says slowly vanishing from his sight all the while waving goodbye at him. He waves back…
When he wakes up Sue is lying on his belly, staring at him, coldly, a murderous look on her face. "Did I disappoint you Sue?" he asks as he pushes her off him.
No comments:
Post a Comment