Whispers of Death (25 page)
Authors: Alicia Rivoli
I was honored and a little scared at his request. The thought of touching the judgment stone or the scythe sent chills down through my soul. I was afraid that if I touched it, I would have to stay here.
"You worry so much for such a young person," the Seer said, watching me. "The scythe doesn't have the ability to keep you here. Only you do. Like I said, only you can decide to stay or go back home."
I was relieved at his words. "How do I pass your judgment?" I asked Apollyn.
"Well it looks like my time here is done. I must go now. Until we meet again my dear." The Seer bowed his head and acted like he was tipping a hat at me, and then he vanished.
"Where did he go?" I asked, dumbfounded by his behavior.
"No one knows. This is just the place he always likes to meet," Apollyn said. "He really is a strange old goat."
I laughed; he couldn't have said anything more true. "Yes, he really is."
I followed Apollyn and Vanessa back to Limbo. There weren't as many Souls as I had seen last time, but several still wandered here and there.
"What happened to Fear?" I finally asked, almost whispering.
Apollyn looked at me. "Fear will always be present. He left so much of himself behind in all the worlds that he truly will never be gone. Every war, or crime, every mother's nightmares, they are all caused by Fear. You killed the solid form of him, but true fear will always be present," he explained.
"How did I kill him?" I asked. My memories were still fuzzy from the attack.
"When you took hold of the scythe, its powers transferred to you, the real master of death. As you pierced him with the blade, it sent all your energy with it, all your dreams, happiness, joy, everything. As those feeling entered his own soul, it killed him. When you did that, you also reversed what he had done to me. My body healed itself, and I was finally able to find my way to you."
"How did your body begin to heal itself?" I asked, confused at his explanation.
"My life force was connected with the scythe. When you killed Fear, the blade was able to heal. The corrosion turned back to pure silver, which also healed me. My life will continue to be connected to the scythe until I pass through judgment."
We had reached the judgment paths. I could sense his pain as he approached the stone.
"Are you ready?" he asked me.
I swallowed. "If you are," I answered, unsure of my abilities.
Vanessa handed me the scythe. It felt heavy in my grip, and I could feel its power radiate through my soul. I placed the scythe in the proper place on the golden judgment stone, and he placed his left hand on the other. The stone started to glow as soon as the connections were made. I watched nervously. Immediately I felt all of his memories rush over me. I could see each of his decisions; some I had already been witness too, while others were new to me. It felt strange seeing his most secret thoughts and desires. After several long minutes, I heard a click and felt the ground shake under my feet. Apollyn watched me as I looked up to see which path would open for him; even though I thought I knew the answer, it still made me nervous for him.
The large marble walkway lit up, torches blazed to life, and the gate to the Path of Eternity opened before my eyes. I looked down the path, standing a little distance off were several people. Each person was dressed in a long white robe. They were smiling at Apollyn. I turned to look at Apollyn. His face had lit up. He was smiling from ear to ear, and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed that I had watched tears fall down his cheeks.
"Is that your family?" I asked, nodding toward the large group of people watching us.
He turned and looked at me, his eyes no longer full of sadness but pure joy. "That is my mom and my sister. The others are family members from my ancestry; they are there to welcome me home. The tall man, standing next to my mother," he said, "is my mentor, that is the Death I know."
I smiled. "I'm happy for you."
"Thank you.,” he whispered.
He touched my shoulder, sending a feeling a pure peace through me, and then began the walk down the long marble path. As soon as his soul entered the gate, he was immediately transformed. His long black cloak turned solid white, and his soul seemed to become more solid as well, like he had just gained back his body. He turned and faced me one last time, his smile evident upon his face. He was finally free. Finally able to be back with his family. I gave a small wave and smiled back as the gates closed behind him.
"He was a great man," Vanessa said from behind me.
I couldn't have agreed more. "Yes, he was. He could also be very creepy." I laughed.
Vanessa laughed with me. We walked back to the portals in silence. As we approached them, I couldn't help but wonder if I was making the right choice. Watching Apollyn go through those gates was the most spiritual thing I had ever witnessed.
"Is this the right decision?" I asked Vanessa.
She looked at me, her face somber. "Your family needs you. If I could, I would go home and be with my Mindy, but my life was already over. I know that she is in good hands with her father, and now I know she will also have a mother." She smiled. "I know that my daughter will always have you."
I gave her a hug; she was right. I would always take care of Mindy and James. "Thank you for this," I said.
"It was the least I could do. You gave up your much-needed strength so that I could see my family one more time. I will be eternally grateful to you," she said.
I looked down the dark portal. "Don't let me forget," I said.
She smiled. "You know I won't."
Twenty-Three
Abby giggled as Mark pushed her higher on the swings. I smiled as I watched from a nearby bench. The sun was bright and the air warm. I couldn't wait until I could get my casts off so I could join in on the fun. It had been eight weeks since my accident. The gas explosion had caused severe damage to our home and had taken away a lot of my memories. Mark told me that they’d found me lying by a tree, but I didn't remember anything before waking up in the hospital.
Although that is what they all told me, I didn't feel that it was right. Something told me that there was something more, something else entirely; I just didn't know what it was.
"Mom, can Logan come play this weekend?" Hunter asked, running up from the soccer fields.
I was so proud of Hunter. Mark told me that before the explosion Logan had bullied Hunter and we had gone and talked to Logan’s mother. After that, Hunter had decided to be really kind to him. He brought a soccer ball to school and asked him to play every day. It didn't take long before the two of them became best friends. Mark had also reminded me that Logan's sister had died in a horrible fall. After hearing this, I cried for what felt like an eternity. I couldn't imagine what that would be like as a mother to lose your child.
"Of course," I said, smiling, "why don't you ask his mom if they would all like to come over for a barbeque on Saturday?"
The boys ran off, excited for their upcoming play date. Logan's mom was Hunter's teacher at school, so I had made sure to invite her over often because any time she was around me, she seemed to be happier. Mark told me it was because I was a ray of sunshine.
Later that night after the kids had been put to bed, I curled up on Mark's lap as best I could with the casts, and after a few minutes of television, drifted off to sleep. At first my mind was pretty empty as I slept soundly, but I knew that it would change. For several weeks now I had been having a dream about Abby's friend’s mom. She was always so happy in my dreams, almost like she was there just to see me. It made me happy to think that after she had died that she was at peace. Every night I had the same dream: Mindy's mom, Vanessa, standing by my bed smiling. Her voice came as a whisper as she reminded me not to forget her.
I didn't know why she didn't want me to forget her, but I knew I never would. Somehow she had become a very important part of my life, and I had never even met her. James, her husband, and Mindy came by often. Mindy had become like my own daughter. I knew that she always would be. I asked Mark often what had happened before the accident, but he didn't seem to know very much either. It seemed that everyone that was at our house during the explosion had lost a lot of their memories. Doctors said it could be a reaction to stress, like PTSD, and no one seemed to know if we would get our memories back.
I was also told that my body would never be the same. No matter how much rehabilitation I participated in, my body had gone through too much damage to fully heal. I was just happy that the explosion hadn’t done more damage and I would be able to walk again after I got these casts off. From the description from the gas company, someone should have been killed that night. It made me very grateful that I was still here with my family and I would be able to watch my babies grow up to be adults. I thanked my stars every day for my life; it was truly a blessing.
There was something else too. I had felt a power within me ever since I’d woken up in that hospital bed. A power that seemed familiar. It changed me, made me stronger somehow. It also made me think that something big was planned for my life, something that I couldn't explain. It just seemed to sit in the shadows, a dark secret that waited patiently to reveal itself. It was a power that would change everything, and somehow I knew it had something to do with an angel named Vanessa that showed herself to me on a nightly basis. Her beautiful face smiling down on me from somewhere up in Heaven.
Acknowledgments
A special thank you to my family. I know my writing can get crazy, and they put up with a whole lot. My beta-readers, Colette Harris and Charity Bradford for making sure my ideas flowed into a story worth telling. My cover designer, Cheryl with CCR Design, for knowing what I needed before I did. My book editor, Laura Stalling for polishing my words.
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