Whispers of Death (6 page)

    I looked at him curiously. “Are you sure?”

    He nodded, and his eyes began filling with tears.

    I held the note in my hand.  I could tell that it had been opened and closed many times and probably was kept with him at all times.  I felt strange reading this woman’s last dying wish, and I couldn’t figure out why this man wanted me to.  I had never even met him before, and I certainly didn’t know his wife.  I opened the paper carefully and began reading the messy script.

My dearest love,

A woman will give Mindy a doll. Tell her my story. Tell her about my pain. I love you and Mindy very much.  I will soon be leaving this earth, but I will be with you forever.

    I cried.

    Mark looked at the man with an expression of pure shock.  “Is this a joke?” he sputtered.

    James watched us, his face showing no signs that this was a joke. “When she handed me the note, she slipped into a comma almost immediately.  I thought she had gone crazy.  How would she know that someone was going to give Mindy a doll?  She died the next morning.  The doctors had no idea why she was in so much pain, or why they couldn’t treat her.  They weren’t just having trouble with Vanessa either; it was happening all over the hospital.  It was like all the pain medicine was useless.  Anyway, Mindy and I were left alone.  We buried my wife, and a week later I got a job offer here.  I thought it would be good to have Mindy start somewhere new,” he explained.

    My mind was reeling.  How did this woman know that I would give her daughter a doll?  Why did I have to know about her story?

   “A few days after we moved into our new house, I had a dream.” He continued, “It was my Vanessa.  She was still in agony. Her spirit wasn’t able to be at peace.  She told me I needed to find the woman named Amelia, and then she was gone.”

    I gasped. “She wanted you to find me?  Why?” I managed to say.

    “I had hoped if I ever found you that you would know.  I have had the same dream every night for the last five weeks.  It is always the same, and she always tells me I need to find you.  When Mindy came home with the doll, she ran to me and said, ‘look daddy, mommy was right.  The angel lady gave me a doll!’ I of course was in complete shock, but I was relieved to know that you were here and we might soon have peace.”

    My mouth dropped, and Mark was no less shocked as he breathed heavily next to me. The room turned cold, and goose bumps began to form on my arms and neck. I knew what this meant.  I was familiar with the feeling. A dark shadow crossed in front of me, and Death smiled, knowing that this time, he had me right where he wanted me.

Six

    I woke up on the floor, Mark and James huddling over me.  I felt chilled right down to my bones and shivered several times.

    “Are you okay?” Mark whispered.

    I tried to nod, but my mind wasn’t functioning; it was still in shock.  I closed my eyes and tried to remember what happened.  I searched through my memories and remembered the letter James had given me.  My emotions took over as I felt my heart race.

   
The black figure stood in front of me, blocking James from my view.  His smile wide on his face, he held his hand out to me. I looked to see if Mark noticed, but the room was still.  Mark’s face frozen in a gaze, his mouth half-open.  The sun peaked through the windows, but there wasn’t a sound to be heard. I stared at the dark figure of Death.

    “I’m not going with you.  I am needed here,” I spoke with authority, so Death would understand that I meant business. 

    Death stared at me, his hand still reaching for me.  Another figure came behind him, a woman dressed in white. Her figure was perfect, her long brown hair stretched down the length of her back.  She was beautiful. I stared at her, sure I had seen her before.  Her eyes held my gaze, and I saw her pain.  She struggled with every breath, her movements weak, her countenance inscrutable.

    “Who are you?” I asked, staring at the woman.

    She reached for me. “Amelia” she whispered, “you must help us.”  The words came out in agony, sending the message of deep misery.

    “How?” I pleaded, knowing I would do anything to help this woman.

    Death again reached for my hand, but I couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t leave my family behind.

    “I can’t go with you.  I can’t leave my family,” I told him.

    He dropped his hand; still smiling, he bowed, and the woman dropped her head in defeat.

    “Wait, how can I help?” I yelled at him.

    They had gone.

    I opened my eyes and stared at my husband’s face as he tried to console me.

    “Amelia, are you okay?” he asked again.

    “Yes, I’m fine,” I managed to say.

    The woman’s face was burned into my mind, as I searched my memory trying to figure out how I knew this woman.

    “Daddy, is the angel lady okay?”

    The sweet voice came from over my head, and I stared at her.  The small child had long brown hair that fell down her back and bounced up and down as she moved.  Her blue eyes sparkled, and the white streak down the center made me gasp.

    “James, do you have a picture of Mindy’s mom?” I asked him, sitting up so quickly that my head started spinning.  I pushed the feeling aside, knowing that I had just met Vanessa, Mindy’s mother.

    Shocked, James handed me the picture he had in his wallet.  The little family stood by a large grove of trees; the leaves were orange and red.  Mindy was dressed in a little white dress with a red sash wrapped around her waist.  Behind her stood her father, James, dressed in a suit with a red and white-stripped tie.  The beautiful woman standing next to him smiled back at her, her red dress and white sash complementing her pale complexion.  My hand instantly shot to my mouth, and tears flowed down my face, as if someone had opened a faucet.  I sobbed as I held the picture.

    “You saw her, didn’t you?” James said somberly.

    I stared at him in disbelief.  Mindy watched me carefully.  I didn’t know how to respond with her in the room.  Did Mindy know about her father’s dreams?  Why did she keep calling me the angel lady?

    “Mindy, why do you call me the angel lady?” I asked her through my tears.

    She stared at her dad, who nodded at her. “Because my mommy said an angel would bring me a doll,” she said, holding the little blonde doll in her arms, playing quietly with its hair.

    “When did your mommy tell you this?” I asked her.

    She shrugged. “Daddy can I still play?” she asked him.

    He looked at Mark and me. “Of course princess, go right ahead,” Mark answered.

    She squealed with delight as she skipped down the hall to Abby’s room.

    “Did you see her?” James asked me for a second time as soon as Mindy was out of hearing range.

    I bowed my head and took a deep breath. “Yes,” I said. “Just now.”

    Mark stared at me in disbelief. “Just now?” he questioned.

    I explained what had happened, leaving out the part about Death wanting me to come with him.  I wasn’t sure Mark or James was ready to hear that part of the story.

    “How does she expect you to help her?” Mark said angrily. “What can you possibly do?  You aren’t a magician!”

    I placed my hand on his arm, hoping this would calm him down, but he stood and left my side.

    “I don’t know,” I honestly said. “I just know that somehow I am supposed to help her.”

    James seemed relieved that I had seen his wife.  I wasn’t sure if he was happy that someone knew that his wife needed help and he had found me, or that he no longer thought himself crazy.  Either way, we now shared something that neither of us knew how to deal with.  Mark was beside himself; he paced the room, once even slamming his fist on a table, rattling the vase that rested there.

    I approached him and forced him to look at me. “Mark, you need to calm down.”

    “How can I be calm? Look at what's happening!  First your nightmares and now this!” His voice shook and trembled with both fear and anger.

    “What nightmares?” James asked.

    I glared at my husband before turning toward James. “It’s nothing,” I lied.

    James stared at me. I knew that he was waiting for a better answer; however, I wasn’t ready to share my dark secret with a complete stranger.

    “Amelia sees Death!” Mark yelled.

    “Mark!” I screamed.

    “What? He needs to know.  He is just as much involved in this now as you and I are,” he said angrily.

    “What do you mean you see Death?” James asked.

    I reluctantly explained my nightmares, giving details of the empty graveyard.  James listened intently.  When I was finished with my explanation he sat quietly in his chair, his eyes facing the floor.

    I again glared at my husband, who stood fuming in the corner of the room, his arms folded across his chest.

    “What does this all mean?” James finally asked.

    “We have no idea, only that Death keeps coming for me,” I answered truthfully.

    “Have you thought about going with him?” James asked.

    That was it; Mark flew across the room, his whole body red with anger, stopping in front of James. “My wife will not die for this!”

    James looked at Mark, his eyes full of regret and pain. "That wasn't my intention.  I don't believe that she would need to die to go with Death.  I believe that she has something that would help.  Something only she can do."  He looked at me, his eyes changing from pain to curiosity. "Has Death ever asked you anything?"

    I thought back to my nightmares and the other times I had been visited by him. "No, he only tells me that I should know why he has come, and I honestly have no idea."

    "There must be something that we are missing, something that he has already told you, or showed you."

    The sound of James' pleading voice brought fear to the front of my mind. This man truly believed that I could save his wife.  I had even begun to wonder if he thought I could somehow bring her back to him.  His whole body had been shaking when I told him of my nightmares and that I had seen his wife.  I began to wonder if I had made the right choice in telling him about it at all.  Maybe I should have just kept it to myself.  I looked at him; his eyes were now expectant that I could remember something new.  Mark still fumed nearby, his whole frame shaking in anger, and from what I could tell, also fear.  He was afraid, not of Death, but that he might lose me.  I dropped my head, my eyes closing.  They all expected so much of me, and I wasn't sure I had what it was going to take to keep everyone happy.

    "I think I need to go lay down," I finally told the two men.

    Mark was quickly at my side.  He held out his arm and led me to our bedroom.  He helped me lay down, kissed my forehead, and shut the door as he left.  I knew what he wanted to do; he wanted to talk to James alone.  I could hear them speaking lowly in the front room.  My mind tried to concentrate on the words, but they were speaking too quietly.  My eyes began to get heavy.  I tried to keep them from closing, afraid of what I might find if I fell asleep.  Moments later, I found myself standing yet again in the empty graveyard.  Only this time, I wasn't alone for very long.  My blood turned cold as Death stepped from the shadows. Vanessa stood beside him, along with another spirit, this time a young girl.

    "Please," came a soft voice.  The young girl's voice sounded horse and scratchy, but angelic.  Her little face was beautiful and full of joy, but something else was there as well, pain, just as Vanessa had looked in my living room and even now as she stared at me.  My heart pounded in my chest, as the young child reached for my hand, clasping her cold fingers around mine and pulling me toward her.  I didn't know what to do. I tried to hold my ground.  I didn't know if I was ready to follow them.

    "This isn't the end," a deep voice said behind me.  I turned as Death stood and watched me, his black eyes also full of sadness. "We need you," he said.

    "For what? What can I possibly do to help you?" My voice shook with fear, as I talked with him.

    "Fear has stolen my only way to provide them relief," he said, pointing back toward Vanessa and the young girl.  As I watched, more and more spirits came forward, each holding the same beauty but also the same pain as the others.  Some young, some old, some men, some women, and even young children of all ages held their hands toward me, each begging for me to come with them. My knees collapsed, and I sank to the ground.  I covered my face with my hands. "I CAN'T HELP YOU!  I DON'T KNOW HOW!" I screamed.

    "AMELIA!"

    My eyes shot open. I was kneeling on the floor in my bedroom, the sun poured in from the window.  Hunter and Abby stood close to Mark, their little faces full of fear.  I collapsed and sobbed.  Mark was right beside me. He quickly pulled me into his arms and lifted me off the floor.  I cried uncontrollably, unable to hold myself together in front of my children.  Abby and Hunter watched me from the doorway, unsure of what to do.  Abby's eyes welled with tears.  Hunter quickly wrapped his arms around his sister and led her from the room.  I would need to really thank him for being so grown up.

    "Amelia, are you okay?" Mark whispered in my ear.

    I continued to cry, unable to catch my breath.  I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I couldn't leave my family, but I couldn't stand to watch those people plead for my help as they suffered in pain and agony.  Mark just held me, tears staining the front of his dress shirt.

    "What happened?" Mark asked, after several long minutes.

    I looked at him, my eyes swollen from crying. "I have to help them," I whispered, before sinking back into his arms.

    Mark took a deep breath, "How?" he asked quietly.

    "I don't know," I sobbed, "there are so many."

    "What do you mean?  More than just James' wife?"