Rest In Peace

I gazed at myself and tried to wake me up. My body was laid flat on the grassy corner, breathless. I lifted my head and placed it on my lap. I wailed. I caressed my forehead and wiped every dripping tear over it. A dagger protruded from my chest, and blood oozed from it. I looked around. I cried for help, yet none of the crowd heard my call. They murmured. Some whispered in each other's ears. Their chatter was painful to my ears. I shouted for silence. I begged for their help. I even tried to pull one of them in front of me, yet my hand had just passed through his. None of them noticed my presence.

After a moment, loud sirens from an ambulance and police cars came toward us. They carried my body on a gurney to the ambulance. I tried to hold firmly onto my body, but my force was of no use. I wanted to go with them, but the ambulance left in a hurry. I ran after them. I ran as fast as I could. I was in the middle of the highway, trying to dodge the coming trucks and cars. I ran a little further while keeping an eye on the blinking red and blue lights. I ran faster and faster when a ten-wheeler truck came towards me. I tried to dodge it, but it was too late.

I slowly opened my eyes, and I saw the truck pass through my body. It was as swift as the wind yet brought me not a single injury. I was startled and completely confused. My face lit up with delight as I realized nothing bad had happened to me. I heard the crowd from afar. I ran back to the place, and I found policemen investigating and reporters in front of their cameras.

Night fell quickly. The crowd started to diffuse. Reporters and policemen left the crime scene. Nothing was left in place except these marks and caution lines, a pair of slippers, blood-stained grasses, and me. I was freezing in this cold, abandoned place. I didn't know where to go or where to seek refuge. I was completely scared.

I looked up. Dark clouds covered the sky entirely. No light showered upon the place except that intermittent streetlamp. It appeared to be raining, but I had hoped it wouldn't. I remembered my mother. She would be worried now. She'd be looking for me this time. It's already time for us to say the rosary, as we usually do. I decided to recite one of the prayers my mother had taught me. I closed my eyes and made a sign of the cross. In a slow voice, I uttered every word of the prayer with stillness and clarity. I imagined my mother was by my side, but when I opened my eyes and saw a glint in them, I realized that I was fooling myself.

I was in the middle of my prayer. I had a vision where angels kneeled and prayed solemnly. I was nervous, and my lips quivered as I uttered these lines: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting." I didn't resist the nerve, and so I opened my eyes, leaving my prayer unfinished.

Just when I moved my eyelids and had a complete view of the sky, I was dumbfounded. The dark clouds split off and rolled aside. An eddy formed a hollow with different colors in transition. I can't explain what happened next until I found out that the sky opened. I saw the golden gate—huge and gleaming. It opened slowly with the clouds, and a dove barged in. It gyrated, and clouds formed circles until it vanished in an explosion of lights. The light showered upon me like a spotlight and seemed to drag me off. With much force, I ran and, fortunately, had saved myself from being captured. I ran faster and faster, yet the light kept following me. I ran faster and faster without looking back. I was floating in the wind; I passed through walls and blocks, doors and windows. I often passed over sleeping children with their parents beside them. I even tried to wake them up and ask for help, but they just replied with a groan and went back to sleep.

I found myself in a small hut. There was an old woman crying at her doorstep. I stayed and sat beside her and listened to her monologue. She mourned for her lost son. I peered inside, and I saw lighted incense on top of a black coffin. I came in, and the candle had died. A cold wind filled the room. The woman cried, "He's here! My son is here!" She lit the candle again, and darkness rolled out. She embraced the casket, and her tears fell over the glass cover. I lightly caressed her back. She knew I was around, and she slowly uttered my name. She's my mother. I hugged her as tightly as I could, and she wailed aloud. I wanted to comfort her, soothe her, and talk to her, but she couldn't hear me.

There were tiny lights passing through the small holes on the roof. The place brightened. The light of the heavens found me here. My mother was startled and ran outside. I was holding her hands firmly, trying not to let them go. The light showered on us. My mother smiled and started to whisper, "Rest in peace, my son." After I said this, the light vanished with a hard pull. I held my mother's hands firmly, but my force was useless. My hands slipped into hers, and the light carried me away. I left nothing to say but, "Don't lose me, mother!".


975 Words