30. I found myself a closely attached partner. If you get what I mean.
The voice seemed to calculate that. I looked around to find the skeletons gone and Ash and Violet huddled as far away from me but also slightly close in case of danger looking at the black fire in my hand, their eyes as big as dinner plates.
Violet managed to find her voice. "Um......they ran away when the hand, I mean the fire on your hand started taking. We wanted to join them. It was frankly extremely scary."
"I wouldn't have left you." Ash said and then turned slightly pink as the unspoken word 'again' played through all of our minds.
The fire on my hand thankfully broke the awkward silence. "I got it. My name is Charlie."
Violet burst out laughing. Seeing our blank expressions her laughter subsided slightly. "Sorry I just thought about Charlie and the chocolate factory."
Ash stared t her open mouthed. "You've watched it?!" They started to have an animated conversation about the movie, completely ignoring me so I turned my attention back to the voice.
"Is Charlie not good enough?" the voice asked in a rather doleful tone of voice. The exact type of voice that made its way right into my heart.
"Hey man, I mean hand.......it's a great name and it's for a great person. Don't worry bud I'm not going to criticize your name. Besides I like it."
I heard a quiet sound of someone blowing his nose and tears being wiped. "Thanks" Charlie said.
The fire in my hand had become a small flame but it erupted again like a volcano. "YOU MAKE ME HAPPY." The voice said deafening me but I couldn't help laughing while Ash and Violet exchanged glances in disgust probably thinking, 'BOYS.'
"You make me happy too bud. Just warn me before screaming. Ok?"
Just like that. I had a partner. We had only met five minutes ago but I felt like I had known Charlie my entire life. This theory technically makes sense because Charlie was my hand. That brought up a question.
"Charlie, are you just like.........talking fire? Or are you an actual person?"
The black fire flames died down slightly. "I'm a soul Alex."
My mouth formed an 'O' shape. "Can't I free you or something?" It was either real or a hallucination but I thought I heard a quiet sigh.
"I'm afraid not. You see Alex, I'm dead and you can't bring back the dead. You can only summon the image."
Charlie sounded really wise all of a sudden. "You mean I can speak with anyone I want to who happens to be dead? Even Michael Jackson and Albert Einstein?"
"Nope." Charlie said. "Only the people you can visualize."
I was about to argue that I could visualize Michael Jackson and Albert Einstein perfectly well when Charlie hurriedly added more.......
"And the people you know really well. Well enough to name their favorite drinks, books, numbers, toilet paper and so on."
"So you are saying I basically can't summon anyone? I mean how am I supposed to know anyone's favorite toilet paper? I didn't even know there were types."
"Kidding." Charlie said. Wow did Charlie have a great sense of humor. It was almost as bad as mine. He seemed to sober down after one minute of hiccupping laughter.
Sorry if I sound like he's an actual person but it honestly does feel like that.
"But you can't." He said.
I nodded. "Yeah I was kidding too. I don't really want to see them. But you said I can summon anyone I know and can visualize. But I can't summon my parents." That realization hit hard. "I can't visualize them."
"I'm sorry Alex."
Before I could reply an idea smacked me in the face. "Does that mean I can speak to Arthur?"
YOU ARE READING
Power of M
AdventureI didn't ask for any of this. all of this happened anyway. we don't have control over our futures. all we can do is go with the flow with our fingers crossed, hoping for the best. that's what I spend my entire life doing. Hoping.
