Hello.

 The wind blew carelessly through the leaves, creating small whirlwinds in the piles of autumn colored foliage. I sat in my chair by the window watching as the grey cloudy sky hovered over my old, forgotten neighborhood, unchanging. I sighed with cheerless acceptance for I knew that this day must come. I've spent a life time on the side lines, watching as everyone I love grows old and withers away, like dust in the wind. The bitter taste of loneliness would have killed me long ago if I had not been dead already. I was murdered by the woman I loved. Stabbed in the chest fourteen times, my shirt still torn from the blade, displayed my barren heart. She betrayed my love and trust, giving her body to another. I would have loved her forever; I understand that people fall in and out of love. I understand that I wasn't enough. Though, I suppose her guilt is what drove her to take my life. Abandoning my body in the bed that we shared, she left with her lover in the night. I was to never see her again. I've lived alone for so long, decades it must be, but what is time to the ageless? I heard the key move in the lock as a middle aged women walked through the entrance. Followed by her husband, who carried several boxes, they welcomed themselves into my home. Walking through me, she smiled as she admired her new dwelling.

 She was a teenager, when I first saw her, so young and radiant in her youth. A beautiful masquerade, she took my breath away. I lost myself in her perfectly sublime façade; I could feel her fault, her weakness, the glitch in her beguiling veil as I placed my hand on her chest. Though alive and glowing on the outside, she was cold and dead within. Her heart was damaged beyond repair; I could see the stiches from the scars that never healed, the needle lingered, still puncturing the broken organ. She would sit in her room for days, weeping, as I attempted to dry the tears that I could not touch. I watched as she spent her days in pain, never to find happiness. As the years went by, the glow she so cleverly wore dulled and became nothing more than a faint aura of light. I determined that, sometimes, people are born with sad souls. And most of the time, they are born into unloving families. Sadly, my love wouldn't save her. I had spent an entire lifetime not being enough; even in the afterlife my presence falls short. I would watch as she slept away her misery, consumed by her many blankets. She was beautiful, a dreaming angel. That's what she was, a dream. My favorite dream. Though similar to the dreams in our heads, this one was also destined to end. My heart broke as she packed her belongings, bound for the new life she had ahead of her. I had hoped it was full of happiness. However, as she stood in front of me, her face permanently stained with her tears, her husband's arms wrapped around her waist, I knew that her life had been most tragic.

 Now pregnant with her second child, she wished for the strength to hold on. But, she continued to fade. Soon, her husband was to give up on her. He took their children away from their suicidal mother and left in the night; a tale I'm all too familiar with. I do not blame him, for his intentions weren't malicious; I understand that it can be hard watching the one you love fall apart. Day after day, she sat in my chair starring out of the window watching as the seasons changed. Days became weeks, weeks turned to months, and months slowly faded into years. Her skin now wrinkled, her hair snow white, she sat alone in her room because no one but I could understand her pain. I wanted to reach out to her, to tell her that I was there, but I couldn't. I loved her more than I had loved anyone, and like everyone else, she too was leaving me. A flower that never blossomed, a sun that never rose, her eyes knew only tears, her soul only pain; her beauty remained hidden, only I glanced upon the marvel of her essence. It was torture knowing that she believed she was dying alone, without a hand to hold. I gave her mine, but she could not feel my caress. Peacefully, she closed her eyes and embraced the painless death she deserved. I focused my attention on the ground, for I could not watch another loved one pass over and leave without me.

  Suddenly, an angel lay next to the lifeless body. Her skin, now perfected and smooth once more, glowed. I was stunned, speechless, as my dreamy companion lingered, clinging to her past self. As I admired every inch of her transparent spirit, I knew her. I knew her touch, her scent, and her lips; the lips I had kissed for thousands of years, the hands I had held throughout the centuries. Finally, I could touch my timeless lover. Slowly, she sat up in the bed, opening her eyes. In silence, she observed her environment with slight confusion. Her glance fell on me and almost immediately her pale, colorless eyes turned to the most vibrant hues of blue. Her expression changed from bewilderment to alleviation as she realized that she was home. She took in a deep breath and spoke.

"Hello."