𝐍𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐞

𝟎𝟓

["So I'm following the map that leads to you."]

❦

No night in my life has ever been easy and sleeping was never a part of it.  Especially now, as I turn and toss the white sheets wrapped around my body.

"You have never been a heavy sleeper."  Chuckle jerked me, making my heart skip a beat. Another chuckle and I'm already sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the ghost. "Is that how you say hello to your wife? And people would say that times have changed."

I am standing here, feeling my heart pounding in my chest, as I witness something that seems inconceivable. It feels like time has stopped, and I'm torn between a whirlwind of emotions– shock, disbelief, fear, hope, and an eerie sense of uncertainty that washes over me all at once.

Standing frozen, my eyes locked on the unbelievable scene unfolding before me. There, in the dimly lit room, sits she. The woman I love, the one I lost a long time ago, now sitting in front of me in nothing but a white nightgown.

Her light brown hair fell past her shoulders, hiding her chest from my view. And her eyes–for God's sake, the one that hunted me days and nights like birds vultures hint dead body.

Her expression was irresistible, and an easy smile played on her lips.

I tried to push the thought away. She's not here. This is not her! It's just my mind toying with me like the flame of a fragile candle in the dark.

But then I looked at her again. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to.  My heart races like a thoroughbred at the starting gate, each beat echoing loudly in my ears. A shiver runs down my spine and a cold sweat forms on my brow. It's a surreal moment as if the laws of reality themselves have been shattered.

"No, this is not possible. You're not real, you're just not." I whispered. My own eyes deceived me when I looked up again at her. "Maria?"

She smiled like it was the easiest thing at the moment. Her hands reached out as she mounted me "Come here", and I found myself nearing her unnoticed.

My hand touched hers and I felt her cold skin on mine, my veins froze at the same feeling.

"How?" I managed to get out, my voice shaking. And there, I find myself on my knees, arms cradling her cheeks, exploring and savoring her presence in a way I've never experienced with anyone before. "How are you real?"

As I tried to hold back the tears, Maria's hand slowly came down to my face, caressing my cheeks just as my hands came down around her waist.

I couldn't let her go. It felt too real. It all felt too real.

"How are you even here?"

She ran her fingers through my hair. "I was here this whole time. You just didn't look for me." Maria uttered, her voice like a gentle breeze. "I was with you this whole time. Don't you remember? When you found those kids–I was there. We saved them. Together."

She placed a soft kiss on my forehead as I gripped her long dress.

"I love you." I blur out. "I love you. I love you. I love you." I repeated myself until I was sure that what I was saying no longer made sense. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I left you like that. I should have taken you somewhere. I should have taken care of you. The both of you. And–"

I stopped as my head fell on her chest, but her arms didn't wrap around me like mine did around her. Instead, I felt small fingers touching my face like grass needles.

My head lifted from Maria's chest and at that moment, I realized that I could die.

My son lay nestled in her arms, cocooned in a white blanket as his tiny hands gently reaching out.