There was a time, not long ago, in a remote land by the sea a childless mother and over the other part of the globe, a place-less child. They did not know each other at that time, not in that world at least, for their story was separated by a blessing that came with a curse of their own, born to be separated, lived trying to find each other.
The child grew without their mother, suffered without knowing who was supposed to help them out. For at that time they didn't know the existence of the other. Not till they met, that was a part of the blessing, they always lived at the same time, yet if not found the other they couldn't remember them till the very end.
This story begins at the start of the world, in their first lives. There was a mother who was in wonder with their firstborn, their life just starting, they lived near a port in a city full of merchants. They loved each other dearly, yet the child was deeply sick and with the way they lived there wasn't time on their side, the mother prayed the skies to help her child, to find a cure to make them stay, she tried to find a way, to make her child see the wonder of the world, to grow old, to fall in love, to have a home.
Yet their birthday came by, and at the time they turned six the clock started moving backwards, cutting the time left in their life. Tick. Tock. Tick, tock, TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK. And the mother saw the time get lesser and lesser, and the child sicker and sicker, and the mother prayed the gods. And prayed and prayed for a chance, for anything. Anything that might save her child.
The tears fell from her face, as the shallow breathing of her child came to a stop, she kept praying,
"Just this once," she pleaded, tears cascading down her cheeks. Crumbling to the ground, she clutched her child desperately, as if her very existence hung in the process of holding them. "Please, just this once," she implored, her hands gripping their form with a strength she never knew she possessed. "Please don't leave me... It's not your time yet. It can't be, please, it can't." Her pleas echoed in the air, a relentless chorus of desperation and anguish.
The mother screamed to the sky with teary eyes, hoping for someone, for something to help her get her child back, something that would make her see their bright smile again. The skin of her adored child was cold to the touch, their skin as white as the snow, yet in those moments she wasn't trembling from the freezing night.
As the light dimmed in their eyes, the mother remained silent, clutching her child tightly to her chest, her very life depended on it. In the depths of the arid night, just when it seemed that all hope had faded, a glimmer caught her eye— as a light descended from the heavens. The gods, moved by the tale of the young child and her mother, had decided to come down to make an offering to the woman, "We grant you a blessing," spoke the celestial being, its gaze fixed upon the mother. "Your story, intertwined with your child's, has touched the heart of the heavens."
Pausing, the celestial being continued, "You and your child shall be reborn, but with this blessing comes a curse. In some lives, they may not be yours to cherish; they might be born to another, and you shall remain unaware and may not recognize them, and they may endure suffering without your solace. Yet, in each of your incarnations, you will have the opportunity to reunite. And they will love you as your child the moment your gaze is bestowed upon them."
"Knowing this, do you accept this life?" the celestial being said after a moment of contemplation, "do you choose to embrace this existence? Will you accept a succession of lives intertwined by pain and sorrow, yet filled with the prospect of granting your child another chance at living, at experiencing suffering and at finding happiness?"
Her mind consumed by a single thought: "Anything for my child." and that was her answer. "I accept it." The mother spoke, she declared, her voice carrying a newfound certainty. "Very well," intoned the celestial being, its gaze fixed upon the mortal woman. "This blessing shall be granted unto you and your child. You will be reborn in search of one another. We shall observe your journey from afar, looking for your eventual happiness."
"In your next life, the chance to reunite with your child shall be yours," the entity continued, its gaze fixated down on the mortal woman. "But in this one, their path has already ended."
As the light faded into the distance, the mother's gaze was drawn to what remained: a sharp implement, stark against the ground. Its significance was clear to her from the moment her eyes met its form. Slowly, she released her embrace from her child, a gesture she hadn't made in what felt like an eternity. Her hand trembling, she reached for the object lying on the ground.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot continue in this world, not without my child by my side," she murmured into the stillness, her words a murmur to the empty air, perhaps seeking solace in their silent witness. From the heavens that had left her with this clear message.
Her gaze drifted downward, settling upon her precious child's pallid face, devoid of its former brightness. "I love you, I hope in our next lifetime I will have the opportunity to cherish and meet you again."
...
The blade inched closer to her throat. "Just a swift, deep cut," she whispered.
...
It pierced her skin, blood welling from the wound as a gasp escaped her lips, and tears fell of both pain and sorrow.
...
...
...
Blood stained the verdant grass, the breeze carrying it away, while the distant hues of sunrise painted the horizon, the birds could be heard in the distance.
And then.
Silence.
YOU ARE READING
Whispers of last lives
Fantasy"At the heart of the narrative lies a mother's unwavering love for her ill child, whose fragile existence hangs uncertain. As time ticks away and despair looms, a celestial intervention offers a glimmer of hope, intertwining their destinies across r...
