A Dragonfly's Dream

Chapter XXIII- The yellow guardian

DREAM JOURNAL

The Yellow Guardian

We were on the veranda of an old church. I was looking at the happy people below. It was slightly windy and yellow leaves were falling.

"Don't you want to join them? I don't want you to be alone and friendless like I am." I asked.

"No. I want to stay here with you."

A celestial woman appeared. She was made of gold.

"Have you not considered that since Alyssa is all alone, there is a possibility that she might go with you?" she said, angrily. " Or perhaps you want her to end her life the way you did!"

I reached out and touched the guardian's dress. I felt as though I knew her. "Please, stop!"

But the guardian could not be stopped. She continued lashing angry words at him.

......

Suddenly, everything went black.

Great. Just great. These power outages were becoming more and more frequent in Davao. In fact, they had become a regular thing. What's worse is that they lasted for hours! I didn't know what the cause was, as people paid their bills on time. But living in a country that was laden with bureaucracy and red tape, well, what do you expect?

I grabbed my cell phone from the bedside table and looked at the time. Ten p.m. Still early. Outside, it seemed as though the heavens were having a temper tantrum. What with the heavy rain, and loud cracks of thunder. There was a loud bang outside and I almost jumped. That one sounded so close! I stood up and searched the drawer for candles. It was a good thing I had them ready.

I lit a match and set a candle on the bedside table. I could've gotten a rechargeable lamp, but as in most things, I stubbornly preferred it the old fashioned way. Besides, I always thought there was something warmly comforting and a little bit magical about candles.

A gust of cool wind puffed the life out of it.

Wonderful, it's dark again.

Lighting followed, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw James standing by the window. My heart raced. I lit my candle again. Slowly, hopefully, I looked at the window once more.

That's odd. I'm pretty sure I just saw him.

"Alyssa..."

With my adrenaline still on high, I turned around, and saw the ghost in my dreams, right beside me. In my shock, I pushed the candle from the table. Its flame died swiftly as it fell on the cold floor.

"My God, you almost gave me a heart attack! Please don't show up so suddenly like that! " I said, with a mixture of anger and relief.

Without words, he grabbed me by the shoulders and put his lips on mine. His lips were forceful and desperate. I kissed him back. I looked at him...not even knowing if he was real or just a product of my mind. This was the man who should have been for me...had the fates been kind, had death not claimed him so suddenly. As he kissed my neck, I trembled as I wondered how things could've been different. Had I done things right. Had I followed my heart from the beginning. Had we not let our fears get in the way.

I looked into his eyes. The fire was still there. It glowed like a warm candle flickering in the thick night. I yielded to him and in that instant, all things were possible. I let the sound of the rain wash away all my regrets, all my fears. In that moment, happiness was indeed very, very real. It was the most real thing I had ever felt.