Journey

Lorelei

You haven't known the definition of pain until you have had 3 fractures in one arm or had a prosthetic limb cut off and replaced. I screamed and screamed my brain off. I couldn't think through the white hot pain that clouded my vision. I could see anything. Imagine your body being cut in half with a white hot knife and then minced into a thousand different pieces. That is what I imagined my pain to be close to. I had to look down and make sure I wasn't being pulled apart.

They finally picked me up by my arms and dragged my bleeding body to the cell. Then they dropped me which caused me keel over as a wave of the worst pain imaginable washed over me. Elijah or at least I think it was Elijah leaned over me. He was talking to me. Someone was crying in the background. My view sharpened and then came out of focus.

"I love you," Was the last thing I heard.

I blacked out.

I was sitting on a couch in the brightest room I could imagine. Yellowy orange sunlight poured in through the giant windows. I am sitting on a comfortable couch with a lady I recognize. It's my mom!

"Mom!" I yell out.

I hug her and she hugs me back.

"I missed you so much," I whisper.

"Why do you miss me?" She asked me against my hair.

"You-," I try to search for why but I can't remember why.

I just return to hugging her. The door opens and a man walks in that I recognize.

"Dad!" I exclaim.

I run over to him and hug him.

"I love you Lorey," He whispers to me.

I try to remember the last time he called me Lorey but I can't remember anything.

"I love you Dad. I haven't said it enough but I do," I whisper to him.

"It's my fault baby but I want you to know I love you so much. You and your mom are the best thing that ever happened to me. I wish I could've shown you better," He hugs me.

Mom walks over and hugs us both. The sunlight shifts in the room. It seems to be leaving.

"We need to be going soon," My mom whispers to me.

I break the hug.

"Where are you going? Can I come with you?" I ask.

They give me a watery smile.

"My beautiful girl. My beautiful, broken girl. You have grown up and I'm sorry I missed it," My parents told me.

The sunlight cast shadows dancing around the room. We sit on the couch together in the sunlight. The room is warm but not uncomfortably warm but just perfect. My mom is braiding my hair.

"We miss you baby," She whispers to me.

"I miss you to mom,"

I can't help the tears from pouring from my eyes. I don't remember why. They are right here aren't they? My dad wipes the tears from my eyes.

"Don't cry Lorelei we will see you again," He tucks a wet strand of hair from my face.

My mom kisses my forehead and I turn back into a child. I look up at my parents. Their wrinkles are gone. No signs of stress play across their faces. They look happier than they have ever been before. The sun slinks lower in the sky. The light dances across their faces. They look god like and it pulls at my heartstrings. We sit like that for a while watching the outside. My mom still braids my hair and my dad has his arm around my back.

"I love you," I whisper continuously.

"I love you too," They whisper back to me.

My mom finishes her braid in my hair and they get up.

"We love you Lorelei but you can't follow us just yet. You will do good things my beautiful girl," My dad says to me.

My mom turns around and kisses my forehead. They both look back as they walk out the door. When the door closes I run over and try and open it again.

"No no no," I cry in agony as I can't open the door.

The doorbell rings. I stop crying for a moment and try the door again. It opens and a boy my age walks in. He is tan with chocolate brown eyes and the biggest smile I've ever seen.

"Lorelei," He says in his accent I've grown to love.

"Elijah," I say.

My heart melts. It pressures to break. We sit on the couch hugging.

"Lorelei. Don't leave me." He whispers to me.

My heart broke. Tears spill down my face. I look at him and he is doing the same.

"I won't I won't I won't," I say into his shoulder.

He hugs me tighter to him. He lets out a shaky sigh. He pulls away but holds my hand in his. He rubs his thumb against my hand.

"I love you Lorelei. Hold onto that," He whispers to me.

I nod at him. He reaches over me and turns on the radio next to me. A slow waltz is playing.

"May I have this dance?" He asks with a hint of a smile playing across his lips.

"You may," I say wiping away my tears.

He pulls me towards him. We twirl in elegant circles. We dance and the song changes and changes again. I don't want to let him go. I feel like I let him go he will disappear. He holds my face in his hands. He kisses me. It is so soft and warm. The last rays of sun trickle through the windows. He kisses me and I could stay here forever.

"Can we stay here?" I ask.

"As long as you want," He whispers into my ear.

The sun sets. We are now kissing in the darkness. As much as I love this I need to move on. I pull away.

"I will love you forever Eli. I need you to know that."

"I love you too," He whispers to me.

I look back at him in the darkness and he smiles at me. That gesture makes me cry. I open the door and walk out of the room.

I'm ready to move on. I am ready to go be with my parents again. I'm ready. The door shuts behind me.