Life Eternal

Chapter IX (Part I) - Petals, Snow & An Empty Grave

[ couldn't resist the urge to add one more chapter to the story before the year comes to an end, not even after all these months of silence... 🥀 ]

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You awoke to the sound of autumn; a blackbird that sang its song in the presence of dusk, the howling winds in the naked branches of the trees & the gentle touch of the last golden sunbeams of the day, slowly but surely fighting their way through the cracks in the clouds. Eyes drifted open, immediately spotting a large crowd of pine trees in the nearby distance. A breeze touched your face; though it was a cold breeze it was not at all unsettling but in fact so soothing that you decided to close your eyes again & keep them closed a little longer, taking a deep breath in the process to fully return into the present moment. Your heart was pounding hard in your fragile chest, every single beat sending vibrations through your limbs & assisting you in your awakening. You attempted to move your legs but came to the quick realization that they had gone numb & you flinched, emitting a gasp as your eyes flung open almost automatically. That horrifying sensation of a thousand needles piercing each & every existing nerve in your legs forced you to sit up in your spot, whether or not your head was already prepared for such a quick action. Obviously that was not the case, as indicated by a strong dizziness that befell you once you were sitting in an upright position, holding your head with both hands as if trying to somehow bring balance to that whirling vortex inside your skull.

The blackbird's call grew louder & it almost sounded as if it were sitting mere inches away from you, though perhaps that was just your dizziness fooling around with your senses. You planted a cool palm on your forehead & the other in the back of your neck, heaving a sigh whilst eyeing your surroundings blinking frantically; at last the sun had made its way through the thick carpet of grey clouds, blinding you.

" Where - "

" Ma'am, are you alright? "

A deep male voice broke the silence & pulled you out of your thoughts in an instant, startling you so much that you literally jumped in your spot. Eyes drifted heavenwards to meet those of a tall blonde man, most likely in his late 40's, analyzing you with a stern yet quite worried expression plastered across his face.

" My sincerest apologies, I didn't mean to scare you... "

A few confused blinks were given in response & your vision grew clearer as your eyes began to adjust to the brightness of the sun as well as the cold wind that blew straight into your face. Once he decided to squat down next to you in order to reassure himself that you were not hurt you managed to view the man's facial features in full detail, falling silent for a brief moment.

You couldn't help but notice just how 'familiar' his face appeared, even though you were unable to remember ever having seen it before...

" Are you not feeling well? "

" I... I'm honestly not sure... "

However clear your vision, your mind remained foggy still, that splitting headache continuing to numb your senses with every heartbeat.

" I must've passed out or something like that... I don't really remember much, let alone what happened.. "

" That's what I thought... ", he replied, eyeing you from head to feet as though in search for any kind of injuries.
" Could hardly believe that anyone with a sane mind would view a graveyard as an appropriate place for a 'nap'... "

" A gravey-?? "

As if struck by lightning you lifted your head in spite of how much vertigo it caused, gazing around only to see hundreds of tombstones as far as the eye could see; some made of stone, some of marble, surrounded by flowers & fallen, long withered leaves. Out of a nearby forest a flock of birds ascended towards the sky, crossing the graveyard & circling it a couple of times before heading south towards a slowly darkening horizon.

When the first moment of shock had subsided & the fog in your mind halfway cleared you lifted a trembling hand to push a strand of hair out of your face, taking a closer look at the area that you had ended up in. Judging by the overwhelming scent of flowers as well as soil it was most likely very close to someone's grave, a thought that filled you with both dread & shame. Disturbed by your own unthoughtfulness you sprang to your feet, however not much to your balance's liking; only two seconds after standing in an upright position you were back on your knees again, the world spinning violently before your eyes.

" Easy, ma'am! Easy. "

A pair of strong arms came to your rescue, intertwining with yours to soften the fall.

" Maybe you should sit here a bit longer. Wait, I will get you some water! "

" No, not necessary. I'm fine - "

As your knees grazed the grass below once again you managed to catch a glimpse of the tombstone protruding from the grave you had fallen asleep on & quite literally stopped breathing the second you realised whose initials were carved in the grey surface, the all too familiar name initiating an immediate flashback including all the images, conversations & sensations from your most recent encounter:

Pelle Ohlin

" Pelle..? ",
you exclaimed in utter confusion, more of a breathless whisper than anything.

" I'm sorry..? "

The man raised an eyebrow in concern, gently placing you on the ground before your knees could weaken even more. Upon exhaling you whispered Pelle's name once again, however this time it was much more quiet, too quiet for the other to hear.

A sudden weakness overcame you, like an invisible force that pulled all the remaining energy right out of your body. A sharp stabbing pain in your left hand, completely out of the blue, paralyzing you right where you sat as the memories rushed back into your conscious mind at an almost overwhelming pace.

It was the same hand that had fallen victim to the broken bottle during your fight with Pelle.

" Don't worry, I will be right back! "

& with that the stranger had taken off without giving you another chance to protest, but you were already stuck in the morass of thoughts anyway, questions upon questions falling down on you like heavy rain. Silently you stared at the initials carved in the tombstone as if hoping to find the answers in there; a strong tempest from the north caused a bunch of withered leaves to wildly dance around Pelle's tombstone, blowing out the candle next to his grave.

" So all this was just... a /dream/? "

A shaking hand was extended in the grave's direction to adjust a vase with a bouquet of tulips that had fallen over.

" If so, how could it feel so real?
Why can I still feel the pain?

Your pain? "

Eyes drifting away from his name spotted what appeared to be a snow-white lily on top of the tombstone which you immediately recognized as yours, even remembering that small flower store down the road you had visited before coming here.

It lay there in all its flawless beauty, the white petals peacefully swaying in the wind.

They were your favourite flowers...

Slender digits reached up in order to touch your face, wiping away a single tear that crossed the pale surface of your cheek.

" ...or is this just my own pain? "

[ to be continued ]