Holiday Tears: A Christmas Novella

Part One: Realization

Time was nonexistant. Location was meaningless. Pain was unavoidable.

Charlie struggled to stay aloft in this state, though she never tired of such a practice. Her muscles seemed loose, although a barely distinguishable pain sent short jolts through her body every few seconds. She knew nothing of herself, nor why she had been condemned to such a place, remaining in general stasis for who knows how long. She had no mass, took up no space. Somehow, though, she was content to remain this way.

All of sudden, a white light began pulsing in the midst of the the endless darkness, causing Charlie to squint. Whatever could it be? she wondered to herself, frowning. It seemed to draw her toward it effortlessly. For a few moments, she attempted to resist, feeling that such an intrusion of peace could not signify anything good. Eventually, though, she realized that it was no use; this entity was far stronger than she. Therefore, she complied.

A maddening tremor shook through her as the entity consumed her completely. There was no up, there was no down. There was, quite literally, nothing. Until there was.

Suddenly, she was in a room of spotless white and stainless silver. A single bed occupied the room, and on it slumbered a girl with waving black hair, her face pointed away from Charlie. Machines monitered her vitals, thin sheets covered her malnourished form. Curious, Charlie drew closer, reaching out to touch the girl, only to recieve a shock as her hand passed through the girl's shoulder.

"Wake up," she whispered to the slumbering girl. "Wake up, whoever you are."

A hearty chuckle sounded from the corner of the room. Charlie spun on her heel to face a handsome, slender man, wtih long brown hair and a beard. He wore odd, robelike cloths and no shoes, so she concluded that he must be a patient in this hospital as well. "She will not wake," he mused, a twinkle in his warm eyes.

"Well, why not?" Charlie pressed. "What's wrong with her?"

Smiling sadly, the man shook his head. "Charlotte," he said quietly, leaning toward her. "My darling, Charlotte, don't you remember what happened?"

Charlie gave a start, almost falling backwards onto the poor girl in the hospital bed. "How do you know my name?" she demanded. "How do you know about me?" Her eyes were wild with fear and even anger. "Tell me!"

The man just shook his head, still smiling that maddening smile. "Of course I know your name," he laughed. "If you remembered, you'd know that." He looked up at her as though attempting to tame her fears. "Just try, Sweet Girl."

A feeble exhalation caused Charlie to turn abruptly to face the girl in the bed. She froze momentarily. Something about her was familiar....

Hands now shaking, Charlie reached out and slowly removed the sheets. What she saw made her blood run cold. The girl was not just any random girl, but a girl who she knew better than anyone else in the entire world.

Lying in that hospital bed was Charlotte Angler herself.

"The Christmas party," Charlie breathed to herself. "The car accident... I don't... I didn't..." She turned to face the man, face coated with undiluted horror. "I'm not going to die, am I?"

The man pondered this question for a few moments, before answering carefully. "One cannot yet be sure." He raised his eyebrows. "There are so many variables to consider; you must understand that this could go in thousands of ways depending on each little detail on your battle for life."

"But..." she sputtered, voice dripping in panic and disbelief. She took a moment to collect herself before continuing steadily. "How can I be here and there at the same time?"

"Simple," the man said lightly. "That is merely your Earthly body. You and I reside in a place between life and death. No one else can tell that we're here." He looked pleased by the thought. "An incredible world, isn't it? So many mysteries, full of infinities..." He drifted off with a placid smile.