Life Eternal

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

Before another tear could come to light you closed your eyes & with a deep breath you dropped back down into your mind, about to relive each & every memory that this dream had blessed you with.
The black screen in front of your inner eye soon gave birth to certain images as colours & patterns transmogrified into contours & mere seconds later you were already back in that wooden hut in the Norwegian woods, the familiar scent of old timber, pine & soil numbing your senses once again. The sound of thunder had trailed off long ago as had the pitter-patter of rain; what was left was the taste of clean air & the soothing whisper of whirling winds chasing around the branches of the trees. A single sunbeam, fragile yet radiating with fierce determination, cast upon the wooden ground & creating a cone of golden light only inches away from you.
And then you could feel it again...

That sweet, tender sensation of two arms closing around your delicate frame from behind in the most gentle way imaginable, pulling you back in time & thus out of reality's grasp for a final goodbye as though as to confirm that, no matter how difficult to believe after all those devastating events that had taken place, everything was alright now.
Pelle, our rather his very soul, was at peace at last... & so were you.

A whiff of cold air tickled your neck as he leaned down to whisper into your ear, his lips barely grazing the surface of your skin.

Thank you...

For everything.

A chill ran down your spine & before you were able to give any kind of response at all the embrace loosened & Pelle retreated back into the shadows, fading away just like your environment as the pitch-black screen of your mind returned into your consciousness. Another voice had broken through the veil that kept you separated from the real world, ripping you out of what appeared to be a trance-like state by simply shattering the silence that surrounded you.

" Here. I'm sorry it's medium, that's the only one I could find though... "

Your eyes flung open only to spot a bottle of water in your line of sight as well as the man from earlier standing beside you, completely out of breath; he sure had been in a hurry. The corners of your lips twitched for a second before curving up into a smile of deep gratitude.

" Thank you so much... But you really didn't have to do this. "

" I'd like to protest there, " he replied with a chuckle, nodding ever so nonchalantly as he attempted to lower himself down onto the grass, although not without seeking your approval first.

" If you don't mind..? "

Whilst taking a sip of your water you merely responded with a subtle nod of your own, finally in alignment with your thoughts now that the fog had lifted.

" Of course not. Take a seat! "

Once the stranger had settled down & turned to face you to make conversation easier you couldn't help but notice the peculiar colour of his eyes; a pale shade of green with the faintest touch of grey, a rather scarce but undeniably pretty combination of colours.
Out of the corner of your own eye you saw that his lips were moving but you were unable to hear a single word he was saying, that's how much his eyes distracted you.

A reluctant, gentle nudge to the shoulder was all it took to regain your attention.

" What -? "

" Are you still feeling dizzy? "

" I...uhm.. "

" I'm sorry if I'm being annoying here, it's just that you seemed to be drifting off again... "

You felt how a wave of embarrassment rushed across your features, painting them red.

" Trust me, I'm fine. There's just a lot going on in my head right now... "

A lot indeed...
Once more your gaze was drawn to the tombstone in front of you, almost as if it was calling your name. Something didn't seem right, you could feel it with every fiber of your being, however at the same time you were not even close to determining the reason behind that troubling sensation in your stomach.
A whiff of freezing cold air blew into the back of your neck, causing you to shiver.

" Don't worry about it, I can understand that you're still a little on edge... So if you need me to call an ambulance or anything like that you let me know, alright? "

The way he looked at you was so caring & heartwarming, it was rather hard to believe that the both of you had just met.

" I really appreciate that, but it won't be necessary. "

As you spoke a faint beam of sunlight illuminated the area to your feet, turning the yellow petals of the coneflowers that covered Pelle's grave to gold.

" I will take your word for it. But I must insist that you allow me to drive you back home later. Do you live in Österhaninge as well? "

" No, I don't live here at all. I'm actually on vacation, but my hotel is only 20 minutes away from here... "

The beam of pure sunlight began to expand, slowly but surely making its way towards the both of you.

" Oh? That's nice, " he responded, inching just a tad closer.
" Visiting friends or simply exploring the country? "

" To be perfectly honest... Neither. The main reason I came here was... "

Your voice trailed off, the last few words got literally stuck in your throat. Was it truly a wise idea to share such personal & rather deep intentions with a stranger? As trustworthy as he appeared, something about the thought of him becoming aware of your feelings towards a faded person that you had neither met nor known in his lifetime made you feel uncomfortable & most certainly would cause him to feel the same way.

" ...say goodbye to someone special. "

In spite of being focused on Pelle's grave & therefore not paying attention to your counterpart you could literally feel how his eyes followed yours, genuine curiosity as well as bewilderment in his gaze.

However, he soon came to understand what was really going on...

" You are a fan of his too I assume..? "

The sun had broken through the carpet of grey clouds at last & was now warming your face.

You did not avert your eyes from the grave, although you were kinda puzzled by that subtle but unexpected shift of tune in the male's voice. He sounded as if he was in pain, almost struck by a sudden wave of grief.

" So you could say... "

" I've already seen plenty of people who have come here to pay their last respects to him; some leave flowers or even gifts, take photos & all these things, but you were definitely the first one to fall asleep by his side. "

A low chuckle on his part & you finally turned your head only to find him smiling, immediately drowning those unwanted feelings of guilt & shame in regards to what had occurred that were about to stir up again.

" No offense, please. I know you didn't have any bad intentions. "

You forced yourself to smile but failed miserably, the urge to look away tugging at your innards.

" Does that mean you know who he was?", you decided to ask in order to guide the conversation onto a different path. Judging by his statement pretty much everyone in & around this area knew about Pelle's 'celebrity' status at this point anyway.

" I don't know who he was...
But I sure do know who he is. "

A brief moment of deep silence followed as the sun slowly retreated to disappear behind the clouds for the last time on this day.

" He is my brother. "

[ to be continued ]