Gift of Life

Things had been different in May’s life ever since her crash last winter. Something happened in the frozen pond she had fallen into after skidding off the bridge on a patch of black ice. She kept having nightmares of being in the icy water as the car slowly filled and she was trapped.

When she woke up in the hospital that next morning, she could not remember details of how she had ended up in a bed recuperating. All she could recall were memories of the car sinking in the water and the terror of being trapped. The events after were all a blank, but obviously someone had rescued her.

As she laid in the bed, the nurse came in to check on her. As soon as the nurse touched her arm by accident, May was transported into a memory of the nurse getting ready that morning for work. Or some morning for work. May was not sure of the time. She immediately pulled away from the nurse who looked at her with concern, because during the vision May’s heart rate had spiked and the monitors had picked up on the change. The nurse asked her if she was in pain, not realizing that May had just discovered she had been changed.

May remembered that first day, after what she now referred to as her transformation, clearly. The vision in the hospital had just been the beginning. She had discovered more about her ability since then. It no longer scared her; instead now she had learned how to control the power.

As she watched from the window, she saw her current target. She had seen a vision of the young man a few days ago, which let her know she had to find him. She watched as he crossed the street and walked into the same diner where she was located.

He picked an empty booth, and sat down. She waited to make sure he was truly alone, even though in her vision she had seen that no one would be joining him. He ordered his food, and once it was delivered, she knew that her window of opportunity had come. She got up from her booth, and made her way over to him.

He looked up as she sat down. Too polite to make a scene, he asked her if she was lost or something. May responded that she knew what she had to say would sound crazy, but that she needed him to listen carefully, or he might not survive the night. As she told him what her vision had entailed, he listened to her, but kept shaking his head in disbelief.

If she had not mentioned some key events that had happened prior in the day, he never would have believed she was not making up this whole scenario. She knew details that only he would have known about his actions that day. As she relayed these tidbits back to him, he knew there was some portion of truth to what she said, no matter how ridiculous this whole thing sounded.

He asked her if she was some sort of angel, and she laughed. She had heard that one before. She even entertained the idea herself for a brief time period before extensively looking over her medical records where there was never any evidence that she had died and come back. She knew something special had happened in that iced over pond, or immediately thereafter. Whatever it was, it had given her a second chance at life, and now she saw it as her personal mission to give a second chance to others.

She told her target how he could avoid his fate. If he simply took a little longer at the cafe, he would be fine. Other options included just taking a different way home than the route that was in her vision. He thanked her profusely; offered to give her some money to help in her cause.

May turned down his offer. She let him know that money was not something she lacked in her endeavors. After she had spared the life of a few key players with financial means, she now had the backing to be able to pick up and follow where her next vision led. It was a lonely life, but a fulfilling one.

Wrote and submitted for the Icy Pond Challenge. If you liked the story, feel free to hit that heart! Thanks in advance.