True Love's Reach

I knew this night was going to be different. I knew from sitting in the car outside my cousin’s house, things were going to change. There was a relentlessness in the air. I could not tell why I wanted my cousin to get out of the car, but I just wanted to go home. My fiancé, Derek, and I had argued earlier as he thinks I take everything I have for granted, and I just wanted to finish talking. I couldn’t even focus on the conversation my cousin was trying to have with me as he was busy trying to ask me to come around more, since we live up the street from each other, yet we had not seen each other in years. Honestly, I do not care to reconnect with family. I have never been close to them. I am more interested in becoming part of Derek’s family than my own. The windows were slightly down so we could feel the change in temperature. It was getting cold, so I told him, “It’s about to rain, and it’s late. I need to get home.” I knew he was going to give me a tough time about ending our conversation, but instead I saw the yellow undertone, in his melanin skin, be flushed out by a blanket of white fear. I did not hear anything, I felt it. It hit me. I touched my head to find out what had hit me in the head so hard, but there was nothing there. I looked outside my window. I did not see anything. I looked back at the passenger seat for my cousin, but he had vanished. I thought to myself, my drink must have been spiked at my aunt’s house. Damn! Let me go home and sleep it off. As I walked up to my front door and put the key in the lock, I heard a strange voice saying, “Miss Elliott! Can you hear me?” I turned around, but no one was there. I rushed into my house, truly hoping someone I love was playing a sick prank on me because I had never heard that woman’s voice before. I locked the door behind me, grabbed my gun, and frantically checked the house for intruders. It was only then, did I notice this was not a prank – my beloved guard dog and trained emotional support animal, Prince, was gone. My anxiety arose instantly. I would have shot myself, in that moment in a panic, but I felt a blast of freezing air. Then I felt my body go numb limb by limb. It was in that moment I knew I was going to awaken to a nightmare, and I knew my drink had been spiked. As my body hit the ground, in what seemed like slow motion, I heard a man’s voice say, “Miss Elliott can you hear me?” I knew I was hallucinating, but when my head hit the floor, I heard a drilling sound then I had the worst migraine I have ever had. I thought my head was going to explode. The pain made me wish I were dead.

The next morning, I woke up in a rainforest. I was lying in mud, but I could not figure out why it would not stick to me. As I sat up, I saw the most beautiful waterfall I had ever seen. I was not anxious anymore – just in a trance and captivated by the water’s beauty. Finally, I decided to get into the water. It was the perfect temperature. The rainforest was not what I expected though. It was not scorching hot, and I was not choking on humidity. I decided to dive off the waterfall and into the natural springs below. As I climbed up there, it had crossed my mind if the natural spring was deep enough so I would not hit the rocks when I landed, but I did not care. “One, two, three,” I counted and jumped. I opened my eyes under the water. The water was so clear. As I looked around, I saw fish smiling at me with the friendliest smile, and I knew I was still hallucinating. I waded in the water, as I reminded myself to think positively, otherwise this drug trip could end badly. I floated on my back to relax and keep from scaring myself. I was at peace, and I felt my heart rate going down. Suddenly, I felt a pinch in the crease of my forearm; it was almost as if a needle was jammed into my vein. I looked at my arm to find the culprit, but I saw nothing. As I got out the water, I heard a voice again. “Dime, can you hear me?” but this voice was familiar. It was my mom. I searched, yet I did not find her. I reminded myself again to not freak out, keep the anxiety calm, and remain positive. I lay back down in the mud to meditate and focus on my breathing, since it was soft and comforting like clay.

I must have fallen asleep because now it was nighttime, but it was freezing. I felt the ground I was lying on, and it was powdery snow all around me. Suddenly, a blinding white light stared into my eyes for about 30 seconds. At first, I thought I was being abducted by aliens, but when it went away, I saw Aurora Borealis. I knew I had to be in either Alaska or Iceland, with no recollection of how I got there. All I could do was lay there in awe, captivated by its beauty. I looked at the moon and saw it wave to me. I waved back, as I continued to play along with the hallucinations. Then another familiar voice rang in my ears, but the tone was different. I could hear the fear in my father’s voice when he said, “Dime, I am right here.” I tried to call out to him, but the words would not come out. I was starting to cry because I could feel his fear wearing me down. I went to wipe my tears, but they were not there. My hands were dry. I just assumed my tears were frozen to my face. I decided to try and go back to sleep hoping when I open my eyes, I would see the people I love and be out of this drug trip.

I woke up 12 more times, in 12 different places, each more breathtaking than the last, as if I were seeing all the wonders of the world. I had heard each of my nieces, nephews, and siblings call out to me. I even felt something wet pushing on my hand. It was Prince. By this time, I was certain someone had spiked my drink, and I was passed out on the floor of my living room. Everyone was trying to wake me up. I just continued to go along with the hallucinations, as if I were their prisoner in fear of how they may retaliate if I rejected them. The last time I woke up, now time number 15, I was sitting in a movie theater. I could smell the buttered popcorn and old soda on the floor. The movie playing on screen was my life’s story. I was watching my sweet sixteen happen all over again. I was entertained at first until I looked to my left and saw my late paternal grandmother. I recognized her because she looked the same as the last time, I had seen her. She stood five feet tall with wrinkled, ivory skin and jet-black hair with grey streaks, and she smelled like a pack of Newport cigarettes. “Mamai?” I said completely baffled by what was going on. “Diamond!” she said as she looked at me baffled too. “I miss you so much,” I said. “I miss you too,” she replied, “but you can’t be here,” as she began to cry. “Why do you have real tears, and I don’t?” I asked. She leaned towards me and held her ear. I shifted closer and repeated my question. She grabbed my hand and led me out of the theater room. Her hands were as soft as the snow I had woke up in on day two. As we walked out, I could see the gum stuck to the bottom of the theater seats, and my shoes stuck to the dirty floors. Once we got to the lobby, she explained, “Because you’re not completely dead yet, but if we can see each other, then you’re almost permanently here. The longer you stay and don’t go back, the harder it is to leave.” She showed me the schedule of movies being shown today and explained these were the people who were going to die today. Movies are only shown on their release dates with the intention of showing those who have already passed on what they missed after they left. On the walls in the hallway were advertisements for upcoming movies. These were people who were going to pass on their scheduled dates, which is the movie’s release date. As I looked over my shoulder, I saw my mom’s parents. They waved at me. I was shocked they knew who I was, since they had passed before I was even born. However, when I walked towards them, they ran away from me. “Why are they running away from me?” I asked. “They’re simply scared you will spend the rest of your time talking to them and you won’t make it back before your movie finishes. When your movie comes to an end, you can’t leave here.

Suddenly, we both heard his voice. “Gizmo, I need you. Please just please come back,” Derek called out. Feeling his pain and sorrow was so crippling, I fell to my knees in pain. I started to cry, and this time, my eyes started to water. I strained to get the words out to ask her how I could get back to him. Mamai looked at me and said, “You have to run off the edge to get back to him. Hurry! Go now!” I gave her a big hug and ran as fast as I could. The closer I got to the edge, the more my head hurt, and I became dizzy. “Baby, I cannot lose you too,” Derek whispered, as he tried his best to choke back his tears. I could feel the tears about to roll down my face the more I felt his pain. My heart was being ripped away from his by force, and our souls were being untied. I could hear his spirit breaking. Our love was so powerful I fell to the ground. My head was in excruciating pain, but I could see the edge, so I began to crawl. His heart was so heavy; it took everything in me to keep going. I am not going make it. Please let me make it. I have to make it, I said to myself. I could hear him sobbing. Suddenly, I felt I was being lifted off the ground by two people. They were angels. On my left was Derek’s late sister, Mya, who had passed from a brain aneurysm four years ago and had left behind a four-year-old son, Vince. On my right was his late brother, Dante, who had been murdered during a robbery seven years ago. As they flew me to the edge, Mya said, “Tell my brother we are okay. and we love him. However, we do not want to see his movie any time soon.” “I will,” I promised her. They dropped me over the edge.

I opened my natural eyes finally. Derek was staring in my face, with eyes full of tears. “She is awake! Get a doctor!” There was that blinding white light again. It was the doctor’s voice again saying, “Miss Elliott can you hear me?” I nodded. He pulled the tube out of my throat. “My head hurts,” I mumbled, as I coughed. As my whole family filed into the hospital room, the doctor asked, “Do you know what happened to you?” I shook my head no because my throat hurt so bad from being intubated, but I thought I knew what he was going to say. “Miss Elliott, you were shot in the head, while you were in your car with your cousin. The police will be in here soon to give more details of what happened,” he explained. “We had to drill holes into your skull to relieve the pressure of your brain swelling, and you have been in a coma for 15 days. I was speechless. Derek held my hand as reality set in. I realized Derek was right. I had been taking my entire family for granted; yet everyone was here worried sick about me. “Guys let’s give them a minute,” my mom said as she ushered everyone out the room except Derek. I told him I fought hard to get back to him and relayed the message from his sister. I moved over in the bed, as he started to cry, so he could lay next to me. Due to him being 6’6, half of his body was dangling off the edge of the bed. Our hands interlocked, as he kissed the exit wound on my head. I placed my head in his chest. His goatee scratched the top of my newly shaved bald head, but I could not feel any pain when he wrapped his loving arms around me. “I was so scared I lost you,” he whispered as we held each other close. “I will always fight to get back to you,” I promised.