RainStClaire

RainStClaire t1_j1tgthq wrote

I haven't seen her for a while. Though sometimes I can feel her presence - almost as if I were standing right next to her but unable to perceive her.

Sometimes I think I can hear her voice but, it's muffled as though she were underwater. I catch glimpses here and there and feel a pain where my heart is; our souls bonded by the need for a friend.

I lay in peaceful slumber when suddenly I am roused by a deafening sound. The beeping and whirring of mechanical objects, driven by their need to do....something

I feel a tugging at the edges of my mind and feel her presence once again. Opening my eyes to see a figure dressed in a white coat. They want to know how I'm feeling but - I've never seen them before.

I look down at my hands and notice the scars on my arms. Those....weren't there before. The figure clears their throat in an attempt to get my attention. I look back, fear flooding my body and hear the blood rush through my ears.

"I'm ok." I stammer. (Why does my voice echo?) They furrow their brow and I can tell they are unconvinced. My fists clench around my knees and it is only when I look down that I realise I am also wearing a gown.

The figure scrawls some notes on a clipboard and shoves a paper cup towards me and gestures for me to take it. I look inside and see a couple of small pills. I down it without hesitation then stick out my tongue for inspection.

They seem pleased and comment on checking back in a few hours. When I am finally alone I spit the pills into my hand and make a break for the bathroom.

Looking into the mirror I see her face. The little girl I once knew, turned an adult. Her face was gaunt, her hair thinning, her skin white like snow. I watched in fascination as she spoke for the first time. That melodic voice trickled through my brain.

"Kai, I know you're there. I don't have time to explain but I need your help." The fear returned me to my senses. I try to speak but no voice was to be heard. Instead, I saw the words flash before my eyes like a teleprompt.

[I am here, my darling. What is it you ask of me?]

"The pills they gave me - they blind me to you. That is why you have not seen me for a while. I am sick, and there is no one left to take care of me. I know I have no right to ask - but I had hoped that in my dying moments, you would keep me company."

My heart broke for her. My sweet Catarina, facing the eternal rest...alone?

[I will not leave your side, my friend.]

I see her smile. She makes her way back to the bed and lays down. Soon closing her eyes. Visions of adventures long past appear before me - family holidays, a birthday party no friends would ever come to, the day her fiancee left her at the altar...

Soon I felt my chest constrict, trying to wake her. The machines that beeped and whirred fell into a distressed rhythm growing louder and louder until suddenly - the tones become monotone.

I felt myself start to disintegrate into nothingness. There was no pain, no light just....emptiness. My legs began working on their own, a tiny pinprick of light way in the distance. A hand gripped my arm suddenly as I heard the second set of footsteps fall into time with my own.

The light grew brighter as the face of my companion became more and more visible. Finally, we stepped into the light - finding ourselves in a field of sunflowers. We smiled in tandem at the sight. Turning to see who the unlucky soul was I gasped. It was my own lovely Catarina!

We embraced each other tightly, tears streaming down both our faces. "At last." She said, "I can see your face again."

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