Afterlife Read Online Free PDF Page A

4
     
                                                                                                              Injured
     

     
    I woke up feeling drugged with a pounding headache and my vision blurred.  Around me I could see shades of pale pink and blue candy striped walls. The sun peeked warm through the bedroom window. If it wasn’t for the pain in my leg I could easily confuse this for Heaven. Judging by the dryness of my throat I was alive in some extraordinary way and I craved water. I turned my head and there sat a petite lady in an armchair next to me. I tried to speak and she jumped in surprise.  
    “Shhhh … don’t talk,” she said in a motherly tone and kind eyes, stroking my hair gently.
    She smelt of cinnamon and lavender. I tried talking but all I could get out was a hoarse croak.  
    She carefully poured me a glass of water, put her arm around my back and brought the cool liquid to my lips. I gulped and gulped.  
    “Careful, not so fast,” she said gently as she lowered me down on the pillow.  
    Then I was gone again and darkness enfolded me.  
    Fever and pain took me into a cascade of dreams, dreams where I saw Louisa, my parents and Jacques St Cloud. The dreams turned into nightmares and the nightmares into never ending chaos. I woke up moaning and shaking, then feeling a gentle hand on my head and then the dreams would start again. Shaking violently I could feel every muscle contract in my body, my leg was in agony, it felt as if the searing pain would drown me.  The woman with the kind eyes was always there when I managed to open my eyes, her cool and reassuring hand always comforting me. For some reason I clung towards her as if she was my only salvation. Her soft touch calmed my senses.  
    I could feel my eyes welling up with tears, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything besides “He has my sister, stop him.” I moved between consciousness and delirium. I felt aggravated and I could hear myself shout out, “I hate him, I hate him!” But always as the nightmares subsided, a gentle comforting hand and voice would settle me into a deep sleep.  
    The same dream would repeat itself for the next two months. Often I would surface into consciousness lying in her arms and her rocking me like my mother used to. I felt so safe and cared for and I am sure that her motherly arms had much to do with my eventual slow, but steady recovery.  
      The dreams challenged my mind, it was always the same. Later in the dream I could see myself laughing while I was standing somewhere in a forest, a raindrop rolled down a branch and fell on my nose. My hair was a sparkling red color and I was wearing a white flowing ball gown made from silk. I could feel him, the one I loved, staring at me intensely and his eyes as golden as the sun. I could hear him saying, “My love Fleur, you are everything to me.” His fingertips lightly shivering as he touched my face beckoning for me to come closer. “I don't know what I will do if I lost you, are you sure you want to be with me?  
    My body protested as I fought for him to stay, but he never did and he disappeared when I awoke. The dreams continued for days I could never remember who the guy in my dreams was or if he even had a name. His face was always a blur. Sometimes I tried telling myself that he was just a figment of my imagination, but I felt that someone somewhere was trying to enter my dreams.   
    Martha was always there to help me pick up the pieces and later Oscar became a part of my recovery as well. After every dream they would console me and help me. Once my delirium subsided, they became my closest confidantes and eventually I told them about Miss Madison and my sister Louisa. Martha never said anything, but I knew she understood my situation better than anyone. Oscar was a rock in my time of need even though I saw less of him than I did