CHAPTER 8: THE LITTLE GIRL WITH RED SHOES
Tom stood at the door of Suzanne’s apartment, seemingly not wanting to leave. He held onto the door, faked a cough and asked her one more time, “You sure you’ll be okay with little missy here?”
Suzanne laughed. Surely he wasn’t that attached to the little ghost girl?
“We’ll be fine. Her time has come. I’ll need to send her on her way.”
Tom scratched the back of his head, “Well, alright then.”
He bent down and looked at the little girl. He couldn’t see her face still, her features were all a blur, probably due to the drowning, but he smiled at her nonetheless. “You take care okay? You’re in good hands.”
The little ghost nodded her head silently. He looked back up at Suzanne who stood right next to them.
“Yvonne’s waiting for you, Tom,” Suzanne reminded him.
“Okay. We’ll rendezvous with you later then,” he said and turned to leave but right before Suzanne could close the door, Tom whirled around and placed his palm against the door, stopping it from closing.
“Suzanne, when this is all over, why don’t we uh…I mean, I owe you for all this, so let me buy you a drink. When everything’s settled…,” he stammered.
*Is he asking me out? *
“Sounds good,” she replied, trying hard to hide her smile. She could feel her cheeks flushing already.
“I’ll take my leave then,” Tom removed his hand from the door and turned to leave. The little ghost girl waved at him and Suzanne closed the door.
She locked it and proceeded with her enchantment to form a new protective barrier. There would be no interruptions in sending the little girl on her final journey. That was the least she could do.
With the golden glowing thread acting as their fortress, Suzanne sat the little girl down on the floor. She then took another vial from her red toolbox. This one did not glow, it looked more like a translucent pill filled with powder. Suzanne opened it, and poured specs of fine white powder around the little girl, forming a large circle. As she did, she hummed a song, one so ancient that its origins could not be found in the books of men.
And as she hummed, the circle started to glow, creating a circular wall of light that beamed vertically up to the ceiling. The little ghost girl stood up, marvelling at the beauty and serenity of the soft white light. Specs of the rainbow could be seen bouncing off the light and finally, from the circle, an old man emerged.
It was the grim reaper.
The grim reaper had on a light grey woven robe and had flowing white hair with a beard to match. Suzanne had always wondered if the JRR Tolkein of Lord of The Rings had met with the grim reaper. The character of Gandalf looked suspiciously like him.
The little girl became still seeing the grim reaper, but she was not afraid. There was an air of authority and a sense of peace radiating from the old man. A gentle smile played on his mouth and his eyes crinkled. He held out his hand and the little girl took it with delight.
Then they both looked at Suzanne. She nodded at the grim reaper and waved to the little girl.
“You’re going to a better place. Don’t worry about your mom sweetheart. You’ll meet her again one day.” Suzanne thought it odd that the grim reaper frowned a little when she said that.
But before she had the chance to ask him, the white light transformed into a magnificent looking rainbow. It was the rainbow bridge. The bridge that all departed souls took to go into the afterlife. With each step they took, they would leave behind their grudge, longing, fear, disappointments and all things they held dear on earth. And at the very end of the bridge, they would come face to face with their maker. Suzanne had almost stepped onto the rainbow bridge one. But that was a long time ago.
In the present, Suzanne could finally see the little girl’s face. She was a beautiful child, and she smiled at Suzanne broadly before returning her gaze to the grim reaper. He tugged at her hands and she followed him onto the bridge, walking further and further into the distance until they disappeared into the thick mist that shrouded the bridge. Soon after they were gone, the rainbow disintegrated and vanished into thin air, leaving Suzanne standing there alone, with the golden thread being the sole source of light in a darkened room.
D-Day 2
Yvonne stood at the edge of William Banks’ bed. Old man William had a ventilator on and was partially sedated. He had a drip flowing into his body through his right hand while his youngest son was fast asleep, head resting next to William’s left hand. Yvonne looked around. William was in good hands. He had had a long and illustrious career and now, nearing his end, he had his family with him. She could see Mrs Banks, coming in every few minutes to check on him, sometimes, softly stroking his balding head, other times, gently massaging his feet. The place was overwhelmed with love.
So why am I here? She asked herself. Surely, she could just leave and let him bathe in the love of his family during his final moments.
*I need him to know. It’s only fair for Tom. I need to be selfish, just this once. *
So, she waited. She waited for the right moment.