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Haunting
Maia leaned against the door just the way she had during their last fight and let out a sigh. “How can you just die?” she asked the air, and waited expectantly for an answer. She let every detail of the fight flood her mind – letting the slips run before her eyes. It was because of that fight he had died an eighteen year old, just getting ready for his college experience. It was her fault, or so she had decided, that he had died alone in that car crash when she should have been there with them on the way to the movies. She could visualize him on the other side, the way he would have been during the fight – with his head hanging in defeat.
Maia lurched forward, opened the door, and screamed, “DON’T GO!” as she stared out the still open window. Falling to her knees she started to cry helplessly, “Please…you can’t go….you can’t leave me alone…”
“You have to stop doing this to yourself dear.” Maia’s head shot up and she looked around for the source of the voice. Then she remembered that had been something Merik had told her when he found her, for the third time, slicing her wrist. He never forced her to stop, but instead held her as she cried and bandaged her up. “How could I have gotten so mad…You didn’t deserve to die…” she sobbed and curled up on Merik’s bed, curling the way she would have had Merik been there – picturing his form leaning over her.
“We don’t have to do it you know. I respect you. I really wouldn’t feel right forcing this on you.”
“I’m more than ready,” she spoke reaching out her arms and started lifting up his shirt. He pushed her hands away and shook his head.
“Oh my, my Maia, stop lying to yourself. You don’t want this do you?” Maia looked down to the floor and was going to insist she did when she heard his voice once more. “I’ve only had one regret in my sexual life. It’s that I didn’t wait for my first time to be with you. So promise me this much…that you won’t do anything with me until you are absolutely ready.” Maia was about to answer when reality came crashing down all around her.
Merik was dead.
He had died a month ago in a car crash. The man who had hit him had been arrested and was to go on trial next week on murder charges and for driving under the influence. Merik had dashed out the window after the two of them had a fight – hoped in the his car and drove to his death. Merik’s mother had been nothing but kind to her since his death, despite having hated Maia while her son lived. His father had finally stopped working so much to help his wife through the pain and to help her get everything into order. Merik’s parents allowed Maia to come over and spend as much time in Merik’s room whenever she felt like it, and had even given her a key to the house so she could work through her guilt.
Maia tore up from the bed and pulled the razor that Merik had taken away from her from his night stand and held it to her wrist. “I should have died, not you!” she sobbed slowly beginning to slice the razor against her wrist when she felt something on her shoulder. She jerked her head backward too see who was there, but when she found no one she returned her attention to the razor.
“Stop that.” Merik’s mother spoke gently walking up to her and gingerly took the razor from her and shook her head, “That is not what Merik would want from you. Maybe you should stop coming around here…I don’t like watching you do this to yourself. He loved you very mush.” Maia didn’t respond to this, to busy thinking about everything else that had gone wrong – all the ways she should have been the one to die. “We went through his will…” his mother continued calmly, “We found something interesting. This was addressed to you – to be delivered upon the day of his death. And, well…this box too. However…I can’t imagine why he’d give you a ring after he died.” Maia’s head sprung back up, and she took the box and letter and Merik’s mother began to leave. “Listen I know you probably won’t stop coming here, but respect my son’s memory and stop harming yourself.”
She waited until Merik’s mother had left to open the box. Inside Maia found a single silver band and a piece of paper attached to the cover:
A promise for my beloved
It was his hand writing and it brought tears to her eyes as she lifted the ring to look at it and noticed the engraving on the inside.
You will be loved and love again.
The ring seemed to simply slip onto her ring finger, and she could have sword that it was an engagement ring as she watched her tears slip off her cheek and roll off the ring. She waited and calmed herself before taking the letter and feeling the carving of her name on the envelope in Merik’s beautiful handwriting. She found herself opening it and began to read it, hearing his voice on the wind:
My beloved Maia-
Oh please stop your tears. I hate to see you cry. Oh my, my, my Maia, how I love you and how I am certain I miss you. Let me guess – you opened the box first. That was always like you my Maia. Always opening the gift instead of the card first when I have always told you the card is always the real gift. Do you like the ring? I hope it fits. I got it for you on our 1year anniversary. So I am not sure it will fit.
You must be terribly sad without me.
I know you love me and that you are sad….and knowing you…you are already blaming yourself for my death. You really should not since it was probably an accident. But nevertheless, if it will help you get over the guilt I have something I need you to do. I need you to find my old friend Edward, and deliver a package to him. You will find the package in my closet. Please do not open it – it contains something for only his eyes to see. I love you eternally my Maia.
Forever Yours,
Merik
Maia reread the letter several times before she finally comprehended that Merik had planned for the chance he was going to die – that he had been ready for death at eighteen years old. She put the letter down and stood up dropping the letter down and stood up dropping the letter on the floor and walked over to his closet, opening the door. The package Merik had written about was sitting perfectly placed and waiting for her. She leafed through his other things and pulled out a coat of his and slipped it on, and pulled out the parcel. Who is Edward? Merik never mentioned him to me, and how dare he be so selfish even in his death!?
The same twang of pain hit her hard as she remembered that it was all her fault that he was dead. She looked at the package longing to know what it contained, but left it be as Merik wanted. She hurried down the stairs, bumping into his mother. “Where are you going in such a hurry, Maia?”
“To find Edward!” she called back and continued dashing away. Merik’s mother hesitated in her answer.
“Well…don’t stay out too late…!” Maia hoped into one of Merik’s cars, he had been collecting them and restoring them, and then gave them as gifts to friends. However his will dictated that they be left to Maia, who was learning to be a mechanic in her spare time. In fact, almost everything that Merik had that wasn’t taken to pay off debts (of which he had few) was left to Maia. “He always acted like we were married…” she mused driving away.
She drove to the only place she could think to go – the scene of the accident. She hadn’t gone there since Merik’s death, but she remembered bow to get there as if she’d driven there everyday. She pulled over into the small area they called a break down lane where Merik’s car had been pushed. She shut off the car and left it, all the while keeping the package with her, in her coat pocket. She kneeled beside the marker someone had left there in Merik’s memory, and sighed quietly. “Merik…why did you have to go...don’t you know that I need you more than anything.” she whispered to the marker, feeling two phantom arms wrap around her. Oh my Maia, I love you ¬– the wind whispered to her. She felt the hot sting of tears, but didn’t fight off the presence. Instead she immersed herself in it and allowed herself a brief solace in which Merik wasn’t dead.
Maia felt her body shoved by the strange phantom arms, and panicked as she tried to fight whatever had shoved her and no held her to the ground nearly ten feet from where she’d been kneeling. She couldn’t find a source for what held her down, but she did feel a sharp pain in her ribs where he body had hit the ground. She looked down over herself, but saw no visible wounds or bleeding, but in looking up she saw that her car was now only a foot away from her and that a truck was slammed into the driver’s side. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?” shouted a boy who looked uninjured, but shocked and terrified, and insanely guilty as he looked over Maia. “I’m so so so so so sorry, my brake…they broke when I tried to stop and…Oh god.” He pulled out a cell phone and quickly dialed and started talking frantically.
“I’m fine…” Maia tried to stand up but the phantom arms held her down.
Everything around Maia started going black.
Maia’s eyes fluttered open and squinted at the light that shone above her. At first she couldn’t make out where she was, but as she began looking around she realized she was in a hospital and that in the chair, asleep, next to her was a boy about her age. She couldn’t place him in her memories, and couldn’t figure out why he would even be here, but she couldn’t help but smile slightly at his dark hair that fell messily around his tanned face. The boy woke up silently as the sunlit reached him, and for a moment in time Maia could have sworn that it was Merik who was sitting in the chair in place of the boy. The image vanished though the moment Maia’s conscious mind came to realize the image, leaving her with the sleepy looking boy staring at her with a dazed expression. “Maia Rosalia Scott!” shouted Merik’s mother from the doorway, her voice filled with concern as she ran over to Maia. “You could have been killed! You should think of someone other than yourself! What about your parents? They have been worried sick about you!” Maia tried to say something, but the mother’s eyes turned to the still dazed looking boy, “And YOU! You almost killed her!”
“Ma’am, I wasn’t trying too.” The boy explained in a sweet voice, “As I explained to her parents…my brakes failed. I offered to pay off the hospital bill and the auto repairs and make the rest of this up to Miss. Scott n whatever way she’d prefer.” Merik’s mother was stunned but did her best to hide it, “Well…I’ll just go tell a nurse that you’re awake Maia.” She left swiftly to try to gather her thoughts once more. Maia watched the boy carefully for a few passing moments until he spoke again, “Miss. Scott your parents chose to let me pay of the hospital bill, but they said to speak to you about the car.”
“How bad is it?” she asked cautiously.
“Your parents refused to let me have a mechanic look at it.”
“And in your opinion?” The boy laughed quietly at this and developed a mischievous smile.
“It’s going to be expensive.”
“Would you be willing to simply buy the parts? That car is my fiancé’s pride and joy.”
“You have a fiancé?” he asked quietly and Maia held her hand so he could see the engagement ring. “Oh…” the boy confessed quietly, “Well I suppose then that the parts will be just fine. Now for a personal repayment. I will grant any with, within my power of course, that you ask of me without a single question.”
“That’s quite a lot to offer.”
“Well that woman, the one who yelled at me, was correct. While it may not have been intentional…I did almost steal your body from your soul.” Maia couldn’t find the words to answer him, couldn’t think of anything in his power that he could honestly do for her. “Of course…I don’t expect you’ll decide this moment, so if it does not bother you I’d like to keep your company until your fiancé arrives and I will then leave you with my phone number.”
“My fiancé won’t be coming.” She answered quietly and tried to ignore the inquisitive look the boy was giving her.
“Unhappy engagement?” Maia began to answer, but was swiftly cut off “I’m sorry. I near kill you and I’m a stranger asking questions about things I know do not concern me. Please excuse me.”
“No…don’t worry about it. My fiancé was killed…in almost the exact dame spot where you killed me.” A look of horror crossed the boy’s face and he tried to find something to say.
“But, what about the parts?”
“I’m a mechanic.” she responded carefully, “I learned from him actually. So I’d prefer to fix the car myself.” The boy nodded his head quietly at first; unsure of what was appropriate to say now. Maia felt a tiny smile cross her face as she tried to set him at east, “Please don’t feel bad. He died in a bad accident that…” The boy raised a hand to silence her.
“Don’t waste those beautiful smiles on the man who near killed you. And don’t smile if you’re not happy.” Maia nodded her head in silent agreement. “However there is the matter of our agreement…if your fiancé is not to come then may I keep your company until when you decide what wish it is that I can grant you?”
“But I have to go home…and you must have a life.”
“I live alone and have some time off from work, however your family may not wish my presence.” he sighed and handed her a piece of folded paper. “Contact me…when you need me.” The boy smiled crookedly at her and never said goodbye before disappearing behind the door.
It was months later before Maia actually opened up the paper, which read:
Hale
216 Corner Road
1-256-334-0576
256-368-0071
Hale? Maia sighed and smiled quietly over the paper and picked up the phone and then quickly hung up before dialing either of the phone numbers. What was she thinking anyway – that he would answer and make everything all better? That certainly was not a wish he could fill. She sighed staring out the window at the rain; it struck her as odd that this ‘Hale’ person lived just down the street from Merik, which was a good couple of miles away from her house. Unfortunately her car was still out of order and in her garage waiting a few remaining parts.
The rain puttered and pattered against the window, and as she listened she let herself grow numb with thoughts of Merik. She saw two arms wrap themselves silently around her and in her numbness she could hear voices on the wind calling to her. ‘You always did love the rain Maia.’ she heard one voice say above the rest and was contented to believe she was dreaming. ‘But the rain isn’t making your pains go away…’
“I want to be with you.” There was no answer to her as the rain picked up. She watched from the safety the window provided, capable of depicting each droplet separate of any other, and watched one in particular fall into a puddle forming on the windowsill.
‘Maia…’
But Maia had taken off into the rain, letting the world fall muted around her. She heard only her foot falls when they made contact with the pavement and her heart beat that separated her from Merik. She ran and kept running for miles, and never realized how far she was going or how she hadn’t run out of energy. She stopped at one point, staring at an old Victorian home. It was the home she and Merik had always joked about buying since they’d first gotten together. It was exactly half way between their houses and suited both their wants –Maia for her desire to own a piece of art and Merik’s desire to take something broken and make it beautiful. It had been up for sale for as long as either of them could remember and as she walked towards it she caught something out of the corner of her eyes. ‘Maia…!' She took off running again.
SOLD.
She couldn’t stop her running, until she tripped over a gravestone and finally caught sight of her surroundings. She found herself in a cemetery, more specifically the cemetery where she knew Merik was buried. She pulled herself from the ground and allowed the gentle blowing wind guide her. Maia found his grave in no time and kneeled down beside it wondering if it was her tears or the rain splashing upon it. “Oh Merik…can you ever forgive me? I’m so sorry; I should have been the one of us to die first.” She lifted out a Swiss army knife, and held it to her wrist, listening to the intense silence that seemed to surround her. She pressed the knife down slightly…
“What the HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” someone shouted and yanked the knife from her while ripping her body from the ground to bring her to eye level with Hale. Maia was too ashamed to bring her eyes to meet his as she shook her head sharply. “You were trying to kill yourself?” he accused, still clearly angry.
“My fiancé…” she whispered. Hale looked down at the grave and for a moment it seemed like he might start yelling, but he just sighed – shaking his head.
“Miss. Scott…”
“Please, Hale, call me Maia.”
“Maia, you would do him that level of dishonor?” Maia didn’t answer him as he grasped both her arms tightly, yanking her up to look him in the eyes.
“…all my fault…” she whispered more to herself than to him. He looked as if he might ask, but as if gaining a silent understanding of the situation he didn’t question any of this, though she wasn’t even sure herself why she was letting him take her anywhere. “About that wish…” she started softly.
“You mean my payment to you? Don’t worry about that right now Maia.” He sat her down on a low tree branch that overlooked the cemetery, “Do you really want to die?” he asked quietly. Maia watched him carefully as she looked over the knife he’d taken from her. For the longest time silence enveloped the pair as the rain disillusioned the sunset. Hale had decided that she never planned on answering his question when her timid voice broke through the steely silence, “Merik was my world…we got into a fight…and he went for a drive to cool off...and some drunk driver smashed into him…” Hale waited a few moments before answering to see if she had anything more to say.
“He wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. Life just has a ways of doing things like this…”
“About that wish...”
“I said we didn’t have to worry about that right now.” Hale sat down beside her and watched her silently.
“How did you even find me…?”
“I was looking over the house I’d just bought, determining approximate repair costs and what I could do myself when I saw you walking towards the house. You looked dazed so I headed out to make sure you were alright and you just bolted…so I followed.” Maia stared at him, confused.
“About that wish…” Hale was about to argue once more, but she silenced him, “Do you know Merik…he lived just down the street from you.”
“Merik was good friends with my brother. We’d gotten close too, but I couldn’t bring myself to go to the funeral or anything for that matter.”
“Do you by any chance know an Edward?” Maia handed the note Merik had left her and Hale stared at it in complete shock.
“Edward was my brother…but he died three years ago. Merik knew that, he helped me through it.” The pair looked at each other with questioning glances.
“Edward’s dead?” she asked, having meant to say something else, but the shock had left her no better than a deer in headlights. Hale nodded his head softly. She felt the small package jostle as he went to touch it, and she held it out to him. “Then as repayment to me please open this.”
“It’s not within my power to defy Merik’s wishes.”
“I never said you had to look into the box – open it and hold it to the sky, Hale. That way I will in have completed the mission.” Hale deliberated quietly, but agreed that it would work well enough, and then he could leave the box at his brother’s grave. He opened the box with ease and without looking into it he held it up to the sky. The pair sat in silence with the wind blowing around them. As Hale began to lower the box something lifted out of it, and all too perfectly landed on his lap. A letter addressed, in Merik’s handwriting, to Hale. “Open it.” Maia urged. Hale hesitated, wondering why there would be a letter addressed to him in a package for his brother, but he opened it nonetheless.
He read the letter a few times and a small smile crept on his face, a smile of complete understanding. Maia, feeling slightly put out by all of this tapped his shoulder, and once more swore it was Merik She gasped – all too excited to see her beloved alive and well once more, but when reality hit, it hit in a cruel unforgiving fashion and Maia felt herself cry, as she disconnected slowly from herself and fell from the tree. Hale snatched her, before she made contact with the ground, but dropped the letter in the process. As the wind stole it away Hale held Maia tight against he sat down pulling a ring from his coat pocket and slipped it onto the finger Maia kept her engagement ring. The pair seemed to have been designed for one another – one fitting into the other and making a beautiful silver banded ring with a beautiful moonstone fitted into it. “Perfect…fit…” Hale whispered. Maia seemed to return to herself upon the rings placement. She made no struggle even as Hale stood and carried her to the top of the hill to watch the sunset. The pair watched the hazy glow in silence Hale spoke, “You are loved.”
“You don’t have to see to it that Merik’s promise to me if fulfilled. You can just be a friend.”
“I wasn’t saying it because of Merik.”
“Then…” her question was cut off as Hale shook his head softly and sat them both on the ground. Maia leaned against him, and the two clasped hands.
“Let’s just see where time brings us.” Maia nodded her head.
“I could use some help with the house Maia…”
“Thank you, Hale.”
And for that one moment in time Maia was certain Merik was with her – had never left her, and had brought her to Hale. And for that one moment in time both Hale and Maia knew they could heal their wounds.
“Thank you. I love you.”
 Evelie Harte · Thu Feb 19, 2009 @ 12:25am · 0 Comments |
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