Soul Ties - Short stories online

Soul ties - a short story

Looking down at her, I noticed she was pale, as pale as death. Her eyes were closed, lips drawn in a grim line, but there was a peaceful look upon her face. The tubes from her nose, and hands and bags hanging from her sides made her look like a puppet. The men and women who walked into the room in white coats looked disinterestedly at her. One lifted her hands checking her pulse, pried her eyelids open and then had a grave discussion with the others who nodding of heads. The sight of them made the place the look like a funeral house. They quickly vanished without making much noise as if they did not want the woman to wake up. It did not seem as if the the woman was in any hurry to wake up. I noticed, that I was connected to the woman with what seemed like a silver thread.. a gossamer one at that. I pulled and tugged at it to be set free, though it did seemed fragile, it was stronger than steel. I just couldn’t break free. I was sad, that I had to be bound to this dying, perhaps dead woman . I had an idea, I thought I will check out the length of the cord, so I flew or should I say floated to the furthest corner of the room, the cord seemed to extend with ease, there was no pulling or tugging of any kind. I now understood that I could go where I wanted, but I still would be attached to the woman, who lay there as still as death.

I tested the ceiling. Well I could go through it with ease. I was on the next floor where a young man lay, his eyes darting to the door and the corridor. He wanted to call someone but it appeared that he had lost his voice or something. I floated before his eyes, did a jig, and waved to him with my hands, hey wait I had no fingers or hands, just extensions. The man neither heard me or saw me. I was thrilled, I could do what I wanted without being seen or heard. I looked to see if my silver cord was still attached to me. No luck there, it was still firmly fixed.

I floated around the hospital, for a couple of hours, I was tired, like I was sleepy. I need to get back... where? To the woman, came the reply from deep within. I went back to the room to see the nurse do something with her feeding tubes. God! was I this woman? I couldn’t be her, maybe I was just bound to her in some way, she was too docile and quiet to be me. She had no need for action, while I wanted to be on the move. I loved floating around. Now as I neared her I seemed to be sucked into her, in a flash I was inside of her.

I was curious. What was her name? or should I say, what is my name.. I thought of myself as the Golden float. That is what came to my mind as I flew around the hospital in the sun, I saw parts of me glistening like gold under the evening sun. Maybe, I was Golden float after all, or I shall think of myself as such, until I discover her name. I rested inside of her, she was soft, and I fit in comfortably. She seemed to be happy to have me inside, she made me feel warm and cozy.

I must have slept for a while, I heard rustling of the sheets and peeked out. There was a young man sitting besides her, he uncovered her hand and held it tight in his, I could feel it in my extensions..Hey! I can’t call them hands, they were no where near the real thing.

His hands were cold, perhaps because he came from a cold world outside, but they grew warm as he held her for sometime. He was talking to her in a soft voice. He said he loved her, he said he would wait for her until she was ready for him. There was magic in his words, I could feel her body responding to his words. It was growing warmer, as if life had come back to it. I could feel it throbbing within.. I could feel myself shiver and shake with it. He sat for an hour and a half just holding her hands and gazing lovingly at her face. Slowly as if he resented it, he looked at his watch, got up kissed her tenderly and moved towards the door. One backward glance and he was gone. The woman’s body started to lose it warmth, she was becoming placid and deathly pale again. I was sorry for her, couldn't he stay longer? Couldn't he see how she felt? I wish I could call him back. I had an idea, I went out of the building and hovered above, I could spot him easy. I knew his smell and his gait. I followed him into the car and later into his house. The place was a mess. The living room was strewn with stuff, newspapers and socks, a half eaten omelet on a plate, a dried up coffee mug, all making the place smell stale and disgusting.

He disrobed and I could feel myself blushing. Was it possible that I had color on my cheeks? I was just white glimmer. He stood under the shower singing a sad tune. Towelling himself dry he walked into the closet and pulled out a pair of shorts from the middle a stack of clothes making the ones above fall down to the ground in a pile. Muttering and cursing softly under his breath, he grabbed them and dumped them onto the shelf. Oh! what a mess he made. He really needed a woman, I thought.

He lay in bed and flicked on the switch, the screen lit up and he was surfing channels, never watching anything for more than two seconds. In that light he looked handsome, but like a tragic hero, there was sadness writ all over his face. With a sigh he switched off the television and took a book from the bedside table. It wasn’t really a book, it was pictures of him and the woman in the hospital. “Oh Caroline, he moaned, how I miss you! I hate coming back to this house, I will have to move out soon. I cannot eat, sleep or be in peace here, our love nest.” He buried his face into a pillow and sobbed for a while, I watched him sadly. When he turned around I kissed him gently, soothed his tired shoulders and neck with my extensions, I could not not bear to see him suffer so! His eyes were still wet with tears. He looked around right into my face, I was afraid he would see, me but he didn’t.

“Caroline, are you here my love? I can feel your presence, I can smell your perfume. Are you here?

“Yes, my dear” I responded gently.

He could not hear me, he went into another bout of sobbing. Then he sat up, saying loudly, “What is happening to me, I am going crazy with grief?”

I wished he could hear me. I said in a louder vice this time, “This is me, Caroline.”

He appeared to be started by my voice, he looked around and fearfully, cowered in fear.

In a gentle voice I said, once again, “Clyde it is I, I am here in spirit. Believe and you will see.”

Now he seemed more scared than ever before, his eyes were tightly shut. I realised that I was doing more damage than good and kissed him tenderly as I left without a further word.

I was Caroline and he was Clyde. It came back to me, we had been married a for a few months when the terrible accident occurred. We were driving back home form a lovely dinner and our car had been hit by a truck. Clyde survived it without much injury. I had gone into a coma. It may have been eight months since I had become unaware of my surroundings.

I went back to the hospital, I knew that talking to Clyde may not really work, he was too scared. I had to do something.

That evening Clyde came in slowly and hesitantly. He was afraid of taking her hands. He looked at her face for a while and then emboldened by her paleness, he took her hands and kissed it softly. He sat there for a long time talking to her. Loving her with his words. It was the same routine when he went back home, he just cried himself to sleep.

I had to speak to Caroline, or was it to me? I couldn't’ understand, I was aware of what was happening, but Caroline seemed dead to the world. How do I speak to my body and mind? I figured out that I was the spirit.
I hovered over her, she was in a deep sleep. I rustled the sheets, just as Clyde had done, I held her hand with my extensions and as if inspired, breathed into her as I said “Wake up, arise from the dead.”
There seemed to be no reaction at first. I realized that I needed to get inside of her. Instantly I was sucked in by a force that I had not known in these last two days of coming in and going out.
I continued to speak, “ Arise Caroline, arise! It is time to wake up.”
She slowly opened her eyes, I could not see it, being inside her, but could feel the unison of our eyes opening together. She lifted her hands, rattling the tubes and the stands that were around her. A nurse came running in and watched in utter disbelief.
She rang the bell and yelled, “Caroline is awake.” In the dead of the night her voice reverberated through the hospital.
Nurses and the duty doctors came rushing in. They eased Caroline from the tubes, They calmed her down and made her lie down in bed, patiently answering her questions about herself.
I knew the answers, but now she couldn’t hear me. She had to learn anew to hear my voice!!