[OLD] Cursed

Chapter 20

Two years later...

     The water gently lapped against Thomas's boots, but he didn't feel the cold. As a matter of fact, he didn't feel anything. Not even the numbness he had felt only seconds ago. What happened? He gazed at his surroundings. He was still on the island, still on the shore, but... at the same time, he wasn't.

     He looked down at his hands, seeing that they were transparent, as if he were a ghost. Thomas casually approached the woods, walking straight towards a tree. He didn't stop as he reached it. He went straight through. Thomas picked up his pace, breaking into a jog.

     The trees cleared, leading him to the edge of a cliff. Thomas felt a pang as he remembered his dream, remembering what his mother had done. And he could do nothing to prevent it.

     Strangely, on the very edge of the cliff was a staircase, leading up to the heavens. It was glowing an eerie silver and white, like the moonlight. He tried to see where it ended, but it seemed to go on forever.

     Thomas placed his hand on the railing of the staircase, then stopped, glancing over his shoulder. The leaves huddled together as the night wind rushed past them, but other than that, all was still and quiet. Thomas tore his gaze away, getting a feeling that it would be the last time that he would ever see the land.

     The staircase, despite of the fact that it was slightly transparent and he could see all the way to the ground below, was solid under his feet. Minutes passed. Hours passed. He wanted to see how far he had climbed, but he refused to glance behind him, at the world he left behind.

     He was high up in the sky now, so close to the stars that he could touch them. But he didn't. He had to focus. Ahead, he spotted a faint shimmer. Two torches, made of stars, marked the end of the staircase. He walked faster, surprised that his legs weren't burning from exhaustion. But again, why would they? He had left the world of pain and suffering behind.

     Thomas reached the very top, grabbing a torch and bringing it closer to his face so he could see better. But the stars had already lit a path of light, directing him towards a figure in the distance. He hesitantly put down the torch, depending on the stars for light, and started forward.

     A carpet of stars had appeared underfoot, showing him where to go like a glowing arrow. He kept his eyes fixed on the figure, worrying that they might not be real, just an illusion, a trick of his mind. He didn't want it to be an illusion. He knew who they were. Somehow, he just knew. The figure turned around to face him, and he stopped a few meters away. They brought their hand up to their black hood, slowly bringing it down.

     She was exactly as he remembered her. Smooth black hair, darker than ebony, darker than a starless night sky. And she had blue eyes. Sea blue eyes. Just like his. And her smile... it was real. She wasn't an illusion. She wasn't a memory. She was actually there. Thomas took a step forward, then another. He didn't dare blink, because he worried that in the split second, he might lose her. "Mother?" His mother's smile broadened. "Hello Thomas."

     "Are... are you real?" He had to know. She just had to be real, he wouldn't be able to cope if she wasn't. In response, his mother closed the gap between them, her blue eyes focused on his. "What do you think? What do you believe?" "You're... dead though." His mother smiled sadly. "Yes, I am." "Then how am I..." He trailed off. "I'm dead too, aren't I?" His mother nodded, and Thomas cast his eyes on the ground.

     "Where's... where's father?" His mother shrugged, eyes glittering. "He would not be welcome here." "Where is 'here'?" "The Heavenly Stream." Thomas felt his jaw drop, but he quickly closed it. "The Heavenly Stream? But... that's only for sailors! For people who die at sea!" "It's for people who seek the knowledge of what's beyond their world." His mother corrected. "For the travelers, the adventurers, the explorers. For people like you."

     She turned around and started off towards a silhouette in the distance, motioning for him to follow him. Thomas tried to keep up with his mother's fast strides. She slowed down his pace to match his. "Mother?" "Yes Thomas?" "The day that I wished to seek the land was the day that I thought the stars had abandoned me. But they didn't, right?" "The stars heard my final wish." His mother replied. "All your life, they watched over you, although you may not have known. The stars were always there for you." "Then why did I feel so alone?" "There are some things that even the stars cannot give." "Like family?" His mother nodded and stopped in front of a towering building.

     The whole building looked like it was made of marble and silver, more grand than any building Thomas had ever seen in his life when he had still been alive. It was built so high that he couldn't see the top, it reached beyond the heavens. Two huge white doors were framed in gold, waiting for him to open them. "Welcome to Heaven's Home. All that have come here are welcome to stay here." She started towards the building, but Thomas didn't move.

     "How did you know that I was coming?" He asked, the question that had been burning into his mind finally spilling out. "Thomas, just because I am dead, just because we are dead, doesn't mean that we cannot look over the generations after us. We watch over them, for they depend on the stars, just as we did." "We watch over just this world?" The corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "The stars are the same in every world." Thomas nodded, smiling. I will watch over them. They need the stars to guide their path, to light it. They need us to depend on. And I will be there. No one will feel alone like I did. I'll make sure of that.

     He gazed down at the worlds below him, reaching out with his hand as if to touch them. I told her she would see me in the stars. Now she can, and she will again when the time comes. But until then, I will keep my promise, because a promise is supposed to be kept, and a promise is supposed to last. And this one will be kept for eternity.