In Love and Death

1

Sitting around the large oak table in the kitchen, I watched as my Grandpa showed a simple magic trick to my five-year-old cousin. He had been doing the same magic show for an hour now, yet little Marinda seemed thrilled each and every time he performed it.
As Grandpa made the small golden coin disappear, Marinda turned to me with a wide gummy smile. "Did you see that, Helena?" Marinda squealed in excitement as she rushed towards her mother, causing her golden, almost orange locks to bounce.

Grandpa sighed as he took a seat beside me at the table. "You used to love that trick too, Helena." Grandpa winked.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the small coin from his hand with a smirk. "Yes, that was until I figured out how to do the trick for myself." To prove my point, I, too, made the coin disappear, much to Marinda's excitement. Marinda excitedly told her mother that I now had Grandpa's power, as a small hand grasped my shoulder.

Gazing at the soft wrinkled hands of my Grandmamma, I felt warmth spread through my body as she gently gave my shoulder a squeeze. Moving my gaze from her hand to her face, her eyes seemed to sparkle with a hidden message. Smiling, I gently squeezed her hand. Giving it a small pat, I motioned to a seat nearby. "You should be sitting."

"And you shouldn't be daydreaming, Helena." She laughed.

Nodding, I stood from my seat before helping Grandmamma down and onto the chair. Grandmamma was ill, and with each passing day, I couldn't help but notice her getting weaker. I worried about what life would hold without her. She was the only mother figure I had. After my parent's death, not long after I was born, my grandparents took me in without a single thought. If it wasn't for them, I would be stuck in the foster system or worse, dead myself.

Playfully slapping my hip, Grandmamma laughed once more. "Are you thinking about that boy again?"

Trying to hide the smile at the mere thought of him, I nodded. "Yes," I whispered.

Since I was eight, I had been having these strange dreams. I would be wearing these beautiful ball gowns, as a young man would call out to me lovingly. When I thought about him, I always felt like I knew him. He was someone I yearend to see in my dreams, and I often found myself falling into dreamland just to see him.

The dreams started off tame, nothing too weird happening, although as I got older, they became worse and more frequent. For the past three nights, I have dreamed of this man getting shot before my very eyes. I'd watch him fall to the ground before calling out my name. Even now, as I thought about it, I could feel the sheer horror seep within my skin.

Clasping her hands together, Grandmamma sighed. "Maybe it's someone you used to know." Smiling, she began to stand. "Maybe in a past life, even."

Quickly grasping her arm to help her, a small frown settled on my face. "You need to be careful, Grandmamma," I whispered.

Marinda still didn't know how sick Grandmamma really was. Her mother only told her that she had an 'Ouchy.' How I wished to be that young again. No worries about people dying or dreaming about these weird dreams. Life would be easy and free from the stress of the future. Just simple bliss of what toy did I want to play with next.

"Grandmamma!" Came Helena's sudden laughter.

Rushing towards us with rose-colored cheeks, I quickly caught her before she could push Grandmamma over. Spinning her around, I savored the happy squeal that filled the room. "Stop silly, or I'll get dizzy." She laughed.

"Alright, then." Laughing as I set her down, I watched her stumble on her feet slightly. Grasping my hand in her own little one, she gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Mummy told me that I should tell you that dinner is almost ready. I was told to wash my hands, so you should too!" She squealed, jumping on the spot. I felt my own smile grow at her happiness. It was times like these that I cherished being alive. To see her so happy and full of life made my own life seem less dull.