Crash Landing

female

"Mama….I don't know how much time I have to see you but you have to tell me where you are so I can find you, okay? Just tell me where you are."

My voice was pleading as I tried to get some answers out of my mother about her current location but Mama was not listening to me, the glazed over look in her eyes confirming my deepest fears and worst suspicions yet.

Her smile turned from happiness to an almost dazed-like expression, her gaze drifting from my own as she smiled at something unknown beyond me.

Even though she was staring into my eyes, it was like she couldn't see me anymore.

And I just knew, somehow, that she was gone mentally now.

She was somewhere else where I couldn't reach her, physically, mentally or emotionally, and that pained me almost as much as her next spoken words drove a knife deeper into my heart.

"Pretty….It is so beautiful here, mon amour, isn't it? So pretty…."

She trailed off as her voice grew distant just like she was growing distant from me and I could feel my heart break in two just like my voice was breaking as tears clogged my throat and my vision,

"Mama, please. Please, tell me where you are. I can't get to you here, this isn't real. This place isn't real, Mom."

I tried to convince her to give away her location but she wasn't budging, not in the least bit.

She only smiled dazedly as she reached out and smoothed her hands down the sides of my head, smoothing out the flyaway red hairs that were sticking out of place much like she used to do when I was younger and my hair was unruly in my earlier youthful days.

"My lovely Mabel….This place is as real as you and I are. Can you not see it?"

She gestured around us as if to show me something amazing but all I saw was the smoke and haze, my eyes squinted as a blinding headache that resembled a faint migraine overpowered my senses.

What was she referring to?

What could Mama see that I was apparently oblivious to?

"Mom….There's nothing here…."

I told her but she shook her head, tuning me out just like she tuned out the rest of the world and her hands wrapped around mine once, squeezing with the faintest bit of reassurance as her body began to glow brighter than the white clothes she was wearing.

My eyes widened with shock, what was happening to her now?

"Ma chérie, don't be afraid of what you cannot see, yes? I must go now, my sweet Mabel. Take care of Lettie for me."

She said to me abruptly before she leaned forward and pressed a loving kiss against my forehead, my eyes blinking once and before I knew it, she was gone for good.

My heart sank as I fought to keep the sudden overwhelming tears at bay but then, something even stranger happened.

The light that was glowing from almost inside of Mama burst outwards even after she was gone and the force of power sent my body tumbling backwards through the darkened haze, sudden pain blasting through my bones like the strangest heat source that burned brightest at its core.

The blast was so strong that when I opened my mouth to scream out in pain, I could feel my skin melting away, evaporating as my blood boiled and burst through the surface of my liquidized flesh until there was nothing left to hold back the transformation of my body from skin and bones to melted acid.