The signals of destiny

Chapter 1: Present time.

My name is Alain. I was born in 1959, in a small village close to the French Pyrenees, but when I was a child my family moved to Paris. That's where my story takes place. The story of my life, that's about to come to an end. 

As a kid, what I loved the most was playing in the mountains. My family had a cabin there, and winter, although really cold, was wonderful. Everything would get covered with snow, my parents would lit the fireplace and we all would eat chestnuts roasted by my grandfather. I remember those small, precious moments with infinite love. 

I was a happy boy. My childhood was nothing special, but I remember myself always smiling and admiring everything that surrounded me. Every day was a new adventure. I wish I still felt like that today, but I guess circumstances change people. 
My adolescence wasn't special either. I was a pretty normal person. I had some girlfriends, but nothing important. None of them was the love of my life. Back then I thought that, if I still hadn't met anyone special enough, I would probably never do. But I was afraid of dying alone. Actually, it terrified me. I couldn't wait to feel a "click" right after meeting someone and know it. You're supposed to know when you're in front of your soulmate, aren't you? At least, that's what I had been told. And I believed those things, because I was young and, specially, because I was a hopeless romantic.

Life advanced monotonous but beautiful. It had moments that were invaluable to me, and that was enough. I graduated from university, I trained hard and, finally, I started working as a homicide detective. But I am getting ahead of the events, there is still a bit left to get to that moment.

You might probably wonder why I'm telling you all of this. You'll find an answer to that question soon. Sorry, I don't want you to hate me or to think I'm pretending to be mysterious, it's just that I don't want to hurry things. I want to tell the events as it's supposed to be: in the order they occurred, and just as they happened. Now, let's go back to my teenage years. 

As a teenager I loved the stories about tragic deaths, but, specially, I liked unsolved cases. I dreamed of being able to help solve all those cases someday, and also to help the victims' families. They were people who suffered so much and who were often forgotten. I wished the victims to have a worthy farewell and to their relatives to finally be able to rest after knowing the truth. 

I remember that one night, when I was aroung 16, I was at my grandparents' place, in the Pyrenees, about to fall asleep. The fire emitted a soothing melody as it devoured the wood. It was raining outside, which made the whole scene more soothing. I felt at peace. I had had a good day. All of a sudden, I don't know why, I felt restless. It was a weird feeling, since I was calm yet nervous. I felt as if the universe somehow were calling me. It's hard to explain, but I felt something inside of me urging me to get out of bed and out into the garden. It would be something like 12 o'clock at night. I felt attracted towards the garden. As I arrived there, I saw a light that dazzled me but that made me walk towards it at the same time. I walked and walked, my bare feet on the grass dampened by snow, and, when I was so close to the light that I could almost touch it, I woke up shouting, back in my bed. It had seemed so real to me, that I thought for some time that it had actually happened. I spent some days wondering who I was, what was my mission in life, and stuff like that. That had really affected me. For some time I didn't know what to do. It had affected me so much, that from that moment the days passed by pure inertia, without me hardly noticing it. But well, time kept going by and I eventually forgot it. After all, it had only been a dream.

Years after this event, when I had already completely forgotten it, something strange happened to me again. I was in a park, at fairs in my hometown, when I saw her. She was beautiful, like an angel. No, not like an angel. She was an angel. She was wearing a white, loose dress, and her black hair fluttered in the wind as she smiled. She was smiling at me. That completely and angelic stranger was smiling at me. She approached me, held out her hand and led me to a corner away from the rest of the people. We took refuge in a kind of cabin next to a lake. There, she motioned me to extend my hand; I obeyed her mute request and she laid a stone on my palm. I must admit that the first thing that crossed my mind was «So much mystery for this?», but the girl seemed nervous; she was breathing raggedly and her round green eyes were watching me with concern, as if they were looking for in me the answer to some question that was forging inside her small body. Also, the stone was pretty: because of its almost perfectly round shape (which matched her eyes) it looked like a button, and it was an orange color that I couldn't describe for sure, with a white gleam that gave it a special touch. After observing it, I looked questioningly at the girl, clearly waiting for an answer from her.
-Who are you? Why are you giving me this stone? How should I use it? -I was going to ask something else, but she made a gesture with her head, interrupting me.
-Time is running out. I don't ... I don't have much left.
-What do you mean? -I looked around me, nervous suddenly- Are you in danger?
-Shhh -she covered my mouth with her hands-, they can hear us. -She began whispering- Take care of it -she said, indicating with her head towards the stone-, your life and your destiny depend on it. Good luck. -She smiled at me seconds before turning around and leaving, hopping in a way that made her look as if she were levitating.
-Wait! What should I do with this stone? Do I have to go anywhere? -My questions were useless, since the angel was already gone. I left before someone could miss me and wonder where the hell I was. ¿How would I be able to explain it, How would I be able to explain it, if even I didn't know what had just happened to me? During the rest of the party I was somewhat dazed and distant with people, but no one seemed to notice. I don't know how to take that, but, well, it's not that I care much at this stage of my life.

Today, I still keep that stone. It's accompanied me in all my adventures and misadventures; when I was happy, looking at it was enough to make me feel even happier, and when I was sad I focused all my good energies and vibrations on it in an attempt to feel better. And it usually worked. As it had become such a special stone for me, I always carried it in my pocket, and every day I looked at it before going to sleep. It was my own way to face the day and channel my emotions. The stone helped me calm down and be more positive about life in general.

However, that was not the purpose of the stone. «Take care of it, your life and your destiny depend on it. Good luck». Those words echoed in my head several times a day, without my being able to find the answer. Honestly, that caused me some uneasiness. I was afraid to obsess about it, but there were days when I felt that the world was falling on me and that I was going to die before knowing why I had had that encounter with the angel and why the task of caring for the stone had been entrusted to me. I hoped to be the right person ...