Mr. Whitlock

14 - The Science Experiment

"You turned it down?" Margot stared incredulously at her cousin, "That could have been a life-changing opportunity!"

"I know," Marie sighed, "But I feel it is the right thing to do. I will have plenty of time for these interesting cases after grandmother passes, and I go back home."

"You're different now, you know." Margot said softly after a few moments of silence, "When we were younger you would dream of the time there would be a chance for you to leave. You used to tell me that one day you would run far away, living your own life and never looking back. You wanted to escape your family more than anything in the world, yet now you choose to stay. Perhaps it's because your older, more mature, but I like to think that you recognize how much your family needs you. Even if you need anything but them."

Unlike Eve, and of course Anne, Margot held no manipulative tone in her voice. She simply stated her pensive thoughts aloud, truly wondering what had changed in Marie after their many years apart.

Marie did not know how to respond, shocked with the remark yet grateful for her cousin's honest words. Little did Margot know, however, of a certain man who made the idea of staying not nearly as unappealing as it had once been.

***

"Marie, I need to tell you something." Mr. Whitlock said as she came inside. Marie did not know what to expect as he said those words, unsure by his somber expression whether it would be something positive or dreadful.

"Oh, alright." she replied, sitting on the piano bench, her fingers playfully stroking the piano keys as she tried to recollect a song. In reality she only did it to distract herself from her fluttering heart as she heard Mr. Whitlock's voice.

She had played the piano in her youth, and used to love the way her hands could produce such lovely music. She stopped lessons after her family had to sell their piano, and never seemed to pick up the talent again. Yet she still enjoyed attempting a little song every once in a while, or even just staring at the beautiful instrument with memories gleaming in her eyes.

"There is a piece of my past I have not explained to you yet, and that is unfair of me. I understand if you feel you cannot trust me, for I have kept this from you in fear of seeming absurd. But it is an important part of my life that I no longer wish to keep from you, even if it brings back those unpleasant memories." He backed into the hall, preparing for what he would say next. How could he put into words the awful story he was cursed to never forget? "It was his idea to try this experiment. We were awfully intrigued in the imbalance between life and death.

"What was it that tore our souls from our bodies and forced them into the sky, leaving the limp shell of what we once were to rot and decay in the ground? What was it that occurred once our soul did escape, unless there was nothing at all? Was it even worth living if death was so much more peaceful? These were questions we held in our minds for a long time.

"Then finally, he had an idea. For one of us to pass through that realm, and be brought back just before slipping away completely. Essentially one of us would nearly die, and that person was me.

"He assured me it would work, and I believed it would. We had done years of extensive research on the subject, learning everything we could about the two states of being. Never did we imagine there would be something in between, yet we realized it too late.

"The night it happened I was no more afraid than any other day at work, thrilled to see the results of our experiment. We were about to make a remarkable discovery, changing everything people thought about the world. I remember the feeling of anticipation, the focus I felt as I knew I would have to be alert.

"But the fear in his eyes when he saw me was unforgettable. We tried and tried to fix what we had done, to reverse the terrible decision we had made.

"He felt far more guilty than I could imagine, and stayed in his study at all times in attempts to bring me back. I knew from the sick feeling in my chest and the hopelessness clouding my mind that our actions were permanent. I would never be alive again.

"It has been over seventy years, and all I've been able to think about was how I ruined the lives of those around me, especially my own.

"I will forever be trapped between two worlds. I've watched people's lives go by in a blur, I've seen them come and go. None have stayed like you have, Marie.

"But I've seen all the joys and sorrows of living, the beauty of love and forgiveness, the humanity people show each other as well as the cruel mistakes they have made. Though I cannot experience any of it. I am stuck, cornered between death, and mortality. All I could wish for is to be put at rest, and die." His tragic story came to a close as they both stared at each other with tears in their eyes.

Marie knew he was so very real, yet at that moment too many thoughts were buzzing through her mind to believe her eyes. She wondered why he had kept that from her, and why he was telling her now. She wondered about every detail of his story, why he phrased certain things the way he did and why he allowed his voice to shake. Why he looked at her with such regret and guilt, expecting her to see some sort of evil in him.

Pieces formed in her mind like a scrambled puzzle as she tried to make sense of everything he had said. Thoughts and memories connected in her mind, questions flooded and unsure answers barged in and collapsed into a pile. She was distraught, heartbroken, sorry, and confused.

Yet everything finally made sense.

"Mr. Whitlock." She brought her voice to barely below a whisper, yet she strained to find the strength to speak, "Are you Charles?"