Short Stories

---

He said "will you come with me?"

The air was getting heavy. The thick smoke rose from the giant flames. Stranded on top of the stairs, I found it very hard to get down. I watched the living room curtains burst into flames. The room got hotter as I descended the stairs, frantically searching for a way out of the house. “David!!” where was he? “David where are you?” I scrambled down the stairs accidentally knocking down the goldfish bowl. Oh no… not my precious goldfish! I watched as the bowl shattered on the floor spilling water and glass pieces everywhere and the goldfish frantically flipping on the floor in search of water and then lay still. I rubbed the small droplets of sweat on my forehead.

“David!! Where are you?? Melanie? … Where did u go?” I screamed as a blazing wooden plank fell from the stairs. It missed me by a few feet. My vision started to get hazy. The thick smoke made it impossible for me to see anything. “David…! Melanie….!! Please help me out of here!” I found it difficult to breathe. It was impossible to reach the door. <> I turned around to see the upper half of a shelf break in half and hit the floor blocking my way towards the door. “David!! I can’t find u... where r u??” I had to get out of here in a few minutes otherwise I wouldn’t be able to make it. “God... Please help me... I need your help!” I ran into the kitchen and took the left door into the dinning room. Trying to dodge the enormous flames, I tripped over some fallen dishes. As I hit the floor, my eyes turned in shock to see the fiery kitchen shelf fall over me.

I felt a faint tapping on my arm. I opened my eyes. The smoke was still there. The heat still remained. I looked up. A dark- eyed boy stared down on me. “Wake up” he said. “I’ll help you get out of here.” He pulled me up and led me out of the kitchen. The flames seemed to stumble away from him as he walked by. He led me back into the blazing living room. The flames had eaten up everything, yet he managed to lead me through them. The flames succeeded to crawl to the top of the curtains making it fall to the ground revealing an open window. “Now you got to jump” I looked out of the window. There was fire all around. I knew I couldn’t’ make it. “I... can’t do it...” “Yes, you can, now jump!” but I knew the flames would swallow me if I jumped. “Can you help me?” I asked him. “Okay I’ll jump first and then you jump out after me.” I watched him jump out of the window skillfully dodging the flames easily. He looked up at me. “Your turn... Jump!” he held his arms outstretched. Very nervous about the jump, I bit my lower lip, closed my eyes for a minute and jumped. Opening my eyes, I saw that I had miraculously landed in his arms without touching a single flame.

“Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he commented, smiling at me. We had managed to escape from the burning house and I plopped down on the grass utterly exhausted. Trying to catch my breath, I asked “how did you get into the house?” Looking calm and with the same smile on his face he told me that he had heard me cry for help. “Where’s David?” I asked. “David… is not here.” He looked at me with his deep understanding eyes. “Where is he? Will he come back?” his eyes softened. “No... He’s not coming back.” “No! I don’t believe it! He’s coming back for me!! He wouldn’t leave me alone in that burning house. He would never leave me alone!” I searched those deep eyes once more looking for an answer. He bent his head. “Polly, David is not coming back.” “How did you know my name?” I asked him. “I know everything about you.” he replied. “Who… are you?” I asked. “You know who I am, Polly.” He replied seriously. Then he winked at me and said “call me Gabe.” “What about Melanie? What about all the others? Where are they?” I asked him, fear gripping me. “There r no others.” He put his arms reassuringly around me. Looking downward, I had to face the truth. “I have nowhere to go…” he brushed away the hair from my forehead “no... You do... come with me. I’ll take u to my house. You… belong there.” “Where is your house?” I asked him. “Its somewhere very far away… only I can take you there.” He replied. “There’s no one left here for me.” He picked me up and carried me. “I’ll take care of you. I’m here for you…” he kept on speaking and I listened to the sound of his sweet promises. “I’ll lead you home… where you belong... I’ll b your guide, I’ll take u there. The choice is yours… will you come with me?” I had no other choice. I closed my eyes. “Take me home”

“It’s a long way home, and the journey is long and hard, but I’ll help you through.” The road where we walked was dark. The sun had set. I looked behind. The orange glow from the burning house we’d left behind cast strange shadows on our trail. I was scared. Reading my thoughts, he took hold of my hand. The darkness kept getting heavier until I couldn’t see anything except feel the rocky stones and prickly shrubs below my feet and smell the damp leaves of the forest trees. Wait a minute… I don’t remember there being any forest near my home. “Where are we?” I asked him. “We’re going to a place you’ve never seen before. You’ll see amazing sights and experience wonderful things you’ve never experienced before. But to get there will be difficult, but just stay by my side and never wander away.” I kept holding his hand as he led me deeper into the forest. Somehow, I felt safe with him. I gave him all my trust. “How long will it take to get out of the forest?” I asked him impatiently. “There is a time for everything. You will be out of the darkness before you even realize it. Just keep leaning on me” the forest was very creepy. I heard strange sounds, and felt strange slimy creatures creep against my leg but I brushed them away. I felt a hot prick on my neck and slapped it. Most of all, it was very dark so I couldn’t see a thing. All I could do was follow blindly where he took me. “Don’t let go of my hand” I said, feeling scared. “I promise you, I will never let go.” I realized then that he was looking at me because I felt a warm glow from his eyes. And I knew at that moment he smiled because the forest seemed to grow a little lighter. This time, I smiled back. I knew he would me lead me out of here in no time. And I was right. A few minutes later, I saw that the darkness fade and the light seep in. I rushed into it and he followed me smiling.

He brushed aside the tall grass. What I saw amazed me. It was a beautiful green pasture. The grass felt soft and damp as I walked into it. I felt like as if I had just walked into a fairytale. The trees were a lively green and the field was filled with wildflowers of every different color. Right in the centre of the pasture, I saw a waterfall. The waterfall dove deep into a lake which flowed on further to form a small stream flowing endlessly into the pasture. I looked at my reflection in the stream. The water was perfectly still. I could see the shiny pebbles at the bottom. He bent near the stream and told me to take a drink. “I’ll take you to green pastures and I’ll lead u beside still waters. Drink of my water… you will never be thirsty again.” So I cupped my hands and drank of the sweet water. It felt very refreshing. I had never tasted water so pure and so delicately delicious before. As I drank the water, I felt as though all my troubles had vanished away. I felt stillness inside of me; a peace filled me that I never felt before. He took my hand and we walked through the green pasture. As we reached the other side of the pasture, I noticed something very peculiar. Under the shade of an oak tree, I saw a majestic lion resting beside a lamb. The lamb rested its head on the lion. “How is this possible?” I asked curiously. He only smiled at me silently.

As we walked on, I noticed many strange sightings. There was another waterfall, except that instead of water, it was flowing with milk. Baby lambs stood at the edge of the milky lake and sipped from it. I had no idea where this place was, but I only knew that it was the most beautiful place I had ever been to. A silver butterfly fluttered about around me, and as I stood still, it landed on my finger. I watched in keen interest as the butterfly fluttered away, but this time, I followed it. Gabe smiled at me and told me that the butterfly wanted to show me something. As I followed the butterfly, it led me down a hill. Below the hill, it took me to a small cave. The cave was surrounded by green moss and small tiny creepers that had grown all around it. I saw that the cave was hidden behind the milk waterfall. To enter it, Gabe told me that I had to pass thru the waterfall. As I passed through the milk waterfall, I couldn’t help opening my mouth to taste a few drops of it. It was pretty delicious. The silver butterfly led me into the cave and stopped near a honeycomb. “Taste the honey” said Gabe. “But what about the bees?” I asked. “They won’t harm you. They make the honey especially for you.” He replied. Trusting him fully, I dipped my finger into the honeycomb and tasted a bit of the honey. Gabe was right. The bees didn’t sting me. The honey was the sweetest that I had ever tasted before. Everything about this world was so fascinating and so beautiful. I wanted to stay here forever.

Gabe took me outside and showed me a beautiful cushiony flower bed made by a dozen wildflowers and roses. I sat down beside him. “Gabe…” I began. “How long has it been since you’ve known me?” I asked. “Polly, I’ve known you since the beginning of time… I’ve always known you. I know everything about you. I know the things you like, the things that make you smile, and also the things that make you cry. I know you better than you know yourself.” He replied. “Why did you come to me?” I questioned. “I came, because you called on me. I will always come to you if you call on me.” He said. “But there were so many times when I needed you; So many times when I was alone; So many times when there was no one else to turn to. Those were the times when I needed you the most. Where were you then? I asked exasperatedly. He looked at me with the same glow in his eyes. “I was always near you. I was always with you. I never left your side. When you thought there was no one else to turn to, when you felt there was no hope left, I was there. I was waiting for you to call on me.”

Gabe took my hand again and we walked along the deep garden. “You were alone, because you chose to be alone. I was always there…” he explained. I looked at him puzzled. “But I never saw you. How was I supposed to know you were there?” “I was the one who stayed by your side so many of your sleepless nights. I was the one who asked the moon to shine her brightest for you. I was the one who caught all your tears as they fell. I was the light who guided you when you walked alone in the dark. I wanted to show you how much you needed me in your life… for you cannot go on without me.” Gabe placed his hand on my chin and lifted my face. “Pull up your sleeves” he said. I did as he asked and as I pulled up my sleeves, I saw deep burns, scratches and scars left on my arms while I tried to escape the fire. He touched them. “Don’t…! It hurts...” I covered my arms again. Gabe looked at me silently. “I can heal them. If you’d let me” he said. “You can’t… they’re too deep. It hurts a lot” I explained. “Polly? Do you trust me?” he asked. “I do...” I answered looking down. “Then give me your arms.” He placed his hands over my arms. “Gabe… why do you care so much?” I asked. “I mean, I’ve never known you… and till today I was totally unaware of your presence around me. Why do you care so much about me then?” I felt my arms turn warm. Like as though heat flowed through it. “I care about you because you belong to me. I care about every thing that belongs to me. You are special to me and precious in my sight.” He said. “How much do you care about me?” I asked questioningly.

“The reason I am here… is because of you. I have come for you, and I won’t leave without you. I don’t want you to be lost ever again. I have come to save you from the dangers around you. I have come to heal you, and save you. I have come so that you will know there’s hope for you. Though all may leave you, I will never leave you.” Gabe lifted my head and wiped my cheeks. “I love you so much that I gave up my own life for you once just so that you would be saved. You don’t have to see me to know that I am real. Just believe…” the heat on my arms grew warmer. I looked at my arms. I was astonished. The deep scratches and burnt marks were all… gone. “How…?” I asked amazingly. Gabe smiled at me. “I can heal all of your wounds. I told you… Just trust in me.” I smiled brightly feeling a peaceful joy within me and a sudden happiness. I stood from where we were seated and took his arms. “I love you… I want to be with you always. Lead me wherever you go, I will follow. I don’t want to leave your side ever again.” Gabe smiled back, carried me in his arms and walked through the rest of the beautiful garden.

The sun was setting, and the garden was getting dark. Gabe and I sat under a tree to rest. As I sat under the tree, two enormous leafy branches magically curled down and locked around me protecting me as I fell asleep. Gabe stayed by my side through the night. In the middle of the night, I woke up feeling a little bit uneasy. It was very cold and dark. Gabe lay sleeping on the grass next to where I had been. I decided to take a walk along the garden till I felt alright again. As I walked, I noticed a strange dark shadow settle over the garden. I felt very cold and a bit scared, but I kept on walking. I noticed a shadowy figure walk towards me from a distance. I felt more uneasy. The figure came closer. It was very tall and huge. The creature had a large face. As it came closer, I realized that it was a hideous beast. The beast had large limbs, dark fur all over its body and its eyes were strangely yellow and cold. I saw the glint of its claws in the darkness. “Why are you alone?” the creature asked. I was shocked to hear the creature speak. I saw that its jaws were filled with razor sharp teeth that sparkled in the dark. “I…” I lost my voice out of fear and couldn’t speak. “Gabe isn’t with you, is he?” the creature asked. “Gabe is… sleeping” my voice came out small and shivery. “HAH! Sleeping is he??” the creature laughed haughtily. “See! Gabe doesn’t care about you; otherwise he wouldn’t have left you all alone by yourself. He lied to you” The creature laughed a cold bitter laugh.

His eyes stared at me intensely and I knew I was in trouble. I shouldn’t have gone alone without Gabe. The creature came closer. I could smell its hot tingly breath. My hands turned numb. I knew I had to escape somehow. I turned around quickly and ran. I ran away as fast as I could. I could hear the loud footsteps of the creature thundering behind me. “You can’t escape from me!!” it bellowed. “Gabe can’t save you now!” I kept running. The garden had turned darker and everything suddenly seemed to feel strangely odd. The beautiful green grass and trees had turned to a shade of black. Heavy black clouds blocked out the moon. I heard a flash of lightning in the sky. It had started to rain. I ran as fast as I could. I tried to find the tree where Gabe lay sleeping. But everything seemed to look different now. The beautiful garden turned into a deserted hollow wasteland filled with creepy trees. Odd animal sounds filled the air. I was soaking wet now, running out of breath and had nowhere to run. “Gabe!!! I called helplessly. Where are you? HELP…!! I screamed.” I kept running through the tall grass and the thick bushes. The rain fell heavily now and each drop stung me. I turned around to look if the creature had gotten closer. As I turned my head, I didn’t see the cliff of the hill. I stumbled on the sharp rocks I lost my grip and fell.

But at that moment, someone caught hold of my hands just in time before I fell. I looked top. It was Gabe. “Gabe..! Don’t let go... I’ll fall!” my voice shivered when I looked down and saw the stones plummet down and fell endlessly to hit the bottom smashing into little pieces. “Don’t let go of my hands, Gabe” I screamed terrified. “I wont let go” he answered back. Slowly, Gabe lifted me up. I closed my eyes scared that I would fall. I felt myself being lifted up. When I opened my eyes, I saw that Gabe had managed to pull me up safely. Looking around me, I realized how close I had come to falling down. I ran into Gabe’s arms. He caught me tightly. “I told you never to wander off alone by yourself. I felt safe in his arms. “It was… scary... Everything was scary…” the words came out endlessly from my mouth. Some of it didn’t make any sense. “Sshh…” he patted my back comfortingly. When I looked over his shoulder, I noticed that the garden had come back to normal again. The sun was shining brightly again. “There was this monster… it was huge…” I started again. Gabe looked at me calmly. “Yes, I know him. He’s the beast of the forest. He will always be on lookout for you whenever you are alone. That’s when he can weaken you and give you discouraging thoughts. If you are with me, he cannot harm you. He will flee away from you. As long as you stay with me, he has no control over you.” Gabe pulled me up from the grass and we continued walking through the garden.

We kept walking through the garden and Gabe kept on showing me different sights. I saw many of the strange animals there. Each of them were beautiful and marvelously created. All of the creatures in the garden lived in harmony with each other. As we kept walking, Gabe showed me a beautiful meadow. There were sheep all around grazing on the grass. As I walked, I kept on thinking about my past and I felt a little troubled. “Gabe…” I looked at him. “Yes, what is it, Polly?” he asked. “I don’t understand something… why did David and Melanie leave me? Why were they taken away?” I stared down and kept walking. “Everything that mattered most to me had to be taken away from me. Mel was my only best friend and David… meant everything to me.” I didn’t need to say any further.Gabe looked at me seeming to understand everything that I wanted to say. He had read my thoughts. “Polly, Mel was a gift to you long ago, a friend that got close to you more than anyone else. But… people choose their own paths in life; they make their own decisions and decide where they want to go by themselves. Polly, Mel chose where she wanted to go. But remember… the end of something is just the beginning of something new.” Although what Gabe said was right, I couldn’t help feel a little disappointed about Mel. “And… what about David? I didn’t want to lose him.” My voice broke and Gabe took me in his arms. He stayed silent for a while. He kept stroking my hair. “You didn’t lose David…” he said softly. “But… he’s gone…” I said. “Polly, sometimes you won’t understand why certain things happen in life but… later on, as your life changes, you'll begin to understand that everything that happens only happens for a reason. All I can do now is help you with what you’re feeling.

Gabe took my arm and led me across the meadow. “There’s something I want to show you. Gabe took me to the end of the meadow at the deep end where the wild trees and thorny bushes had grown. The trees were so high and so thick, it blocked out the sunlight. This part of the forest had grown cold and dark. Gabe pointed to the thickets. A baby lamb was caught in the bush struggling to get free. “This lamb had wandered away from the others. Now it’s caught in the thorns and has no way to escape.” I watched as the little lamb struggled to escape. Gabe walked over to the lamb. He pushed away the thorns and picked up the lamb in his arms. “See this lamb?” Gabe asked. “It’s just like you. It wanders off on its own, gets caught up with trouble and can’t find its way back home.” Gabe petted the lamb gently. He let me hold the lamb in my arms. “But for one lamb… I’d leave all the other sheep, and go and look for it till I find it.” Gabe said. “And Polly, you are worth more than just a lamb.” I smiled at Gabe and he smiled back. Putting his arm around my shoulder, we walked back to the meadow. I lowered the lamb and watched it gleefully run ahead to join its family. I smiled at the sweet reunion. “Through life, you’ll have to fight many troubles, and troubles will always be lurking in every corner. But it’s how you deal with each trouble that makes you stronger each day. Fight your troubles alone, and you will surely lose. Fight your troubles with me and you will always win.” He said.

We had walked for miles and miles. Gabe and I had gone a long way. Through our journey, we saw many things; I learnt many new things, lessons in life I’ll never forget. As I walked with Gabe, I learnt more about him. He was caring, and very understanding. Whatever he said was always right. He was never wrong. He was very loving and he kept his promises. He never failed to take care of me and protect me. I learnt to put my trust on him and have faith in everything he said. I grew to love him more and more each day I walked with him. I knew then that I never wanted to leave his side for with him I was always happy and contented and I never had to fear because I always some one to lean on to no matter what. I never knew of his love until I opened my heart to him. Through the darkness, I saw the light, and I knew that he loved me. We kept walking until I saw a brilliant light in the distance. Gabe smiled at me and pulled my arm and we ran towards the light.

As I got closer, I saw the most magnificent sight. Huge Gates of gold. The gates shined brilliantly. It was studded with jewels of all kinds. Gabe stopped at the gates and looked at me. I saw the familiar glow from his eyes appear again. He smiled at me. “Polly…” Gabe began. I looked at him questioningly. “This is home…” he smiled again. I smiled back. “But Polly, you are not ready yet. You have to go back. But one day, I promise you, you will surely be with me again.” He said. “But I have nothing left for me back home...” I said. “No you have many things left. I have a better life ahead promised to you, a life with a hope. I’ll give you a future with prosperity, if you live through me.” He said. “But I have nobody left for me there.” I said sadly. “Polly, you have me, and I promised you before, that I will never leave you. I’m never going to leave your side.” Said Gabe. “But what will I do when I go back?” I asked. “I don’t want to leave you; I want to stay by your side forever.” I said hesitatingly. “You will always stay by my side. I need you to go back. I want you to give everyone the same hope that I’ve bestowed upon you. The same hope that there’s a purpose for them in life, a purpose for them worth living for. A purpose because I love them jus the same way I love you” Gabe said. “I will do as you say then.” I said. I hugged Gabe one last time. I saw him smile the last time with the glow from his eyes. It was the last time I ever saw him, but I knew that he would never leave my side… ever.

When I woke up, I saw a bunch of nurses and doctors around me. David was bent over me. “Polly!” he hugged me. “I’m so glad you’re alive. I was so worried about you. I thought
I lost you” he said. I hugged him back. I noticed I was placed in the emergency unit in some hospital. “Where were you David? I was looking for you…” I said. “I went to get help. When the house caught fire, my entrance to your room was blocked so there was no way I could save you. I quickly ran to get help. I was worried when you didn’t gain consciousness. It took you quite a while. How are you feeling?” he asked. “I’ve never felt much better than I do now.” I said with a bright smile. I almost laughed when I saw the puzzled look on David’s face. “I’ve had such a wonderful experience, David.” David turned more puzzled. “Escaping from a burning house is a wonderful experience??” he asked. This time I laughed openly. “Something you would never believe.” I said. “Anyway, all you need is some rest, and you’ll be out of here in no time” said David reassuringly. At that moment, the doctor entered the room. “How’re you doing miss?” he asked. I smiled at him in answer. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure you get better soon. You’re really lucky to make it out of there in time.” He said. With that he flashed me a bright smile and walked out the door. But all I could notice was the beautiful glow that shone from his eyes


--written by Jolene d’ Souza November 16, 2004

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE