Falling From Eternity (A Paranormal Love Story)

Falling From
Eternity

(A Paranormal Love Story)

By

Megan Duncan

~

Megan Duncan

Copyright, 2012

All rights reserved.

Smashwords edition: December 2012

ISBN: 9781301724031

AUTHOR'S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are the product of the author's
imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or
locales is entirely coincidental.

The scanning, uploading and distribution of
this book via the Internet or via any other means without the
permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not
participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted
materials. Your support of the author's rights is
appreciated.

Find
Megan Duncan
online
at:

http://meganduncan.blogspot.com

~

1

Ripples

“
Call it,
William.”

Eleven twenty-four a.m.,” I said,
pulling the white sheet over Hazel’s lifeless face. She had been
one of my favorite residents at Shady Willows; she had been my
friend, but she’d also been here the longest. Three years was
lifetimes longer than everyone else who came here to
die.

“
I’d better notify the
family,” Doctor Conner said, as he scribbled on his clipboard. He
was a good man, but somewhere along the line he’d lost the spark
that had once made him an incredible doctor. Maybe it was this
place. Maybe it was knowing none of his patients would survive;
he’d never be able to save them no matter how hard he tried. I
could see how that would break a man, but not me.
That’s
why I was here. I
came here to witness the very thing I would never
experience.

Death.

The nurses followed Doctor Conner out
of the room, leaving me with the duty of preparing the body. I
didn’t mind at all, she’d been the first real friend I’d had in
decades. If they’d taken the time to get to know her, they would
know there was no family to call; no one to come for her and no one
left to miss her except for me.

I gently tucked her hands under the
sheet and gazed at the motionless mass that was once the brightest
light in this dreary building. No amount of store-bought artwork,
plastic plant life or group activities would make this place
something that it wasn’t, but Hazel Ruth had. I’d learned about her
love for music and she’d taught me how to understand the emotion
behind every note. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms; she knew
every chord, in every symphony better than she could recall what
day of the week it was.

The photo on her bedside table caught
my eye, so I grasped the metal frame between my fingers and scanned
the image; ignoring my own grim expression in the reflection. I’d
seen the photograph countless times before, but somehow looking at
it now was different. This one picture was the only thing left of
this beautiful being, except for the memories I would carry with me
through eternity.

A young Hazel Ruth sat on stage, her
fingers poised above the bone white keys of a piano. A
dapper-looking man stood at her side, grinning from ear to ear
under a fedora. Her skin was porcelain, her lips full and her hair
vibrant and shimmering. All those had diminished with time, but not
the eyes. The Hazel I knew still had those eyes that stared back at
me through the faded image; sparkling and full of life and wonder.
I vividly remembered the story behind the picture. That was the
night she’d met her husband. She had been performing, hoping to get
her big break and make it to Hollywood, but fate had made other
plans for her.

I rested the framed photo atop Hazel
and wheeled her out of the room. I’d witnessed dozens of people die
during the handful of years I’d been here, but none of them
affected me like this one. I had never connected with them like I
had her. She was different than everyone else. Even though she knew
she was dying, she was filled with life till the very end. It
fascinated me. I’d always been curious about death, yet she altered
everything I’d learned. Everyone here was somber and depressed,
spending their last moments in this world wallowing in regret for a
life unlived. Maybe that was her secret? She’d always tell me she
had lived a full life. Perhaps that was what was missing for
everyone else? It was a concept I couldn’t quite fully grasp. I had
all the time in the world to do anything and everything I’d ever
want to, but how could someone whose life was so short ever hope to
accomplish such a thing? For a human, Hazel’s eighty-three years
was a gift that many did not receive, but for someone like me…that
was a mere ripple in the vast ocean of time.

I pounded my finger on the button of
the elevator until the light finally came on. The board of
directors spent more money making this place look pretty than
actually fixing anything that was broken. I made complaints, but
they always fell on deaf ears. If I could stay here longer I would
try to do something more about it, but my time was running out.
People would soon grow suspicious of me. I didn’t age, and I was
never sick. I would have to leave before they started asking
questions and find another place to help others pass on to the next
life. If there was a next life; I’d never know for sure.

I’d give it a few days then give my
notice like any normal person would. I was only sticking around for
so long because of Hazel, but now that she was gone I didn’t mind
moving to someplace new.

The elevator jerked to a stop and I
waited the standard fifteen seconds for the doors to open. I pushed
Hazel along the cold, barren hallway in the basement of Shady
Willows. I’d pushed so many down this very same hallway, but never
before had it been so difficult to take each step. My feet were
heavy and my hands shook the farther I went. I prayed to whoever
might be listening, if they’d even bother listening to someone like
me, to give her the most beautiful music for all
eternity.

The double doors bounced open as I
pushed the bed inside. Weak orange lights lit the space as they
dangled from the ceiling on cheap fixtures. The stale smell of
cigarettes filled my nostrils and I held back a cough. I could
taste the layers of cheap tobacco as if I were smoking them myself.
Even when Phil wasn’t here, his stench lingered like a poisonous
gas. I detested him. He had no respect for anyone and even less for
the dead. I refused to let him be the one to make preparations for
Hazel. She deserved better.

“
Got another old bag for
me, do ya?” Phil’s rough voice wheezed as he took a long puff of
his cigarette. A cloud of smoke hung over his desk like a personal
rain cloud, while he watched smut on a small television.

“
Who bit the big one dis
time?” He waddled over to me, his yellow teeth on display through
his evil grin.

“
Hazel.” I pulled her to a
stop just out of his reach. “Take a load off. I got this one.” I
tried to sound casual as I waved him away.

“
Hey! I don’t needs no one
to do my job.” He puffed up his chest, his New York accent peeking
out almost as far as the thick, black hair that jutted out of his
open shirt collar.

“
I just thought you could
use a break. I mean, you’ve been here since midnight, right?” I
tried to diffuse the situation.

“
Yeah!” He smiled,
impressed with himself, like he
had
worked hard all those hours. He hadn’t. All he
ever did was sit in front of that television and smoke. On
occasion, he’d even steal the prepared meals from the residents. If
I hadn’t vowed to change my ways I’d dispatch of him in an instant.
He was a waste of space and I would be doing the world a favor.
Surely I would be forgiven for killing someone like him, wouldn’t
I?

A growl rumbled in my chest, shaking
my ribs and rattling my teeth. “What you say?” Phil snapped as he
flung his feet atop his desk.

“
Nothing. I’m just
hungry.” I turned away from him, and licked my lips. I hadn’t lied,
I
was
starving,
but one look into my eyes and he’d know that
he
was the one on the
menu.

“
Whateva, man. Just don’t
go lazing about and grabbing lunch till yous got her ready. I don’t
need nobody yelling at me cuz yous couldn’t finish your job. Ya got
me?” He didn’t even turn his attention from the television while he
spoke.

“
My job?” I muttered under
my breath. I really hated this man. Every time I came down here I
had to remember why I didn’t kill people anymore. I had to remind
myself that there was never a good reason.
Ever
. I just had to take comfort in
the fact that someday Phil would die. It
would
happen and there would be no
way he could escape it.

I pushed Hazel into the morgue and
started the necessary paperwork. Ten pages and three phone calls
later, she was good to go. I made the preparations with the nearest
funeral home and made sure a service was scheduled. There was no
one in her records listed as next of kin, so there was no one left
to call. She really was all alone in the world. When her husband
had died she could have given up and allowed the sadness to swallow
her into darkness, but she hadn’t. She’d lived on for another ten
years, until this very day. Despite my previous experiences with
others facing death, I might have thought she was looking forward
to this moment; to be with her love once again.

I hoped she was with him
now.

I lifted the sheet that covered her,
and tucked her framed photo between her cold hands. She still
looked like she was sleeping. The grim cloak of death hadn’t
claimed her yet. I could hear her voice in the back of my mind,
speaking to me in her usual curious manner. There were times when I
thought she might have realized what I was, but she never revealed
the truth if she did.

“
Goodbye, Hazel.” I patted
her hands, and pulled up the sheet to cover her face. Yes, I
definitely needed to move on. Knowing her had changed me too much.
I wouldn’t be able to stand this dismal place without her. It was
too dreary, and she had shown me a light I didn’t know could exist.
I wanted to believe that death wasn’t just an end; it could also be
a beginning. But, I still wasn’t sure if someone like me could have
that new beginning. Or that all the people I’d killed hadn’t just
been erased; that they’d find peace someday, somehow.

I’d stayed past my shift taking care
of Hazel, but it was worth it. I had the next two days off anyway,
so I didn’t care. I slid on my dark shades, and thick wool coat
before stepping out into the freezing winter weather. The cold
didn’t bother me, even though it was one of the coldest places I’d
ever lived. Yet, even with a dense covering of murky clouds the
light of day still wore on me. I’d have to work really hard to get
the shift I wanted in the next place I stayed. I preferred the
night shift. No, I wasn’t going to burst into flames in the
daylight, but it was just so damned uncomfortable and always made
me irritable. I didn’t like being irritable, and that just made me
more irritable.