Fiction: The signal

Mary had lost her husband six months ago, her eyes still leaking tears when she remembered her late husband. A great love gone in rainy autumn, tangled grief in the wind that blew in a continuous caress.

As Mary held the portrait of her husband Will, memories swirled in her head causing the pain to drill back into the heart. The white handkerchief dampened with sobs, as she gazed into those intense brown eyes that made her fall in love.

In that moment of memories and lamentations, a repetitive and melodious sound vibrated her telephone. Mary returned to her reality and picked up the cell phone without much encouragement, and then answered, "Hello, who am I speaking to," she said while wiping her watery eyes with her handkerchief.

"Hello, Mary, it's Ana, I was calling to say hello and see how you are?" The enthusiastic friend let out a few happy smiles.

"Ana, what a pleasure to talk to you, I'm so glad to hear from you." Mary was somewhat infected by her friend's enthusiasm.

"I haven't heard from you in six months," Ana commented with a certain air of complaint.

"Sorry, Ana, I haven't been in much of a mood to go out, let alone see people," Mary said in a low, melancholy tone.

"I know, it's very hard what you're going through." The comforting voice showed empathy for her dear friend. "Look, Ana, I want us to go on a trip so you can distract yourself a little and breathe some fresh air, what do you think?"

A long silence could be heard over the horn, as Ana's voice continued to insist. Mary was staring at the whitish wall from where Will's portrait was looking at her deeply, she could almost feel his presence.

After thinking about it and wanting to get back to her life, she responded to Ana's verbal harassment. "Okay, we can go on a trip, but stop the yelling." Mary blurted out the first joke in a long.

Ana laughed on the other end of the line and started telling her all about the trip. It would be the beach, bikinis, booze, and out of control. Mary laughed and objected to certain details. Night was falling in the city and the two friends set the departure date, in two days.

Mary said goodbye to Ana and thanked her for calling her and inviting her on the trip. She got up from the wooden chair carved with intricate flowers and went to the room where the huge bridal bed was waiting for her, with white sheets and feather pillows, at that moment she remembered the pillow wars with her beloved Will.

After getting ready, she went to sleep and began to dream. She looked in her dream at Will on a beautiful beach with golden sand and the breeze caressing his face, Mary started to run to hug Will and he stopped her saying, "no!"

She awoke startled and felt the soft shelter of the sun's first rays slipping through the Swiss veil curtains. She looked at Will's portrait and convinced herself that it had been merely a dream. She got up and prepared to start the day, as she was going to the kitchen, she looked at Will sitting in that wooden chair and heard him say, "no!"

Mary was scared out of her wits and rushed back to the room. Her uncontrollable nerves made her shake uncontrollably, she didn't know what was happening to her. She went to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face, the refreshing liquid calmed her down and brought her back to her senses.

She carefully got out and reached the living room, but the chair was empty. "You're a fool, Mary," she thought and then breathed a sigh of relief.

She continued with her chores and for the rest of the day everything was normal. Night was falling again and her friend Anne was arriving at the apartment, the doorbell rang with that melodious heavenly sound. Mary hurried to pick up the softly carved cedar doorknob and opened the door.

An embrace sealed the meeting of the two girls and smiles flowed in complicit happiness. "Hello, my dear Mary, how beautiful you look, you'll look so sexy in a bikini." Anne would throw in a joke to cheer up her friend.

"Hey, what a thing to say, shut up you're making me blush." Mary's face would get red hot, then she would say, "Forget I'm wearing a bikini, I warned you. I just want to relax and enjoy the beach."

Ana would take her by the hand and lead her toward the living room. Mary looked back at the wooden chair and saw Will saying, "don't do it!"

Mary collapsed and in her unconscious state looked at the beautiful beach and Will on the horizon. She would run back to her husband, but then the beach would turn into intense fire that devoured everything in its path. She heard Will say, "don't do it."

He opened his eyes and looked at Anne, her face an almost translucent white. "Mary, you scared the hell out of me," Ana was saying to her, slowly regaining her composure.

"Don't worry, it was just something I saw." Mary spoke to her with some trepidation. "I've been seeing Will's soul and it's telling me not to."

"Mary, it's just your imagination, you're still grieving and you miss Will," Anne was telling her with her kind and cheerful tone downplaying what happened. "Come on let's go to sleep, we have to get up early to catch our flight."

She would lift Mary by the arm and they would go to the bedroom, after talking and getting everything ready for the trip, the girls would get ready for bed, setting the alarm clock for the appointed time. They fell asleep, Mary and Ana were in slumber.

The two women were puzzled, looking at that beautiful beach with that crystalline blue reflected on their faces. Will appeared and told them, "don't do it."

Immediately the beach caught fire and Will took them by the hand, they reached the cliff with the fire behind them. Will would throw the girls off the cliff, telling them, "don't do it."

The women woke up frightened and then realized that the alarm clock had gone off. They hurried to get up, but it was too late and they had missed their flight. Ana, with her spirits very low, sat in the living room and next to her Mary, who tried to cheer her up.

After a while a call came in on Ana's cell phone and she listened to what was being said. After a few minutes she hung up and looked at Mary, stunned, and then told her, "Our plane crashed, there were no survivors."

Mary understood everything that had happened with Will's spirit apparition. She looked at the portrait hanging on the wall and could see a smile and then Will's soul telling her, "I love you."

The end

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_{Sources of the cover image Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Edited by Rincón Poético.}

Text authored by:
Camilo Torres
DRA

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