The miracle

It was one unforgettable evening. I returned home from college after a long weary day. I threw my paper files on the writing desk and relaxed myself on the couch in my living room. I am a young girl in my twentyish, chasing for having a determined perfect life. I always dreamt of having a flawless life. A life with everything I ask for, a life with no disappointments, no failures…

But practically, there is no such life with 100% success and 0% failure. Life isn’t a bed of roses. It took time for me to realise what actual life is…

That evening, I refreshed myself and headed to give a surprise visit to my favourite person on earth, Paul. Paul loves Mc Donald’s hamburger and fries more than me. I knocked at the door and stood still waiting for him to open the door. I was waiting for about 10 sec and he didn’t show up. Yeah… You read that right. Just for 10 sec... But it’s kind of unusual to me as he always rushes to the door as soon as he hears someone knocking. This time, I rang the bell and it went ding dong. 

BLANK...

I guessed that he would be dancing on the floor with headphones on, so into the song that his ears failed to notice the loud ding dong sound of the bell. I opened the door quietly and sneaked in.

“Surpriseeee” I said, raising the bags of food into the air I was holding. I stopped my tracks; my wide smile vanished from my face. I dropped the bags immediately and the items crashed against the floor. My teary eyes witnessed Paul, lying unconscious on the floor. I rushed and knelt down beside him and I screamed… 

OMG… Paul... Paul… Please wake up! 

I lifted his head a little bit and made him to lie on my lap. My hands were full of his blood. I was in extreme grief. I immediately grabbed my phone and called the emergency ambulance. They reached his place and took him straight off to the nearby hospital. I was with him at the hospital. I didn’t know what to do or whom to inform. All I wanted was to talk to Paul and make sure that he’s okay. After sometime, the Doctor stepped out of the emergency room. 

“Are you Mr. Paul’s relative?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m. Is he okay?” I asked.

“I’m sorry miss. It’s too late. He must be slipped from the steps and his brain was injured. The blood clotted and he was dead before reaching the hospital.”

I rushed to Paul. He was sleeping peacefully on the bed without giving a damn about anything. He promised me that he would stand by me forever. He failed to keep his promises. I held his hand and patted his silky black hair gently. I didn’t get a chance to say him goodbye. I cried so badly as I experienced hell on that evening. That was such a great loss. 

Paul and I were friends from childhood. I held his hand for the first time when we were 5, playing in the woods and for the last time in the hospital. I loved him so much that my whole world reflected on him. Paul was an optimist. He surrounded himself with positive vibes. He was my personal mentor. 

Two days later….

I found a letter in my mailbox. I opened it. It was written anonymously. The letter read that I had to visit to a particular place and that it was important. There was no proper address mentioned. Instead, it pointed the directions from my home. I followed the directions with the letter in my hand. At some point, I felt like I was the only person walking on that street. I looked around and found none. But still, I was continuing my way to the anonymous person. Finally, I found someone in black attire standing few feet ahead of me. I was not able to see the face of the person clearly. But as my steps were approaching him, the face appeared visibly clear. That’s him…. He was standing in front of me smiling at me. 

“Paul…..” I said in a surprised tone. 

I hugged him so hard that his shirt wiped my tears. He pulled and cheeks and kissed my forehead. 

“I thought you were dead. How is this even possible?” I questioned.

“Yes, I’m” said Paul.

“Then am I hallucinating? Or…. Or is this a dream?” 

“Neither. You can feel my touch, right? Then you are not dreaming.” said Paul. 

He took me to a nearby park which was full of colourful lights and beautiful flowers. I didn’t know that this park even existed. We sat on a bench nearby. I had so many questions regarding his presence, the empty streets. I felt that something unusual was happening. I didn’t want to waste my time in asking those questions. Instead, I wished to spend that day with him. 

“So….Candice, what’s your next plan?” asked Paul.

“How can you behave like nothing happened? You act so normal, Paul. I don’t understand any of the things going on.” I sounded shocking.

“Candice.. I want you to listen to me. What’s happened is over. Past tense. We can’t change or bring back anything. You have to accept the reality. Failures, loss are a part of life. You should be ready to face everything” said Paul, holding my hand.

“These aren’t real? You can’t be with me forever?” I asked.

“No Candice. I’m with you always. You don’t have to worry. I always want you to be happy. Your life has just started. Live it. I’m gonna be with you and you will make me proud. Never give my death as a reason to stop you from achieving your goals. I want my girl to be successful with or without me. And that’s my wish. I love you so much, Candice”, said Paul.

I had no words coming out of my mouth. I literally cried and promised that I would never disappoint him. He plucked a beautiful rose from the park garden and gave it to me. 

“You didn’t have a chance to say me goodbye. I mean, goodbye to my body as my soul is always gonna stick to you”, he chuckled. 

I hugged him for one last time and bid him goodbye.

Candice…. Candiceeee……

I heard a voice. I opened my eyes gently. That’s Georgie, my best friend. She was sitting near me, calling my name for the 100th time. I looked around. I was in my bed. 

“Are you okay, Candice? You were sleeping for almost 11 hrs. I worried that you went unconscious” said Georgie.

I told her that I met Paul and I was with him the whole time. Georgie hugged me and said that they should be a dream as I had been thinking about Paul all the time. 

Maybe she is right. I should have been dreaming, I thought. 

I turned to my left to find my phone to check the time. There, I didn’t find my phone, but the rose which Paul gave me. 

They aren’t just dreams… it’s real, I muttered. I then realised that we were in my psychic otherworld. Paul is somewhere near me. He promised that he would always look for me. I can’t see him, but I can feel him, and I would always love him……