Beyond the Veil

As he walked along the familiar street, Robert whistled a merry melody, the lowering light casting long shadows in front of him. He was looking forward to getting home to Martha after a busy day at his marketing company. Their second wedding anniversary was coming soon. And whilst they loved each other as strongly as ever, recently the intimacy part had waned somewhat.

Anxieties hit him as he came to his detached property. The gate, which is normally locked, was ajar. He had a hazy recollection of locking it earlier that day. He shrugged and said it was just a temporary forgetfulness. His feeling of confusion intensified, though, as he drew nearer to the mansion. The familiar landscaping appeared quietly transformed with the vivid flowerbeds replaced with an oddly new-century style spread.

He fumbled for his keys and wallet, but to his surprise, neither of his pockets had any of these items. He felt a surge of annoyance. He probably left them at the workplace. No one responded when he rang the doorbell. The house stayed silent despite his second attempt, which was a longer and more forceful ring.

He pounded on the door and yelled out, "Martha!?"

No answer. He retreated to the house's rear and peered through the lower windows. With lighter, more elaborate items taking the place of contemporary furniture, the inside took on an air of odd futuristic modernity. His serenity was starting to crumble as panic set in.

As he pounded on the rear door, he yelled out, "Hello, Martha!"

"Please open the door...it's me!"

The curtains were drawn, but he pressed his face against the window, still hoping to see his wife. He hurried back to the front entrance of the home, rang the bell once again, and raised his voice even higher.

"Please open the door!" he screamed.

Out of nowhere, a suspicious-sounding woman's voice resounded inside.

""Who are you? Please go away!!'

Robert was getting increasingly upset and agitated and he again shouted out:

"Please open the door!"

"If you don't go away, I'm calling the police" the strange female voice shot back.

Robert, visibly enraged, slammed his fists on the door. "Who on earth are you? I own this house!

Tell me where my wife is. You have my word that I will get you if you have harm Martha!"

His anger and despair were evident when he pounded the door once more. "Let me in! Let me in!" Robert shouted.

Within moments:

Two uniformed police officers arrived.

"Police, sir! Stop! You will be arrested if you continue attempting to damage the property!" one of them threatened.

After coming to terms with the command Robert grudgingly agreed, attempting to rein in his emotions.

. "Excuse me, officer, this is my residence. Who owns it? Me. I can't find my keys, and there's a strange person inside. I expect my wife to be here. I'm concerned about her safety!"

With one cop keeping a safe distance while being within earshot, Robert was taken away from the front entrance. The other officer rang the doorbell and said in a loud voice:

'This is an urgent matter, we are the police and we are here to help. The door has to be opened."

There was a little pause before the door swung wide, exposing a young woman in a work tunic.

"Okay, I rang you. I am Julie, and I am Martha's caregiver. She is weak and old, and now this weird man has shown up, frightening us and making a nuisance of himself."

She gave an enraged gaze in the direction of Robert.

"It's all lies!" Robert spoke very loudly. "Martha and I live here. This woman does not live here. Who is she? Why is she in my house?"

Then from behind the door an old woman shuffled into view, her weight resting on a cane. She was dressed in black with a veil covering her face.

"I am Martha," she whispered with a fragile yet audible voice.

"Only my carer, Julie, lives with me here. Just what is the reason for this uproar?"

Robert became silent, shocked to his core. His jaw dropped in disbelief and exclaimed:

"Who on earth are you? My wife is missing. Who are you people, and you are not Martha ...and so where is she!"

With a gentle movement of the veil, the woman's creased and aged face was shown— a face that looked to be at least ninety years old—was revealed.

 "I am Martha," her voice quivered barely. "But I wonder, who the hell are you?"

A flood of hopelessness engulfed Robert as he stared at the wrinkled face. "Oh, Martha... my Martha... Is that you?"

 As tears streamed down his cheeks, he knelt down and said:

"What happened, Martha? Tell me what's going on I am your husband Robert!"

Emotion had taken control of him entirely.

His obvious sorrow even affected the police.

Martha, the old woman, spoke again:

.." Am I looking at you, Robert? Surely not... You passed away in a car crash many many years ago ...in about 2025....oh such a distant memory."

With his face twisted in perplexion, Robert with uncontrollable sobbing said:

"What accident? Oh, and what makes 2025 seem like a distant memory? We're in 2025!"

Standing next to Robert, the officer murmured a correction, "Sir, with all due respect, this is 2085 not 2025."

Robert broke down into yet another fit, writhing in agony on the ground.

 His recollection of so long and sixty years of married bliss had mysteriously vanished.

Standing guard at the entrance, the officer glanced over at his partner. "We'll have to take him to the station for further evaluation."

As Robert was led away Martha spoke again her voice quivering with grief:

" Oh, the tragedy, 60 years and we have been apart for all that time..."

As he was brought to the police car parked outside the gate Robert nodded grudging acceptance, but his face still betrayed him. He had to calm himself and figure out what on earth was going on!

After less than an hour in the vehicle Robert- still barely able to control his emotions- was told by one of the policemen to go back to the house which he did without question as he felt drained and defeated.

As he was outside his front door, suddenly Martha appeared.

Now she was radiant and youthful, The make-up and disguise had been removed. Her veil was replaced by brightness in her body and clothes.

She was once again his beloved 2025 wife.

 Robert felt a surge of relief. He soon learnt that Martha, Julie, and a group of other professional actors playing at being police had pulled off an intricate hoax.

Martha had organized them to create with her the illusion of 2085 including having his keys and wallet taken from him without his knowledge and changes to the house and garden.

Martha wanted to show Robert how strong their marriage could and would be in every way.

His temporary anger was quickly replaced with gratitude.

That night with a renewed sense of thankfulness for the value of their time together and the time to come, they both experienced the most intense lovemaking session of their entire lives.