Just Passing Through.

                                          JUST PASSING THROUGH.

         Leila Evans watched rain trickling down the window- pane, as a she lay in the hospice bed looking so frail. She looked at her arms she had become skin and bone the flesh-eating disease had taken its toll. Her once beautiful figure was no more. The long blond hair that her husband John used to enjoy running his fingers through had also gone. She felt old before her time. Her husband John an accountant had provided well for her before his accident. Unfortunately he had died some years before when on the way home from work. When his car had skidded into a tree on an icy ungritted road. Causing him to suffer a sudden heart attack.

She thought about herself how she had become ill after coming home from an holiday spent with friends in Create. She had enjoyed that holiday never knowing what fate had in store for her. At first she had put her illness down to a change of climate and cooler weather. Later finding out that she had a far more serious condition. As the illness had torn at her once soft beautiful skin. That had been when her younger sister had come on the scene taking over Leila's affairs. Leila's husband had never liked Queenie or Fred Thinking them as loud and robust.

Leila had wanted to spend her last days at Pear Tree Cottage with the help of carers. Her greedy family thought otherwise selling her home. Her sister’s cruel words echoed in her mind. “Why stay at the cottage when there is a hospice to care for you?” Queenie’s husband Fred had nodded his head in agreement. Leila had felt, hurt humiliated and rejected by her family.

The people at the hospice were okay they left you alone and gave you plenty of time to think. Her memory went back to her childhood sitting outside in the cold looking after her younger sibling Queenie, while their parents were drinking in the pub.

When she was fifteen, she had started at the market selling eggs. Her mother had demanded, she pay board money towards her keep. Which left her little money to buy clothes and meet up with friends at the local coffee bar in town. When Queenie had started work her mother had said “Our Queenie needs all her money to run a car and she has to look her best to attract a nice young man.” Queenie had never offered to pay anything to her mother.

 Suddenly Leila felt as if she was floating through the air. There were feelings of peace and tranquillity. She watched as the porter at the hospice removed her body and the nurses disinfected the bed. Her body floated above the hospice, over fields of ripe yellow corn, soaring above the trees, into a clear blue sky. She did not feel afraid. 

Leila laughed a deep throaty laugh thinking what was in store for Queenie and Fred. She thought of how the neighbours would complain to the council about Fred’s pigeon droppings on their gardens. Next doors cat would lay the pigeon’s out to rest in a straight line upon the lawn. Each time that Fred bought more birds their fate would be the same. Fred would accuse Queenie of letting the birds out threating her with a knife. She would then run screaming down the lane towards the river. There would be no peace until Queenie had thrown herself off the bridge around the corner from where they lived.

Queenies eyes would be wide open as if she had suffered a massive stroke. This would be due to the shock of seeing a ghostly Lela with long bony finger's dressed in a black cape with blood dripping from her mouth. Push Queenie from the bridge. Queenie would be found floating on a bed of sewerage. Everyone would blame Fred after he had been seen arguing with Queenie. Fred had blown their savings on Rosa the blousy barmaid from the Kings Arms pub. Rosa would tell the police that Fred had murdered his wife to be with her.

     Leila had always enjoyed Halloween; remembering the good times she had spent with her husband John before his passing ten years earlier. She watched as the children played trick and treat around the houses. Soon people would appear as ghouls, skeletons and witches, ready to party. Let the memories flow. It was her time to watch the joy of the season unfold.

There was an eerie laugh as the wind blew through the trees an owl hooted. While the trees cast dark shadows amid a dusky midnight sky, Soon other ghouls and ghosts would appear as the moon shone so bright in the sky. A baby would cry as an owl took a field mouse by surprize. Running stumbling, palpitations of the heart the poor creature stood no chance of survival, as the owl carried off its prey.

Oh, let the winds blow and the chill in the air continue, as babies cried sensing the spirts that were about this Halloween. Let it be a message to man that no one could beat the sins they had committed on Earth, once their judgement day arrived. Leila was a strong believer in this, regarding anyone who did wrong to others.

She felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders now that Queen and Fred had suffered for the stress they had caused others.

In fact Fred would lie in prison dreaming about the barmaid who had tricked him out of his savings, thinking that he was just same stupid older man. Leila would torment Fred some more with eerie laughter till he hung himself from his prison cell. Fred and Queenie would join other lost souls that had sinned against others. Never to settle just wonder about lost forever. Yes this was Leila's  time to celebrate and be happy.  After all she was only showing how she felt about Queenie. A mischievous sparkle came to Leila's eyes, her dear John would be so proud of her. Soon they would be together again.