The Garden of Eden

I watched as the doctor plunged a needle into the patient's hand. The injection was slow and steady. The patient was unconscious. She was a young lady. She had cuts and bruises everywhere. I overheard the doctors saying she had been in an accident! Three doctors operated on her. I didn't understand what they were doing, but I knew; if they failed, she would die!

I watched silently through the glass of the operation theatre, as the doctors operated on her. Blood was everywhere! I did not like seeing blood. I turned around and walked towards the couch behind me and sat down. There was no one around. I rested my head on the couch and closed my eyes.

I saw myself running through a beautiful garden. All types of flowers grew around me. The sky was blue as ever and the sun shorn bright! That was when I saw him. He stood there turned away from me, looking at the clear blue sky. I walked towards my husband and held his shoulder. He turned to face me.

He looked as handsome as the first day I had met him. If I didn't know better I would have said he looked younger, but I knew that was impossible. Just yesterday we had celebrated 10 years of our life together. I stared at his handsome face remembering how much we had enjoyed. We had gone out for a movie and then had gone dancing. We were out till past midnight. I smiled.

"Rick," I whispered his name.
"What are you doing here, Jen?" He asked.
"I came looking for you," I replied.
Rick shook his head. "You shouldn't be here." He said.
I was confused. "Why?" I asked.
Rick looked into my eyes and gave me a painful smile. "You know why." He said, as he pulled me towards him and hugged me tight.

I tried to remember as I hugged him. Where was I? Was this a dream? I remembered the hospital. I was watching an operation and then I had walked towards the couch! Maybe I had fallen asleep! Yes, that must be it! I shut my eyes as I held on to Rick. He didn't move or say a word, but hugged me silently. That's when I saw it. A bright light speeding towards me!

"No!" I screamed as I opened my eyes! I looked around. Rick was gone! The garden had disappeared. I was back in the hospital, sitting on the couch. I panicked! I stood up and ran back towards the operation theatre and stood near the glass. That was when I noticed it! The patient was slightly light skinned with long black hair. Her face had blood all over it, but I knew who she was! A tear escaped my eye as I realised who I was staring at. She was me!

I remembered it all! It was our anniversary. Rick and I had gone partying. We had had a few drinks. I wanted to take a cab but Rick had insisted he was good enough to drive. We had come half the distance, and that's when a truck had come out of nowhere and hit us! Rick! Where was he?

I ran out of the operation theatre to the main hospital wards. I ran from room to room searching. Rick was nowhere to be found! Finally I had nowhere to look, except the morgue! Tears rolled down my cheeks as I feared the worst. Rick was no longer alive! I walked slowly towards the morgue. A new body had just arrived, and a few nurses were examining it. I walked closer. It was Rick.

"They were in an accident." I heard one nurse say to the other.
"They?" The other asked.
"His wife was there too. He died on the spot, but the wife is still alive. She's being operated on right now!"

Rick had died on the spot! I was devastated. I slowly made my way back towards the operation theatre. As I peered through the glass I realised that the operation was almost done. The patient was starting to breathe again on her own; I was starting to breathe. No! I said to myself. I refuse to be alive without him; without Rick! I wiped my tears and looked back at my body that lay on the operation table. I looked around. Earlier there had been three doctors working on me but now, I saw a fourth figure.

He was not a doctor. It was a dark shadow lurking around my body. The reaper? Angel of death? I blinked and looked again. He had his back turned to me. I couldn't see his face but then, he spoke.

"If I look you in the eye you will die," he said. "But right now I can cure you. You will be drawn back into your body."
"I don't want to live," I said. "If you are going to send me back, I want Rick back too!"
"That's impossible," he said. "He was too broken; even for me to fix."
"Then I've made my decision!" I said.

The dark figure turned towards me. I looked towards him, as I felt the power slowly drain out of me. Finally, I looked him in the eye. The last thought I remember was seeing his big yellow eyes; before shutting my own eyes, and starting to drift away.

I opened my eyes. I was back in the garden. Rick was still hugging me tight! I pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"I am staying!" I said.
Rick smiled at me. "You are beautiful as the first day I met you!" he said.
"And you are the most handsome man I have ever seen!" I replied, smiling.

The pain was gone, the scars had disappeared; the shadow was no longer there. The beauty had returned; the love of my life was standing next to me! I looked up at the clear blue sky.

"Thank you!" I whispered. This was much better than everything I'd ever had!

Angel without wings

Have you seen an angel? Well, I have. Angels are invisible, some of you may say, but no! Some angels live among us, hidden. It’s just a matter of being able to recognise one when you see them. I am happy to say I have met an angel, and I was able to recognise his true self. I have seen the angel covered behind the mask the world saw. I am happy to say, I have found a true guardian angel.

Even through this angel did not have wings or a halo (or maybe they were just invisible), even though this angel did not glow in the dark; he had done so many miracles in this world. This angel had saved so many lives, protected so many people, helped so many lost souls, and guided so many troubled hearts into the arms of God. He knew the Bible like the back of his own hand. This is the story of one true angel, a rare guardian angel, sent by God to protect the people he loved, and I believe I was blessed when he walked into my life. I believe I am lucky to have been one of the people he had protected and looked out for.

When I first met him I saw him as a regular guy living an ordinary life, but once I got to know him better I knew that there was no other person worth getting to know as much as him. By looks he was a regular guy, tall, muscular, and quite charming. He did everything a normal guy did, including trying to work out or go to the gym. But he was also blessed with an amazing mind and a beautiful loving and caring heart. Unfortunately, not everyone saw it.

Just like a heavenly figure lost in the midst of human beings, this angel was quite misunderstood. The more he tried to help people, the more he was judged and attacked. The more he tried to be kind and gentle, the more he was tagged as a person using people for his own benefit. To some people he was a cheat, to some people he was a flirt, to some people he was a nobody, and sometimes he was misjudged not only by the world but also by his close friends and family; but he still continued to do good to the world anyway!

Unfortunately the more good he did, the worse his reputation shattered. People around him judged him so badly and created rumours so harsh that his character was affected deeply; so deeply that his true self had to be buried in a mask in front of people. The mask covered him to the extent that his true self was not visible to the world anymore. Among people, he was just another guy.

The angel was hurt and depressed. He did not want to stay on earth anymore. He wanted to be free. He wanted to fly away so badly that he kept repeating this verse over and over in his mind.

“This world is not my home

Although it seems to be

My home is with my God

In the place he made for me

He’s coming back real soon

The signs are very clear

So when the trumpet sounds

I’ll be outta here”

I don’t’ know how people misunderstood him. If they had tried to get to know him better without just judging him, maybe they also would have seen the beautiful angel I saw. Maybe they also would have seen him for his true self, his true form. He has told me so many times how God communicates with him through music. I have seen it happen right in front of my own eyes. God DJ’d for him, and that made him happy. When I was next to him, surprisingly God Dj’d for me too.

This angel had helped me out on multiple occasions. He had not only guided me to God, and helped me to confide in Him for all my problems, but this angel had also helped me understand myself. He showed me that there is more to me than I had ever known. He showed me that I was more powerful than I had ever imagined. I know I am nothing but just a human being, but sometimes I wished from the bottom of my heart to have the ability of helping him back, returning the favour. I wished for God to show me what I could do to keep his true self alive. I wanted him to feel accepted, understood, loved and cared for, not for being the mask, but for being the true angel he was.

I know he will not be on earth forever. I know he will leave this world someday for his own good once his mission was fulfilled. It could be today, tomorrow or in 10 or 20 years, but once that day comes, when he finally decides to stretch out his hidden wings and fly, I wished to be there next to him. I wished to hold his hand for the very last time, as he took off. I would smile at him, as he would ascend into heaven. As much as it would be sad for me to watch him leave, deep down I will be happy watching his dream come true. I will be happy knowing he is finally happy, and that his mission on earth was fulfilled. He would be with God, exactly where he wanted to be, and someday at the end of days if I am bleassed enough to go to Heaven, I will see him again. I know he will welcome me with open arms and walk me to meet God. On that day I can thank God for how much he had blessed me, for giving me the best guardian angel ever!

Reflection

Darkness surrounded me, unknown voices calling out to me. I looked around but could see nobody. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head. “What have you done?” it said. It sounded like my own voice. How was that possible? The darkness suddenly brightened. I looked around, realizing that I was in my own room standing near the bed, facing the mirror. I saw the reflection of my bed through the mirror. I did not need to turn back to realize someone was lying on my bed! Who was that? I wondered. I turned around and walked towards the bed. The sheets were covering what looked like a human figure. It was a person. I reached out for the sheets and pulled them back!

I could not believe my eyes! The person lying in my bed was…ME! How was it possible? I went back to face my mirror. What had happened? I searched my mind. Then suddenly, it all came back!

I had not been the best person I could have been. I had not been the best daughter, best sister, best friend or the best girlfriend I could have been, I realized. It was the sad truth. I was a person who was hated by the society, who was neglected by my friends, and who was not trusted by my family. If I had gone out with my friends and come home late, my parents would blame not only me, but everyone around me as well. According to them either I was a bad influence to them, or they were to me.

That’s when I had decided to end it all! I had gotten my friends to get me enough and more sleeping tablets, and the previous night I had taken them all just before getting into bed! Sudden panic struck my heart! Was my heart even beating? I wondered. No! I thought. I looked harder deep into the mirror and stared at myself more closely. That’s when I noticed the signs. My face was pale as ever, my lips redder than it was before. I had slight dark circles under my eyes, and suddenly as I watched I could see reflections of things behind me, right through me! I stretched my hand towards the mirror, and it went right through it. No! I thought. The pills had worked! I was dead!

I turned back and ran towards the bed. My body lay still as I watched. Then I heard footsteps, followed by voices. My family was back. My brother and sister walked into the room. My sister walked right though me, as I stood in front of the door. I watched as they shook my body, asking me to wake up. After few seconds they knew something was wrong. They screamed for my parents, who rushed into the room immediately. My mom sprinkled water on my face, but it had no effect. My dad was checking my pulse. After few minutes they realized I was no longer in this world. I felt the panic flood through as I watched their confused, sad expressions. I watched them as their hearts broke. I watched them panic, run around, scream, cry and make hundreds of calls. What have I done? I thought to myself. Was it really worth it? I had been a failure in life, but these people actually cared about me, and I had failed them!

Like a shadow lurking in the darkness, I had silently watched as my family and friends prepared for my funeral service. I heard people whispering about me. She committed suicide… Did not think of her parents who gave birth to her… Stupid girl! They had not known what I was going through each day, I thought. My close friends had a different reaction. They blamed everyone around me, who had caused me to make such a drastic decision. So many people judged me! I saw the faces of my parents, siblings, friends, colleagues flash in front of my eyes. I saw the reactions of each one of them! I saw the amount of tears I had caused. This was not a funeral, but literally a war! What had I done? I had created a war!

I could not go like this! I needed a second chance! I wanted to apologize to the whole world for what I had done! I knew my family would suffer for the rest of their lives! I knew I would be remembered not as the person I was, but as the girl who killed herself over something. No one actually even knew the proper reason why I had killed myself. I went back to the mirror in my room. I wanted the reflection to change! I wanted a second chance, a chance to make it work, a chance to be there for my family and friends! I stared at myself in the mirror and prayed. I prayed to have a second chance, a chance to show the world the real me! I closed my eyes, and I felt my heart burn.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was lying on my bed. Was it a dream? I looked at my left hand. Nothing transparent! My right palm had a few pills clutched. Sleeping pills! So I hadn't taken them! I felt relieved. I was not dead! I was alive! I jumped out of my bed and ran in front of the mirror. The paleness of my skin, the redness of my lips, the dark circles under my eyes were all gone! I was me again! I felt relieved! Thank God! It was only a dream!

I heard footsteps of my brother and sister behind me. I was ready! Ready to actually live! Ready to change the way I thought, and the way I lived. I ran out of my room to greet them with a big smile on my face, and I knew that no matter how hard life got, suicide was not an option. It won’t be only yourself you will be murdering, but also the spirit of each and every one who had ever cared about you in your entire life! I decided, never to put tears into someone else’s eyes. I am not living my life for myself anymore, but simply I am living for the people around me, and based on that thought, I am ALIVE!

Through the eyes of a killer

Chrissy walked towards Jake, excited to hear about her first assignment. It was her first day working as a cop. Jake had been a cop for the past ten years. The force had assigned him to guide her simply because of his experience. Chrissy was happy she had got Jake. He was cool. He laughed and joked even while on the job unlike most cops.

"Here you go," Jake said, handing over her a file. "It's your first job."
"Thanks," Chrissy said, as she took it. She opened the file to find information on a dark haired lady in her mid thirties. She had just called 911 ten minutes ago as her burglar alarm had gone off.
"Come on," Jake said. "Let's go."

Chrissy looked out of the window as Jake parked his car in front of a large, modernised house, in the middle of a beautiful garden.
"You take the front door," Jake said. "I'll take the back." Chrissy obeyed.
As Chrissy walked towards the front door she noticed a CCTV camera watching her from the front porch. By the look of it, the house had all the security it needed.

"Mrs. Spence," she called out as she turned the door knob. The door opened. So it wasn't locked, Chrissy thought. She looked at the alarm that had gone off. It was turned off. So there was a burglar! He could still be in. Chrissy pulled out her gun, ready to attack. She silently made her way towards the living room.

"Chrissy...!" Chrissy turned around at the sound of a faint voice. It was a little girl. Chrissy lowered her gun.
"Who are you?" she asked. "You called me Chrissy! How did you know my name?"
The girl took a few steps back, as Chrissy walked towards her. She had long dark hair and wore a long white dress. Her dress had a red bow on the waist. Something in Chrissy's mind clicked. Do I know this girl? She wondered.

Chrissy blinked, and suddenly the girl was gone. Chrissy lowered her gun and ran towards the place the girl had been standing. There was not even a trace of her. Weird, Chrissy thought. She looked towards her right. A staircase! Chrissy held out her gun once again, and walked up the stairs. The staircase led to a hallway. There were a few doors on either side of the hallway, but the very last door caught Chrissy's eye. It was a drawing on the door. A drawing of a family; a man, a woman and a little girl!

Chrissy walked towards the door and opened it. The room was empty. However, it was clear that the owner of this room was no doubt the little girl she had seen before. The room was pink. Pink walls, pink bed spread, pink cupboard, pink dresser; even the window sills were pink. A photo frame on the dresser caught Chrissy's eye. She walked towards the dresser and picked it up. It was of the same girl she had seen before.

Suddenly, there was a flash. I know this girl, Chrissy thought. But how? Nothing came to her mind. Think Chrissy, think! She forced herself. Chrissy walked towards the bed and sat down with the photo in her hand. How do I know you? She wondered, staring at the photo. Suddenly, it all came back!

Her memory flew back by five years. It was the time she was with Alexander, a thief who had offered her a job. A job to steal! Chrissy had broken into a few houses with Alex. They had always shared what they stole. After a few months Chrissy wanted to give up stealing. One day she had walked towards Alex with this question in her mind.
"Alex, let's stop this business," she had said.
"Sure," Alex had replied. "After one last job!"
One last job! That wasn't so bad, Chrissy had thought. If only she had known that that job would change her life!

Chrissy and Alex were to rob one last house. They set off in a stolen van one late night. The owner of this house was Mrs. Spence, a lady who was recently divorced. She was out of town on a business trip. The house was meant to be empty that night. As usual Chrissy had picked the lock. They had walked in and were collecting goods when suddenly they heard the sound of a phone click. Was someone there? Had someone called the police?

Chrissy and Alex had rushed to the staircase taking two-three steps at a time. As they walked through the hallway Chrissy had noticed the door. The door with the drawing! It was this very same room. As Alex kicked open the door the first thing they noticed was a little girl crying in the corner. Chrissy remembered the white dress with a red bow. The child had the phone in her hand. Alex had taken out a gun and aimed it at the little girl.

"No, don't!" Chrissy had screamed. "She's only a child!" Alex had handed over the gun to Chrissy and had walked towards the child. She had started crying even louder.

"Don't hurt me!" she had said. "My mommy will be here soon!" Chrissy had watched as Alex took out a knife, ready to stab the child.
"Alex! No!" Chrissy had screamed. She had pointed the gun towards Alex. Alex had held the little girl in front of him. Just then the police had broken in. Chrissy had panicked, and pulled the trigger!

Chrissy blinked her tears. She was still sitting on the bed in the same room. She looked towards the door and saw Jake staring at her.
"It was me!" she said. "I killed her!"
"Yes," Jake replied. "You did!"
"But it was a mistake! I wasn't going to kill her!"
"I know!" Jake said. "The police startled you." He walked towards her and pointed at the girl in the picture. "You shot her that night Chrissy."
Tears rolled down Chrissy's cheeks as she thought about it. She remembered it! She remembered the little girl, her face, her expression, her white dress covered in blood, and her lifeless body fall down! Chrissy had shot a child.
"I remember!" she told Jake.
"That's good," he replied. "It means the exercise worked!"
"Exercise?" Chrissy asked.
"I'm not a cop Chrissy," Jake said. "I'm a doctor. I have been your psychiatrist for the past five years. Pretending to be a cop was the last exercise I could do to help you remember!"

Chrissy watched as few armed cops walked into the room.
"You're under arrest Ma'am!" one of them said, as he handcuffed her.
"I have one more question," Chrissy said, as she looked at Jake. "What about Alex? Where is he? Is he in jail? Or did the cops shoot him?"
"Alex?" Jake asked. "No Chrissy, you broke into this house alone. There is no such person as Alex!"
"But I don't understand... We robbed together! All the time!"
"Alex was an imaginary figure your mind created, so that you wouldn't have to take the blame for all the robbing you did on your own! And that includes the murder of this little girl!" Jake explained. "Alex was never real!"

The Best Valentine’s Gift Ever

Rachel looked at the silver watch she wore. It had been a gift from Brian on her birthday last year. It read 7.30 pm. Brian was late. The waiter walked up to her for the fifth time.

"Miss," he said. "I'm sorry you will have to make an order if you want to stay any further."
"Could I wait just five more minutes?" Rachel pleaded. She was worried. Brian had never been this late for a date before. He was always on time! Sometimes he even came ahead of time.
"Miss I'm sorry," the waiter started again. "It's Valentine's Day and there are so many people outside waiting for a table. If you are not going to order anything I will have to ask you to leave."
It was Valentine's Day. Brian was late for their first Valentine's dinner.
"Ok," she told the waiter. "In that case, I'll have a coffee."

Once the waiter had left, Rachel buried her head in her palms. Brian, where are you? She wondered. Rachel and Brian had been dating for nine months and two weeks now. Brian was a businessman and had always been a busy guy. They had very little time to meet as Brian had his clients to take care of. However, he loved Rachel dearly and always made it on time for their dates, except for today.

Rachel smiled as she thought about Brian. Two weeks ago, Brian had asked Rachel what she wanted to do for their first Valentine's Day together.
"Cancel all your meetings and spend the whole day with me," she had answered playfully. Brian had smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulder.
"You know I can't take the whole day off sweetie," he had said.
"I know," Rachel had said smiling.
"However, I can promise to meet you for a nice romantic dinner!" he had said, giving her a slight kiss on the lips. Rachel smiled as she put her arms around him.
"Ok," she had said. "Dinner it is!"
They had agreed to meet at Hotel Shanghai at 7 pm, which was the closest to Brian's office.

The waiter had brought the coffee, and Rachel took another look at her watch as she drank it. Another 15 minutes had passed and Brian still hadn't shown up. Rachel picked up her mobile and dialed Brian's number for the third time since she had come. No answer! Rachel was now getting impatient. Brian had never stood her up before, but why today? On Valentine's Day!

Suddenly, a strong pair of hands covered Rachel's eyes.
"Brian!" Rachel's heart jumped as she held his hands. Brian smiled as he took his hands off Rachel's eyes and sat next to her. The first thing Rachel noticed was a huge bouquet of roses lying next to her on the table. Rachel smiled as she took them in her hands.
"It's beautiful!" She said. "Thank you Brian."
"I'm sorry," Brian said. "I had some important things to take care of before I made it here."
"What important things?" Rachel asked.
"Like getting something special made for the lovely lady sitting next to me," Brian answered. Rachel turned red as Brian put his hand into the pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a little black box.
"What is that?" Rachel asked.

Brian did not answer, instead he stood up. Rachel was confused. Brian took her by the hand and lead her to stand up. Rachel stood up. She could feel everyone staring at her. Brian let go of her hand and opened the little black box. Inside it was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in her life. Brian held her hand again and got down to his knees in front of her. Tears curled up in Rachel's eyes.

"Will you marry me?" Brian asked her. Tears escaped out of Rachel's eyes as she looked at Brian. His face was full of hope. Hope for her to give a positive answer.
"Yes," Rachel replied. "Yes!" Brian stood up, and slipped the ring into Rachel's finger. The crowd applauded as Rachel hugged Brian. This was the best Valentine's Day ever! It was truly a dream come true!

A gift from Santa

Ten year old Timmy opened his eyes. It was Christmas Eve. He got out of bed and walked towards the window. It was beautiful to look outside from the large window on the second floor dormitory, of St. Clair's Orphanage. It was snowing, but he could clearly see the beauty of the street. The sidewalks were covered with snow. All the houses around were decorated with various Christmas decorations. The street was full of seasonal shops. Christmas lights blinked throughout the neighbourhood, blending in all colours. A huge Christmas tree in the middle of the block lit up the area. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall of his dormitory. It read eleven pm.

Timmy turned back away from the window towards his big wide dormitory and made his way back to bed. There were ten beds lined up in this hall. Nine other boys were fast asleep. It would be Christmas in an hour. The whole world would be celebrating. Santa Claus would visit the children around the world. Not all children, he thought to himself. Timmy had been in St. Clair's for five years now, but Santa Clause had never once visited him or anyone else at St. Clair's.

As Timmy got into bed, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine the last time he had spent Christmas with his parents. It was before the accident. The tragic car accident that had ended the lives of his parents! Fading memories came back. Timmy had been four during their last Christmas. He couldn't remember much, but he could remember his mother's smiling face, and the Christmas tree they had in the living room. His father had always worn a Santa hat on Christmas Eve, and had brought him various gifts. Santa Clause had come that night, for the last time in his life. Santa had brought Timmy a toy car. A gift that he loved! Unfortunately he had lost the car when social services had moved him to the orphanage after his parents had passed.

Timmy opened his eyes at the sound of crackers. It was midnight. Timmy jumped out of bed and ran towards the window. The others were also now awake. All the boys in St. Clair's orphanage, Dormitory Nine rushed towards the window. They smiled and chatted away as they watched the fire crackers. Timmy looked around. People were dancing on the street around the Christmas tree. Children dressed in red were singing carols happily.

"Hey, look! It's Santa!" eight year old Nick, who was standing just behind Timmy screamed. Timmy followed his friend's gaze and looked at a guy in a red Santa suite. That's not the real Santa, he thought. The guy was chubby, and had the features of the original Santa, but Timmy knew he was a fake. Timmy watched as this Santa look alike picked up candy from his sack and distributed to the people around. Timmy watched as the children who were singing carols now danced around Santa.

"Why doesn't Santa come to us?" Nick asked.
"He's not real Nick," Timmy answered. "If he was real, I guess he does not visit children living in orphanages."
"But he's supposed to visit everyone!" Nick said, disappointed.
"Then maybe we have been naughty!"

As Timmy watched Santa dance around, he hoped and prayed that they would have some happiness on Christmas. Just as his hope was fading, suddenly Santa looked up, right at their orphanage. Was he looking at us? Timmy wondered. Santa raised his hand and waived. The boys waved back. Timmy watched as Santa waved once again, gesturing them to come down.

"We should go!" Nick screamed, excited as he ran off towards the door. The other boys followed. Timmy took it slow. He walked slowly out of his dormitory and made his way towards the main entrance. All the kids in the whole orphanage were outside. He assumed everyone may have been watching the street just like himself.

As Timmy made his way towards the street, his friends had already begun dancing around Santa. Timmy silently walked towards the street and stood in the sidewalk. He did not join his friends, but watched silently, trying not to get noticed. However Santa stopped his dance and walked towards him.

"What's your name son?" he asked as he bent down near Timmy.
"Timmy," Timmy replied.
"Why are you not out there enjoying the Christmas spirit? Don't you like Santa Claus?"
"You're not Santa," Timmy replied. "Santa always ignores orphans."
"Well son, yes I'm not the real Santa Claus," Santa replied. "But every year I dress as Santa Claus and visit towns full of kids just like you, simply to put a smile on their faces."
Timmy watched as Santa opened his bag and pulled up a package. He handed it over to Timmy.
"I wanted a child worthy to receive this special gift," he said. "Go ahead, open it."

Timmy ripped off the wrapping and opened the box. As Timmy pulled out what was inside, his eyes filled with tears. He could not believe his eyes. Inside was a remote control car, very much like the car he had received years ago. It brought back memories of his parents. Timmy blinked off his tears and smiled.

"Thank you!" he said, as he hugged Santa. He had given Timmy more than just a gift. Timmy had just received something to keep reminding him of his parents. It was a gift worth a lifetime!

Ghost of Halloween

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sandy asked. Sam walked beside her and put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a slight nudge towards him.
"Don't worry!" he said. "I'm here! We all are; we are doing this together!"

Sandy and her boyfriend, Sam, together with their two best friends, Aaron and Anna had walked into what looked like a five hundred year old worn out church. It's just a church, Sandy had first thought, but now she had the creeps. Was this the best way they could think of to spend Halloween? Why couldn't they just dress up and go for a late night costume party like every other guy and girl their age? Why spend the night in an ancient church relating ghost stories?

This whole expedition had been Sam's idea. Sandy had met Sam few months back just as she joined uni. He was an explorer. He liked travelling, looking for ancient places, relics, and photographing them. Some of Sam's pictures had won awards simply because he had reached places no one else would dare to. This church was one of those places. It was rumoured to be haunted.

Aaron took the first step into the church with his flash light shinning ahead. Anna followed, aiming her cell phone light at Aaron. "Come on," Sam said as he took Sandy by the hand and led her in, his other hand tightly wrapped around his camera. Sandy let herself follow Sam.

The church was dark, a stream of moonlight shining through the large window, with Aaron's flashlight adding to it. There were huge pictures, images from the bible and a large human size cross hanging right in the middle of the church, just above the altar. Sam had now let go of Sandy's hand and was taking pictures of whatever he saw. Sandy looked down at the floor. She was walking on plain cement, but something about it felt weird.

"Guys, I found something!" Everyone rushed to the far corner of the church following Anna's voice. Anna was flashing her cell phone screen at the cement. A dark red stain was on it. Sandy took a closer look and realised that it seemed to be a hand print. Blood? She wondered.
"Is that blood?" Aaron asked, reading her mind. Sam started flashing his camera on the print. "This church was abandoned centuries ago," Aaron continued. "I'm sure there was a pretty good reason for it."

"Ghosts can't haunt churches right?" Sandy asked. "Churches are holy!"
"Oh please Sandy, grow up!" Aaron said. "Who said anything about ghosts? Ghosts aren't real. There are other things we should worry about. Like serial killers!"
"Come on guys," Sam said. "Let's find a place to sleep."

Sandy hated it. The church, the darkness, the blood! It all seemed like something out of a horror movie. She half expected a serial killer to come running towards them with a knife waving in the air. Sam would have realised that she looked miserable. He walked up to her and put his hand around her waist, and led her towards the centre of the church, right in front of the altar.

The area had enough room to spread out their sleeping bags. One by one the sleeping bags were unfolded and the four got into them. Sam was still taking pictures as Aaron and Anna were laughing and joking about ancient myths. Anna had a wild idea that this church had a hidden bell that rang every Halloween precisely at midnight. It was a sign for the murders that had happened here centuries ago.

"Murders?" Sandy asked. "Who died here?"
Anna looked at her. "Come on, sit around. I'll tell you the story!" The group sat in a circle, the flashlight standing in the centre. "Ok so this is how it happened!" she started. "Once, there was a priest, who lived here centuries ago. People loved him so much. He was good, kind, did a lot of good deed, but there was one problem." Sandy blinked and leaned close to Sam.

"This priest had a helper. He looked like a normal guy, mid twenties probably, but he was a seriously troubled guy! His parents had died in a fire when he was little. Some people said that he set that fire, but that could not be proved. This guy was different, people thought even though he worked for the church he didn't believe in God. He was more like a devil worshiper. One day on Halloween, this guy wore a demon costume and came to the priest. The priest got so angry and chased him away. The priest called him a devil worshiper and had him banished! This guy got so mad that he tied the priest's limbs, and hung him on the top of the bell! The next morning when people visited the church, they found the priest hanging on the bell."  

"But I have never seen a bell in this church! Not even in the garden!" Sandy said.

"There is one Sandy!" Anna said. "No one has seen it. They say that to honour the priest the people in the town hid the location of the bell. But every Halloween at midnight, the exact time the priest was murdered the bell rings itself!"

The group was silent for a few seconds. Everyone was stunned by Anna's story. Was it true? Sandy wondered. Was there really a hidden bell here? Did a murder really happen here? That patch on the cement, was that really centuries old blood?

"So if this is true," Sam said looking around. "Today is Halloween, and in a couple of minutes it will be midnight!" Sam looked at his watch. "Actually it will be in exactly ten seconds... five... four... three... two... one!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!
The group screamed at the sound of the bell! It was true! The story was true!

"I'm leaving!" Sandy screamed as she stood up and ran out of the church.
"Sandy, wait!" Sam said, running behind her, Aaron and Anna followed.
"Sandy, come on!" Anna screamed. "The story is not real! I made it up!"

As Aaron and Anna reached the entrance to the door they found Sam standing alone. Sandy was nowhere in sight.
"Where is she?" Anna asked Sam.
"I don't know," he replied. "I was right behind her! But as soon as she ran out of the door, she was gone!"
"Hey guys," Aaron said. "What's that?" Everyone turned to look at where Aaron was pointing his flashlight. In the far corner of the church garden, there seemed to be an old pile of hay. There was something behind it. The three of them ran closer, to see that it was none other than an old pile of rock covered by hay. On top of the rock there was the most rusted old bell they had ever seen!

"It's a bell!" Anna said. "Oh my God!"
"That story was fake right? You made it up!" Sam screamed. "Please tell me you made it up!"
"I did!" Anna screamed. "I don't understand! I was only trying to scare you guys! It was not real!"

"It is real!" The three of them spun around at the sound of Sandy's voice, to see her standing in the darkness. However, she was different. She was wearing a long black cloak; her face was covered beneath the cloak.
"Come one Sandy, cut it out!" Sam said. "The game's over! Let's go home."
"I am not Sandy!"
"Then who are you?" Aaron snapped.
"I am the one you came looking for! I am the one who killed the priest!"
Aaron tried to run, Anna tried to scream, Sam tried to hold Sandy, but none of it happened. They couldn't move!
"Sandy, please!" Sam managed to choke out. "I love you! Don't do this!"
"I'm not your girlfriend Sam," Sandy replied. "I never was! I have always been the one preparing my bait every year and killing people in this garden on Halloween, ever since the priest banished me! Yes it was me! I was the priest's helper, even though I was a girl! I have always been the ghost of Halloween! I forever will; and now, it's your turn to die!"