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!"

Be careful what you wish for

Fifteen year-old Jenna Styles walked towards the door as the door bell rang. She looked at the grandfather clock standing in the living room and frowned. It was one in the morning. Who would be visiting at this time? Jenna's parents were out of town and her ninety year-old grandmother was fast asleep in her room.

Jenna silently marched towards the door and unlocked it. She turned the door knob and slowly opened the door. Jenna looked around but she could not see anyone. Strange! She thought. She took a step outside. Her foot knocked on something hard on the ground. Jenna looked down to see a black box, lying at her feet. It had a silver ribbon running around it with a big bow right on the top. Someone had left a gift.

Jenna picked it up. It was a little heavy. She looked around one more time to see if the person who left the parcel was still around. She couldn't see anyone. Jenna walked back into the house and locked the door behind her. What could this possibly be? Who was it for? Jenna turned the box around, looking for a name. There was no name.

Jenna walked into the living room and switched on the television. She didn't want to go back to sleep. She was awake at 1 am simply because she wasn't in the mood to sleep. Just couple of days back she had found her boyfriend, Will, cheating on her. What was even worse was that he had been cheating on her with none other than her own best friend, Katie. She wasn't even that pretty but clearly, Will found her more attractive. But right now Jenna was distracted from all of that. Clearly this mystery box was far more interesting than her sloppy love life.

Jenna increased the volume of the TV and jumped onto the sofa with the mystery box on her lap. "Ok, now let's see what you are." She calmly removed the silver bow and started unpacking the box. She opened the lid of the box which revealed a glass ball. A crystal ball? She wondered. Nah! That's a myth! Jenna didn't believe in magic. However the crystal ball sure was amazing. It had a nice bronze stand and the glass was simply shinning. It was so beautiful to look at. She looked hard at the ball leaning closer towards it. Closer... closer... closer... The tip of her nose was now almost touching the surface.

'You have one wish!' Jenna jumped back as the words flashed across the crystal ball. "Wow, interesting effect!" The surface must have some kind of heat sensor inside it. That's why it flashed just as she went closer, she thought. "Ok," Jenna said, as if she was challenging the crystal ball. "Since I don't believe in magic I'll make one wish! Let's see if it works!" Jenna smiled. Only one face appeared in her mind as she thought about what she wanted. How many times had she wished for Katie to disappear? Nothing had happened before, and she was sure nothing will happen now. But she wanted to try it anyway. "I wish that Katie Simpson will disappear forever!" She looked around, half expecting something to happen. Flickering lights? Earthquake? Nothing! Oh how stupid! She thought, laughing at herself. She looked at the TV to watch the last ten minutes of Fright Night, and turned it off. Horror movies are stupid, she thought as che put the crystal ball back into the box and carried it into her bedroom. An hour had passed since she had opened the door. It was now time to sleep.

Jenna had had a peaceful morning the following day. She had forgotten all about the crystal ball, and hadn't seen Katie or Will the entire day. She followed her normal routine of classes and had a normal lunch. During the first lecture after lunch her principal, Mr Matthews had come running into the classroom and had said something to her class teacher, Mrs Smith. Mrs Smith had immediately cancelled the lecture and rushed out with Mr Matthews.

"I wonder what that was about," Jenna said to Mary, the girl who sat beside her.

"Oh dint you hear?" Mary asked.

"Hear what?"

"Katie is missing," Jenna's heart stopped as she looked at Mary.

"Missing?" Jenna muttered.

"Yeah!" Mary continued. "No one has seen her since last night. Her parents say she went to bed but in the morning when her mom went into her room she wasn't there! No one has heard from her and none of her friends know where she is!"

"Oh!" Was it her fault? Jenna wondered. She had wished for Katie to disappear! "I gotta go."

Jenna picked up her books and ran out of the classroom. She couldn't stay for another lecture. She packed her bag and ran home, straight into her room and shut the door behind her. She threw the bag onto her bed and picked up the mystery box off her dresser. If the crystal ball had really done it maybe she could reverse it back. She didn't have any intention of actually hurting Katie. Where was she? Was she ok? Could she be... dead?

Jenna opened the box to pick up the crystal ball. No! The box was empty! Where was it? Jenna looked around, trying to think if maybe she did not put the crystal ball into the box last night. As she searched the dresser she suddenly spotted something that wasn't there before. A glass doll stood on her dresser. It had long blonde hair, wore a stripped pyjama and had dark eyes. Katie! Jenna picked up the doll. She felt tears curling up in her eyes. She wanted the spell reversed! "I wish for this spell to reverse!" She screamed. She looked at the doll as she suddenly felt her hand become stiff. She dropped the doll onto the bed as she felt herself shrink. No! This wasn't happening! "Noooo!" Jenna screamed.

Katie opened her eyes and looked around. Was this Jenna's room? How did she get here? She wondered. Where was Jenna? She stood up and sported a doll lying on the ground. She picked it up. This doll looked so much like Jenna! It was even wearing a cheerleader costume! How stupid of Jenna to keep a doll of herself! Katie thought, laughing. She picked the doll up and put it into a black box she had spotted on the side of the dresser.

"Jenna!" Katie called out. "Wherever you are, I'm going home!" Katie walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.

I am not your enemy

I watched as Mr. Williams, my lawyer prepared the documents, typing and printing page by page neatly. This felt so wrong, but I had no choice. Sadness, hurt, pain, frustration was all I felt. Mr. Williams must have felt the awkward quietness. He suddenly looked up from his computer and turned towards me.

"Now now Jess," Mr. Williams said. "You know this is for your own good right?" I nodded silently. "We have to prepare a good case. When you are questioned you have to tell the judge that Mike cheated on you!"

"What?" I asked. I couldn't do that! I don't know if Mike cheated on me or not. I never saw anything! Should I just jump into conclusions? "But Mr. Williams, I didn't see him cheat on me. I don't know if he did!" That was the truth. Besides, it's Mike who filed the divorce against me. I still could not understand why. The easiest explanation was the fact that he may have cheated, but I didn't know that for sure and I just could not testify on something I have not seen.

"Jess, there is no other reason for him to file for divorce!" Mr. Williams said. "You have been a faithful wife now haven't you?"

"Yes!" I screamed. "Of course I have! I love Mike! I could never hurt him!" Tears were curling up in my eyes. "How could he do this to me? How could he just leave?"

"I understand how you feel Jess," Mr. Williams said. "Go home now. You need some rest. I will see you at the courts tomorrow."

I stood up and stormed out of Mr. Williams' office. I headed home. Home... The place once surrounded by happiness. The place I used to rush to after a hard day of work; to see my husband's face; to hold him in my arms. My house was no longer a home. Ever since Mike had suddenly moved out and filed for a divorce, my house has been surrounded by nothing but darkness and gloom.

After a rough sleepless night I woke up the next day. Today was the day. The hearing of my divorce case. After today, I would be legally divorced. Mike would no longer be my husband! Mr. Williams picked me up at 9 am and he drove towards the courts. Journalists surrounded me as I got out of the car. Mr. Williams helped me cover my face as we rushed into the court room. Judge Anderson was already there. I looked at the opposition and caught a glimpse of Mike seated next to his lawyer. Tears started curling up in my eyes, but I managed to blink them away.

"Let the case begin!" Judge Anderson said. The fight had officially begun. Mr. Williams spoke trying to prove that Mike had cheated on me. Mike's lawyer, Mr. McAdams defended Mike, trying to turn the topic into what an ungrateful wife I had been. Apparently I did not treat Mike well, I didn't love him, I didn't care for him, I neglected him! I could not stand it! I looked back at the audience we had. I noticed a lady sitting in the far corner and smiling to herself. Was it her who manipulated Mike to file divorce. I had not seen Mike cheat with my own eyes, but there was a possibility that in fact he did cheat. Could I just give him the divorce and let this woman win?

"Stop it!" I screamed as I stood up. "None of this is true!" I felt the whole jury turn to face me.

"If you have anything to say please come up," Judge Anderson said. I walked up towards the witness box. I looked around at the jury. Mr. Williams walked towards me.

"Mrs. Jones could you please tell me did your husband cheat on you?" Mr. Williams asked. I looked at his face. I knew he wanted me to say yes. I looked back towards the lady sitting behind. She was giggling wickedly now. Should I let her win?

"I don't know!" I said. I could feel the disappointment in Mr. William's face. This was not what we had discussed! I looked at Mike. He had a blank, confused, guilty expression. I turned to face Judge Anderson. "I don't know if my husband cheated on me or not. I have never seen him with another woman. But I don't care!" I turned back to face Mike. Our eyes met. "I don't care if he cheated on me or not. All I know is I love him, and I cannot live without him! If he ever did cheat on me... I... I forgive him!" I could see Mike's confused expression. It pierced my heart to know that I maybe going against his wishes, but then he lightened up. He smiled slightly. What did that mean? I wondered.

"There's a saying that, every cloud has a silver lining," I continued. "Whatever we have been though, I'm ready to fix it. If I have made any mistake I'm ready to correct it. Mike, I do not want this divorce!" I said. "I never wanted it!" I watched as Mike stood up and walked towards his lawyer.

"I want us to be together! No matter what! Mike, I want to help you build up. I cannot just give up on you! I am not the one you should beware of! I am not your enemy." I screamed.

Mike walked towards me. "I know," he said. "I am sorry!" He hugged me. I could hear the cheer of the jury. From the corner of my eye I could see darkness in the woman's face. She stood up frustrated, and stormed out of the door.

Judge Anderson stood up. "That was easy," he said. "Case dismissed!"

An idea I got by listening to the amazing song, The last fight by Bullet for my valentine

Please be kind enough to leave your comments below

Victim

I'm a porcelain doll in a glass bottle. I have always been admired by everyone. My beautiful face, my glass brown eyes, my beautiful frilled dress has always been a topic of discussion. People liked to look at me and admire my beauty. Some stare at me for hours. But no one was allowed to touch me. My master has kept me on a shelf in his room with the door always locked. No one was allowed to take me out. Not even my master took me anywhere.

I have always wondered why... Why does my master have me secured? Am I really something worth keeping? All other dolls get their chance to go out, travel, see the world, be on display, and play with children. But not me. I had all the beauty in the world, all the comfort in the world. My master dusted my bottle daily to keep me shining. But I was nothing more than a prisoner in my own house. I didn't want to be.

I wanted to go out, to see the world. I wanted to travel. I wanted to play with children just like every other doll. But I couldn't do any of that. Was this life worth living? Was there any point being so pretty, rich and protected if I wasn't happy? I didn't want this. I wanted to end it all. I wanted to be free.

I waited for a windy day. My master always left one window in the room open just enough for a small ray of sunlight to come in. A gust of wind flew in that day; The day I decided to end it all. I called out to the wind. It heard me. The wind flew towards me. I pushed my bottle towards the wind. The wind knocked it off the shelf and it rolled. I could see the floor coming closer and closer. In a few seconds my bottle hit the floor. I felt my face knocking the ground hard. The bottle shattered, and so did I.

I was no longer beautiful. I was no longer wanted. I was no longer the centre of attention. I was broken, shattered, torn and ugly. My master had nothing to do but throw me away.

I was once a porcelain doll in a glass bottle. A prisoner in my own house! A victim! And now I am no more. But I was happy! Because now... I was finally free!

Wishes from Heaven

Life can take us through different paths from time to time. Today we could be happy, but one second could change our entire life. We could go from a great life to no life. That is exactly what happened to me. One year ago, on my wedding day I was so sure I would spend all eternity with my beloved husband, Ben. I embraced his love as I took my oath at the altar, as I said "I do." At that time I didn't know what God had planned for us that it would be so different from what we had planned for ourselves. But life had changed in a way that I had never imagined. Life had separated us in a way I had never thought.

We were happy for three months after marriage. I woke up every morning, prepared a nice cup of tea for Ben, and we got ready to go to work. Ben drove me to work, and once he dropped me off he would drive himself to work. Our way back home was the same. He picked me up from office on his way home. I loved Ben more than ever. He was the best husband anyone could ever ask for, and he loved me dearly. But unfortunately fate had come in between us.

It was a nice sunny Saturday. We were tired of a week of hard work. Ben and I had decided to take a trip to the south. I didn't know my life would end that day when Ben pulled the car out of the garage. He drove, with me seated on his left, chatting and laughing as we always do. I was so happy I had found him. He made my life complete. Suddenly out of the blue I felt something wrong was going to happen. Ben took a turn and suddenly I looked out of the window. A bus was speeding towards us. I screamed. Ben lost control of the car as the bus crashed at me. The car was pushed out of the way, spinning.

"Ben," I whispered. I felt my heart beat rising and my breath tightening. Blood was dripping down my forehead.

"Rachel, I'm here honey," Ben held my hand tightly. I knew he was stuck in his seat and he could not move towards me. Then, everything went black.

I watched Ben open his eyes. The doctor was right beside him. Thank God! Ben had severe injuries but he had survived the accident. He would get better. I sat beside him on his bed and tried to hold his hand, but I couldn't. My hand passed right through his hand. I understood everything at once and a tear escaped my eye. God had called me. From the corner of my eye I saw a black figure standing behind me. I turned to look at him. He was dressed in full black but he was glowing. An angel, I understood. He was the angel of death, and he had come for me. My beloved husband survived the crash, but I had to go. I had not survived. I had died.

Ever since I had left him that day I had constantly watched over him. I had turned into his guardian angel. I had invisibly followed him everywhere he went. I had looked after him. It had crushed me to watch him cry sometimes in the middle of the night screaming out my name. "Rachel!" he screamed one night as he dreamt our accident. I could see his dream and feel his pain. It hurt me too. I didn't like to watch him suffer.

Today it was our first wedding anniversary, and I was not with Ben. Tragically I had to leave him alone in this world. I watched Ben get out of bed early morning and go to church. He prayed for me. It made me feel good. He had lighted few candles in my name. He had asked God to look after me wherever I was. He had told God that he still loves me and forever will. It was our anniversary; I wanted to give him something. I wanted to give him a big hug. I wanted to give him a kiss and say I love you, and for that I needed permission. I needed God's permission to make myself visible to Ben just one time.

I watched Ben get home. He took a wash and came to our bedroom. I was sitting on the bed. Ben looked at me and his eyes went wide.

"Rachel," he said. I smiled. He could see me. Thank you God for giving me this chance. I prayed silently.

"Ben," I said, as I ran towards him and hugged him. "Happy anniversary darling!"

I watched as a tear curled up in Ben's eyes. He blinked it away and forced a smile. He needed me, I knew. But God had only given me five minutes.

"Ben, I know I'm not around anymore. But I want you to be happy. I want you to enjoy your life." I said.

"I need you Rachel," He said.

"I know," I said. "But I will always be with you. I have always been with you. Ever since the day of the accident I have followed you everywhere." I said. "It's just that you could never see me."

"I can see you now," he said. "Stay with me Rachel."

"I can’t Ben," I said. "I only have five minutes to be visible. Then I have to go back."

"I love you Rachel," Ben said. We hugged.

"I know," I said. "I love you too."

I moved away. Ben stared at me as I faded away into the thin air. I watched him cry silently. I was invisible again. But I felt good. I know Ben was feeling better too. It was our anniversary and God had let us meet one last time.

"Happy anniversary darling!" I whispered again as I disappeared back into heaven.

Fire Angel

Fire! It was all I could see. In front of me, behind me and all around me. It felt so warm surrounding me. I was standing in the middle of my room in a circle of fire. But I was not afraid. I was happy. I had inner peace. It will all be over soon, my mind said. The fire, though surrounded me, had not reached me yet. But it would reach me soon. I would soon turn into ash. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander towards the place I loved the most.

I was in the beach running away from the rough waves. You ran towards me and held me from waist. We laughed, screamed and played with the water. You carried me with your strong and steady arms. You walked closer to the water and dropped me in. I swam away shouting at you, annoyed. You laughed. Your laughter was like music to my ears. It made me laugh back. I swam back towards you. You carried me out of the water, smiling. I put my hands around your neck, holding you tight in case you were to drop me again. It had been such a beautiful day. The sun was setting behind us, waving goodbye. I missed you!

My eyes opened for the sudden burn in my arm. The fire had finally reached me. The fire had touched my sleeve and my arm. The pain on my skin reminded me of the day my heart caught on fire.

"I can’t be with you anymore!" You had said.

"But why?" I had asked. "Do you not love me anymore?"

"I do! But try to understand me! You have to leave me!" You had said. Tears were rolling down my cheeks. A silent tear escaped your eye. This had made me cry even harder. I hugged you tightly, never wanting to let go.

You had wrapped your arms around me and said "I'm sorry".

"Don’t apologize," I had said. "It is not your fault!"

We had hugged and cried for hours, just like the fire was hugging me now. My heart had burnt, just like my flesh was burning now.

Smoke surrounded me and I started coughing. A gust of smoke went through my nose and into my lungs. I looked around. All I could see was fire and smoke. "Goodbye cruel world!" I said as I felt my body falling onto the ground. Then everything went black.

I opened my eyes. White! Everything was white! where was I? Heaven? No! Can't be! Would I go to heaven? I tried to stand but I couldn't move my body. Where was I? My vision started becoming clearer. I was on a bed! There was someone standing and looking at me. I blinked. I could see wires and bandages on my limbs. A saline tube was hanging just above my bed. I finally understood where I was. I was in a hospital! I had survived the fire! Unbelievable!

I looked around! A man in white was standing next to me. I guessed he was my doctor. But I didn't want a doctor right now. I needed you! Where were you?

"Miss, how do you feel?" The doctor asked. I nodded my head to let him know I was ok.

"You have a visitor. He was here all week." The doctor said. All week? I had been unconscious for a week? "I will let him in miss, but please don't try to talk." The doctor said. I nodded again in agreement. The doctor disappeared out of the room. For a moment I was alone.

I looked at the door. My visitor was walking towards me. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was you! You had come back! Joy overwhelmed my heart. The pain I had turned into joy.

You came and touched my bandaged arm. "You burnt yourself!" you said to me. "You tried to kill yourself!" I was sad again. I looked away. I didn't want to look at your eyes. I had promised you I would be ok, but I had betrayed you. You came towards me and turned my face towards you.

"Listen to me." You said. "I will never leave you ever again!" I could not believe what I was hearing. You had just told me that you wouldn't leave. Tears of joy curled up in my eyes!

"I can't let you suffer!" You said. "I will stay with you forever" I was confused. What about the problem? I wanted to ask. I opened my mouth but no words came out.

"Don’t talk!" you advised. "Our problems are over! I can be with you!" You said. " I forced a smile out of my cheeks. "I will never let you go through any pain again!"

You had come back to me. Just like my dream. My prayers had been answered. I may have been burnt and I may have to suffer till recovery. But you were back! It made me the happiest girl ever! The fire had brought me good luck! The fire had brought me my angel back!

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