These are glimpses of A Twilight Lover's Story.
I do not own any Shakespeare quotes, or any others. They belong to their rightful owners.
Heaven Awaits:
Suddenly not in her room anymore, Bella was in an empty field. An empty field that stretched into forever. It was bare and plain, but instead of scratchy weeds, there were soft, fluffy ferns. Her vision was painted shimmering gold that bounced off the silver birches behind her.
It was Heaven.
Far ahead of her, the golden gates waited. Her heart raced, and her breathing stopped.
Diamonds caught Bella's attention before she could run to the Heaven's threshold. She spun around to see three familiar shining figures coming out of the forest like white against black.
The golden deer were back for a fifth time.
The doe and the fawn stayed behind while the large buck stepped gracefully forward.
Its milky topaz eyes blinked with a thousand years worth of wisdom. His giant head shook with its dozen antlers, glowing softly. He snorted, blowing hot, visible breath as if it were winter.
Bella stretched out her hand none too hesitantly, awed by its majesty. "Hello again," she breathed. Her hand touched the shimmering fur, and gasped.
As soon as Bella's fingers made contact, her life flashed before her eyes. She saw she had everything she ever wanted physically, saw how lucky she was, and that remembering her entire past for a year was pointless. She needn't her memories because the past is the past—keep moving forward. Look to the future and don't wallow in grief.
Her fingers were still on the deer's cold nose when she was rushed backward. The wind whistled in her ears and her heart was long back in Heaven's field. Her hair whipped her face. Her eyes watered and she watched things blur by as she was transported—in a very odd way—back to life, back to the present where her fiancée waited…
Nature:
The breeze softly brushed her cheeks. The trees rustled with the purple flowers. The stream whispered her name. Sunshine danced on the ground before her, making patterns. Leaves fell slowly and churned before her eyes…
Gardens:
The path that led to the waterfall was made of finely grated sand. Bordering the path were miles and miles of flowers. Poppies, lilacs, roses, magnolias, lilies, irises, buttercups, Japanese blossoms, mallow, tulips, peach and orange blossoms, and thousands more she could not name. As for trees, there was oak, maple, cherry trees, apple, orange, and pear, there was honeysuckle, aspen. Many millions more tipped higher than the bright blue, cloud-covered skies. But what caught her attention was the bridge. The Japanese bridge, painted a rose red, which went over the crystal clear water. The stream's flow bounced happily over the little stones inside. And over to the side were cattails with frogs croaking. Oh, how beautiful it was here! And water lilies also rippled with the water. And there was the waterfall again, farther down the little river. Suddenly, startling her from her gazing, a beech nut rolled to her feet. Bella picked it up and examined it. The nut had dent marks. Quickly, she put it back down. A chipmunk had been trying to open this. And as soon as she predicted, an angry chipmunk appeared, chattering crossly, grabbed its nut, and ran away. She laughed softly. Such striking sights, such beauty.
The Deer from Heaven:
A herd of golden deer gazed at her with golden eyes. A buck, a fawn, and a doe stood side by side, chewing gracefully at marigold leaves. Rooted to the spot where she stood, the buck elegantly walked over and stared with milky eyes. It blinked and snorted. Bella lifted her hand. It nudged it, and, startled, she leapt back. Scared but amazed as she was, nothing but awe came to her mind. The buck, doe, and fawn darted away suddenly as if they hadn't been there.
"Where did they go?"
"To their den, I suppose. They came from the Heavens."
The Heavens…
Finally:
He pushed her gently back, as he took something out of him pocket and kneeled down on one knee.
Wise Words:
"The rest of your life is waiting."
Heaven in her backyard:
The trees and bushes were adorned with romantic, golden-red lights, as if someone took lightning bugs and turned their lights red. Then she saw the fountain's water was filled with white lilies. Poppy leaves were scattered around the brim, and other petals were raining down with the water.
Angel Voice:
He was cut off by the most wonderful voice she heard in her life. Someone she lost a piece of her heart for.
Mist-covered Ground:
Abruptly, clouds covered the ground, drifting like mist. Beautiful, soft light shone down like hands reaching for something to touch—like her hands reaching for his strong shoulders. It was better than Heaven.
The Fountain's Beauty:
She started to search the stone fountain, which was surrounded by the flower petals and candles that seemed like fireflies. The clear, spell-binding water was cool.
Quotes:
In the sand, just feet away from the gently ocean, were hand-written words. The words? There were several, romantic quotes. Her heart beat faster, but she blinked away tears.
In large, clumsy letters, it said: 'Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind' and Edward added, 'and with the heart.'
And: 'The courses of love never did run smooth.'
'My heart it ever at your service.'
'My lady, the tide waits for no man, but I swear it would wait for you.'
Also, 'You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die.'
After the Shakespeare quotes, just below, was a giant rose.
'A rose must remain with the sun and the rain or its lovely promise won't come true.'
'The sweetest flower that blows, I give you as we part. For you it is a rose, for me it is my heart.'
Back from the Dead
I fell to my knees, my fiancée still in my bleeding hands. I began to feel light-headed. My vision blurred as I stared into her unblinking eyes. She was beautiful, like an angel. That was how I always saw her, only better. I saw her wings, the way she seemed to glide when she walks, ever so graceful. Her pale, determined face, but always so terrified. It shouldn't be that way; it should be happy, full of joy. James ruined her life in so many ways, scarring her. And in my view, her broken jaw made her look like a brave warrior, fighting her way through life. I loved this woman, my Bella, and there was nothing that could change that, even in her state she was in.
"My love," I murmured, barely able to speak. "I love you, don't leave me. Please, please…"
Her heart has stopped, her chest moved no more. Even I had no heart left. That's when I realized she really was gone. She was gone. Gone. I took her and sobbed into her cold, dirty hair.
And that's when she blinked. I stared at her, incredulous, not understanding my emotions.
Her cracked, pale lips on her broken jaw scarcely moved, and the shallow rhythms of her heart hardly beat. Her breath came out in rattles, but there was so much love in her voice. "And I love you," she whispered, struggling to keep her eyes open.
She was alive. She was here, next to me, breathing and alive.
I lay beside her, stroking her bloody back, closing my eyes. I relished this moment, never happier. She lay back too, rubbing her face in my chest.
Just as I dozed off, content, I heard her murmur, "I won't ever leave you, my beloved. I never did."
