Infinite Twilight and Forgotten Past
"How 'bout them Mariners?"
Bella groaned. Her dad was trying to make small talk again. She wished she had a glass of milk. So she would drink the milk and sneeze on porpoise. He did hated her to sneeze and always left the cabin when she started to sneeze on porpoise. Bella was wearing low-cut pants, and mink shawl her grandmother did. It was nearly time for Edward date. She had to get her father out of cabin before Edward slid up. Her father still did not know what Edward was. Or even that she was dating him. Bella doubted that he would ever understand their passion or sugar poop.
What was Edward you ask?
"Isn't it time for your bath?" Bella asked her dad.
"Oh! Golly!"
Her father had gotten into the habit of taking baths in the stream behind their cabin after he became a devout Christian. He would not share a bathroom with a heathen female. And her mother was black. Whenenver his thoughts leds him astray he kissed his knuckles while singing hymns. He always felt a grim foreboding when he thoughto his daughter. There was something about her that made him fear for his safety. When he tried to converse with her it was always light-hearted in the hopes that she would spare him whatever cruel fate she could or could not control.
He ran to the stream and splashed around. He played splashy-splash with his chipmunk friends. They knew not the word of the Lord, but they couldn't read. So he forgave. He always forgave the chipmunks, and sometimes squirrels.
Edward was late. For their date. Very late. The telephone rang. Ring! Ring! Riiiiiing!
Bella ran and picked up the phone, holding it to her ears. "Hello?"
There was no one on the other end. But a vampire. "Hello."
"Hello?"
"Wo bist du?"
"I got held up. The others found me and gave me a beating."
"What?! Are you alright?"
"I've lost a lot of blood."
"Wo are you? I"ll come get you and take care of you?"
"Don't worry about it. I can heal up super fast, remember?"
"Oh yeah, that's awesome. You're soooo cool, Edward. Remember that time you stopped a car with your bare hands from crushing me to death? Oh, Eddie, you really are cool."
"Hey, charie, I know, but let's meet at the restaurant since I'm running late."
There was a loud drawn out yell from behind the cabin.
"I have reached my final stage of spirituality. Apotheosis!!"
Bella ran outside upon hearing these words in the voice of her father. She reached the stream just in time to see the saintly smile upon his pristine lips after having been cleansed by the stream's clear waters. He was enshrouded in a warm glowing light that was the most heavenly thing she had ever seen. To her amazement he was growing taller, no, he was being lifted from the ground very slowly. His pockets were bulging and moving, and she realized he had stuffed as many chipmunks into his clothes as possible. She knew full well of his affinity for the chipmunks and was not surprised by this unselfish gesture as he made his ascent into heaven. He was gaining speed now as he drifted beyond the tree tops. Bella watched for as long as she could until he became just a speck and then disappeared from site.
Then the clouds turned dark around the area her father had drifted up to. There was a sudden clap of thunder and an enormous boom of a voice filled the space from the sky all the way down to the ground where Bella stood.
"No chipschmucks! Hit the floor!"
With that, five specks appeared in the sky and flew so fast toward the earth she couldn't make out what they were until they hit the ground around her. The chipmunks her father had tried to save in his saintly way had been rejected by the Lord and cast back down. Bella gathered up the crushed chipmunks in her arms. They were like the vampire family she had grown to love. They too, had been rejected by heaven and God.
Twenty minutes later Bella met Edward were outside their favorite restaurant, The Hamburger.
Once inside Edward greeted the hostess and said, "Reservations for Mr. Winslow and guest."
"Certainly, right this way."
They sat at the table the waitress led them too and checked out the menu, even though they both probably would get their favorites as usual. Bella looked up at Eddie over her menu. He did the same and smiled at her. He looked just as well as he ever did. He really was cool the way he could heal right back quick.
"The usual?" he asked in his disarmingly suave way.
She giggled and nodded.
Eddie beckoned to the waitress as she passed nearby. "Two of the Deadly Food, please."
The food arrived soon. Bella thought it was because Edward was so handsome and charming that everyone always tried to please him. She was so glad he was all hers.
They ate their food and chatted together for a good ten minutes. Then Edward suddenly stopped and stared down at his plate.
"What is it?"
"What...?"
"Something's not right."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure."
"I think I'm sick."
"What? The food?"
"Yeah." He looked up at her and she gasped. "Your face!"
There were yellow and purple colored marks across his skin, like bruises.
"What's happening?!"
"Something's made all my old wounds reappear!"
"Oh God no!"
"I... I can't feel my legs."
"Let's get out of here!"
Edward tried to jump out of his chair but he fell sprawled across the floor. "Bella," he groaned. "It's no use. I have the vampire pox."
"No, Eddie, please..."
"It's true. I've lived a long time Bella. I've seen it happen before. I've seen a lot. But the best thing I ever saw was you. You're so beautiful, babe."
"Edward..."
"Be good and true, Bella."
With those words, Edward collapsed and went limp. Bella wept next to his body. Everyone had left her. Her mother in hell, her father in heaven, and now the love of her life was extinguished. No one was left for her. How could she go on?
Several days later, Bella found her strength by writing Eddie's eulogy. She took her classmates to assembly and gave a touching, heart-felt speech on the life of her most beloved Edward Jamal Winslow. She left out, of course, their most secret of secrets. Everyone was very supportive and Bella believed she could do as Eddie asked. She would be good and true. And she would never forget him.