Purgatory
The young Asian nurse pops a bubble gum as she writes her notes on the clipboard. Her body language eloquently revealing the absence of any sign of genuine concern. They are commonly called 'Angels of Mercy', 'Ambassadors of Compassion', but one is not truly worthy of such glittery titles unless one's heart is soaked in the actuality of those sensibilities. The soul rises not in meaninglessly doing, but in the total state of Being.
She seems aloof and ruthless, unaware of Jack's sky-blue eyes staring at the clipboard from across the cold hospital room. The wrinkles on his forehead scribe the pain and woe of his lonely, melting heart. His mind screaming loudly, translating the confusion he found himself whirling with. Have the figures gone up or down this hour? Is there a ray of hope? Will Tru survive?
"Please leave the lights on", he tells the nurse before she breezes her way out of the room.
"Sure, Mr. Harper. Good night." She replies as she closes the door behind her.
Dragging himself off the chair, Jack briskly grabs the clipboard which is left hanging on the foot of the bed. A quick glance at the updated notes is all he needs to confirm what he already knew. It is not difficult for someone with his expertise to understand the meaning of all the medical terms, charts and figures. Nor would it take effort to interpret what is displayed on the monitor screens attached firmly to his beloved.
" Same o', same o' " he whispers. " But that's what the doctors and their machines say. I, on the other hand, speak another language." He confirms, now standing beside the bed gently holding Tru's hand.
"You're going to be alright, Tru. I promise." He tries to assure her in a desperate attempt to tranquilize his own tense emotions. His voice low and hoarse. The memory of what started this ordeal relentlessly haunts him. Guilt is an overwhelming burden to carry along, especially when the stake is doubled and the consequence heightened.
"If anything happens to you, I can never forgive myself, Tru. I'm the reason you're here now, in a coma, fighting for your own life. You have to fight this, Tru… It's not your time yet…come on fight it.... I know you can beat this... I know you can."
A slight breeze finds its way through the window, adding a chill to his warm, reddened neck. The light suddenly flickers; Jack pauses. His heart jumps as he looks around in delusion, feeling an unexplainable presence in the air. Knowing he has been chosen as one of only two people who have the power to relive days makes him aware of his ability to be clairsensitive. That special ability is multiplied when the other person who also has that ability is in his space.
"Tru? Is that you?"
Half an hour passes with Jack focusing all his senses in hope to catch any Para psychological signal from his beloved, but to no success. Finally his attempts give in to his exhaustion, and he falls asleep leaning his head on her chest, his hand still lovingly holding hers.
"Jack… Jack… help me, Jack." Tru's voice echoes in his ears.
"Tru? Where are you?" Jack finds himself standing in a maze, surrounded with nothing but bushes. His feet barely touching the ground, fog filling the air. He runs breathlessly through the maze, trying to reach the source of Tru's voice.
"Tru, I can't see you. Where are you?" he wonders.
"You're the only one who can save me, Jack. Follow the white dove. Reverse the poles. Bring me the seal of immortality."
"What poles? I don't see any doves." Jack nervously answers.
"I trust you, Jack. I'm counting on you. My life is in your hands."
"Wait… Tru… don't go…." Jack abruptly wakes up, shaky and confused, he looks at Tru who is still lying unconscious in the hospital bed and whispers: "What are you trying to tell me, Tru? I know that dream was real. I felt it."
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The sun is slowly rising in the horizon, its rays burning the dark blue sky with shiny shades of red and yellow. Jack's pale face exposes his fear. Not quite sure what that lucid dream is supposed to mean, he grabs his brown jacket and heads straight to Standard Diner for a quick breakfast. Maybe the bitterness and tiredness he has been feeling for the past three days have caused him to be delusional. After all, it was his mistake that got Tru to be in a coma in the first place. Obsessed with winning their usual competition and making sure the victim dies on the rewind day as he believes should happen to keep the balance of the universe intact, Jack endangered Tru's life instead. Knowing he had done so, he immediately changed his plan and saved the victim on behalf of Tru, then tried to save Tru from drowning. She, however, ended up in the hospital, in a deep coma.
"You need to get your act together pal, she needs you." Jack whispers to himself while paying for his breakfast. Suddenly he notices a white dove on the window of the diner. Eager to see if it leads him anywhere special, he walks out of the diner and follows the direction of the dove as instructed by Tru in the dream. The dove makes a few stops and turns until finally flies inside an old shop in China Town. As soon as Jack walks in, he is greeted by an elderly Chinese monk.
"You must be looking for answers. The kind you don't find in text books." The monk tells Jack.
"How did you know?" Jack asks.
"You were lead here by a white dove. It's an old Chinese tradition."
"I had a dream this morning and someone in the dream told me to follow a white dove." Jack explains.
"Ahh, it must be someone you love, who loves you back."
"It's not like that, we're just friends... or foes… jury's still out there."
"Ahh, THAT kind of love!" The monk jokes. "What else did she tell you?"
"Something about reversing poles and the seal of immortality."
The monk very nervously locks the main door of his shop, turns the sign on the door around to display the word "closed", and goes into a small room in the back, then comes back with a small dusty wooden box. Inside is a heart-shaped Angelite crystal. He hands it to Jack and says: "Beware of the magnitude of power within this crystal. It is your means of communication. It connects you with angels and spirits. You need it to connect to your friend's spirit before it's too late. Use it wisely."
"I don't understand" says Jack.
"You and your friend are the two poles. You are opposites, and opposites attract, they unite and they compliment each other. That is their nature. One cannot exist without the other. But if one is gone, the imbalance may be disastrous. She's not gone yet, but she is slipping away, fast; and she needs you to bring her back to her nature, to life. That's how you reverse the poles. You must use this crystal to cross over to the other realm, to the purgatory. She will be waiting for you there. Give her the seal of immortality and she will awake. This is the only way to save her."
"But how?"
"Create an altar. Use all four elements. Meditate and you will be there. But remember, you must do it tonight, when the sky is clear and the full moon is visible. Good luck."
"What about the seal? Where can I find it?" asks Jack.
"You will know when you are there. Now go, and don't waste more time."
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Late at night, the nurse writes her notes on the clipboard. Jack anxiously waiting by the door.
"Are you staying the night here again, Mr. Harper?" the nurse flirtatiously asks.
"Yes, I am." Jack confirms.
Jack locks the door and turns off the lights as the nurse leaves the room. He lights four candles representing the Fire element, each placed carefully with a stone representing the Earth element on one of the four directions – North, South, East, and West – with Tru's bed lying exactly in the middle. Then he wraps Tru's right hand around a shell which represents Water, while he lies down on the bed next to her holding on to her left hand with the Angelite crystal on her chest, his left hand holding a feather which represents Air. He has never created an altar before, but feeding into it his own energy and creativity, and the intention behind what he is doing and the objects he has chosen to use, instinctively he knows that the preparation for this holy ceremony is now complete. He has successfully enshrined what is most precious to him; his friend, his beloved Tru. With some incense burning on the window sill, overlooking the clear full-mooned sky, Jack closes his eyes and begins this sacred ritual with meditation. His breath deepens as he concentrates on the inhaling and exhaling of this miraculous life-long Godly gift. He is reminded of the two poles, the two opposites, for life itself begins with the first inhale, and death begins with the last exhale. What is in between is merely the moment. When life and death are united, and form a connected whole, is when Tru and Jack are soul mates. Jack begins to experience a state of deep relaxation merged with a sense of vivid alertness. A buzzing sound in his brain is becoming louder and louder, as a particular numbness in his arms and legs are apparent. Jack wisely disregards the annoyances in his body and focuses on the mission. Suddenly, those physical sensations are gone and a delightful feeling overwhelms his core. Jack's eyes open to find himself floating over his body which is lying still next to Tru's on the bed. He has now passed over to the other realm, to a dimension beyond time and space, beyond the laws of physics, where he sees Tru's soul roaming with glowing light. The buzzing sound is now replaced with a sweet and soothing sound of soft music.
"You made it. You came for me." Tru happily expresses.
"Where are we? What is this place?" Jack asks Tru.
"This is the purgatory. The limbo. A parallel universe. A place between life and death. A place between our life and the afterlife." Tru explains.
"I did what you asked, but I'm not sure how I got here. Am I in a coma, too?" Jack wonders.
"No, Jack. You have astral projected. It is another form of out-of-body experience."
"I'm sorry, Tru. I am the reason you are here."
"I forgive you, Jack."
"But, how can I help you regain consciousness? How do I bring you back to life?"
"I was told you will be able to do so with the seal of immortality. Did you bring it?"
Jack looks very worried, "I don't know what that is. I didn't bring any seals."
"But, I don't have much time. I'm dying, Jack." Tru's ghostly reflection gradually fading away as Jack rushes to embrace her.
"No… please… stay with me." Jack yells as a tear trickles down on his cheek.
"Bye, Jack."
"No… you will not leave me… you hear?"
Jack kisses Tru with great love and affection. The light around them becomes more radiant, and the music swells to a deafening degree. He finds himself whirling rapidly in a vortex. The buzzing is back, and so is the numbness, until suddenly, he awakes in the hospital bed next to Tru. With great confusion and anxiety, he jumps off the bed and calls the nurse, shouting hysterically that Tru is dying. Two nurses rush into the room and turn on the light. Jack tries to explain that Tru needs to be resuscitated, when he hears a weak voice calling him:
"Jack…" Tru utters. "Jack… it worked." She reassures him.
"Tru… you're alive… you're back... But… how?"
"The kiss… the kiss was the seal."
"The seal of immortality. Love is immortal. Now I get it." He embraces her with tears in his eyes. "I love you, Tru. I love you."
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The End