Ardeth's eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at the suddenly talking cat. "This... this is a hallucination!" he sputtered as he stood up. Then, as if noticing their surroundings for the first time, realization began to dawn in his eyes. He had heard of the Elders speaking of such magic before, but he had never even thought that it might be real. Then again, most people would not think it possible to wake a mummy after 3000 years of sleep.
"No, MuHibb. This is very real. As much as I desire to stay with you, I cannot."
"You... are going to leave, aren't you?"
"I have no choice. When the acolytes knocked me unconscious, Nicodemus came to me, told me it was time to go home. He wanted me to go right then, but I convinced him to let me tell you first, that it was only fair to you."
"NO. I will not allow you to leave." His face was stern, but his voice was soft like he knew that it was a futile effort.
"Please, do not make this harder than it has to be." Her voice broke and the tears began to spill down her cheeks slowly. "I would stay with you if I could! I'm begging you Ardeth, don't do this..."
"You, Nicodemus is it? You said it was time to go home... You can make it so she stays, can't you?"
"It is not my decision. The decision truly never was Leigh's to make." Nicodemus made a small sound like a sigh. "There were other powers at work here. It was known of the danger to the icon and of both women's desire to be someplace different. So, a trade was performed. The Leigh I know was traded for the Leigh that Hamid knew. The idea was to give each a taste of what they wanted... AND to put an end to the danger to the icon at the same time. Unfortunately, the Leigh from your time actually should have died when she discovered the icon. My Leigh's body has been in a coma for coming on three weeks now. Time has passed differently in the two realities. Leigh needs to go back and reclaim her body before the soul inhabiting it dies and takes her body with it. If she does not, she will be stuck in the Crossroads for all eternity as a ghost."
"What will happen to Leigh's body here, as I know her?"
"She will return to her rightful place. And most likely with no knowledge of what happened. Time will be rewound for you back to when you first met Leigh Crawford and everything will happen over again. You will not remember anything that has happened."
"No. I want to remember the Leigh I fell in love with. Perhaps it would be better that the returning Leigh die that to erase my memory of this Leigh."
Leigh's head jerked up at his words. He loved her... "Make it work, Nicodemus."
Nicodemus sighed again. "You two are asking for a lot. I don't know if they are willing for that to happen. To ask that the returning Leigh have all the memories of what has occurred here in her rightful time and still be faced with Ardeth when she comes back... It will upset the apple cart of the universe Leigh. There is no telling what the outcome will be."
"Just do it, Nico. Please." She didn't wait for Nico's reply. Instead she closed the distance between her and Ardeth, throwing her arms around his neck and laying the mother of all liplocks on him. Ardeth responded in kind, the kiss desperate and possessive. He was kissing her for the last time and he wanted something to carry with him for the rest of his life. He knew that once his Harami was gone, he would not be able to love the Leigh that would appear in her place. She might look like her, but she would not be his Harami. That thought pained Ardeth.
Around them, the void began to change. The seething mass of shadows began to alter and morph themselves back into Ardeth's tent. The body in his arms also began to change, to become more ethereal and surrounded by light. He knew that she was leaving him. The reality hit him hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. He pulled his mouth from hers long enough to whisper 'I love you' to her.
Leigh whispered it to him in return as he began to fade from her vision. She was being pulled from him, she could feel it. Off to one side of her there was a ghost image of her, a mirror image. The other Leigh's face registered shock upon seeing the mirror image. But Leigh just sighed sadly and reached up to touch her lips. She wanted desperately to taste Ardeth's mouth one more time, but she knew it was not possible. Instead she reached out towards him. One last time she mouthed the words to him, 'I love you MuHibb.'
Leigh's eyes opened slowly. Through a hazy and blurred vision, she gathered she was in the hospital. She tried to draw a deep breath, but she couldn't, there was something preventing it. Off to one side, a soft alarm sounded.
"Miss Crawford? OH! You're awake!!" the petite little nurse's elderly and wrinkled face lit up with joy as she picked up the telephone to call the doctor. "We're so glad to see you wake up Miss Crawford! You really had us worried. I know of some people who will be more than thrilled to know you're awake too! Oh! I have to call that nice young man who brought you in too. He asked me to call when you woke up."
Leigh closed her eyes. She was back in the year 2000, back in her time and reality. As the kind nurse chirped and bustled about, Leigh's silent tears trickled down onto the pillow.
--
MuHibb = Lover
Harami = Thief
****
Stay tuned!! It's not over yet...
"No, MuHibb. This is very real. As much as I desire to stay with you, I cannot."
"You... are going to leave, aren't you?"
"I have no choice. When the acolytes knocked me unconscious, Nicodemus came to me, told me it was time to go home. He wanted me to go right then, but I convinced him to let me tell you first, that it was only fair to you."
"NO. I will not allow you to leave." His face was stern, but his voice was soft like he knew that it was a futile effort.
"Please, do not make this harder than it has to be." Her voice broke and the tears began to spill down her cheeks slowly. "I would stay with you if I could! I'm begging you Ardeth, don't do this..."
"You, Nicodemus is it? You said it was time to go home... You can make it so she stays, can't you?"
"It is not my decision. The decision truly never was Leigh's to make." Nicodemus made a small sound like a sigh. "There were other powers at work here. It was known of the danger to the icon and of both women's desire to be someplace different. So, a trade was performed. The Leigh I know was traded for the Leigh that Hamid knew. The idea was to give each a taste of what they wanted... AND to put an end to the danger to the icon at the same time. Unfortunately, the Leigh from your time actually should have died when she discovered the icon. My Leigh's body has been in a coma for coming on three weeks now. Time has passed differently in the two realities. Leigh needs to go back and reclaim her body before the soul inhabiting it dies and takes her body with it. If she does not, she will be stuck in the Crossroads for all eternity as a ghost."
"What will happen to Leigh's body here, as I know her?"
"She will return to her rightful place. And most likely with no knowledge of what happened. Time will be rewound for you back to when you first met Leigh Crawford and everything will happen over again. You will not remember anything that has happened."
"No. I want to remember the Leigh I fell in love with. Perhaps it would be better that the returning Leigh die that to erase my memory of this Leigh."
Leigh's head jerked up at his words. He loved her... "Make it work, Nicodemus."
Nicodemus sighed again. "You two are asking for a lot. I don't know if they are willing for that to happen. To ask that the returning Leigh have all the memories of what has occurred here in her rightful time and still be faced with Ardeth when she comes back... It will upset the apple cart of the universe Leigh. There is no telling what the outcome will be."
"Just do it, Nico. Please." She didn't wait for Nico's reply. Instead she closed the distance between her and Ardeth, throwing her arms around his neck and laying the mother of all liplocks on him. Ardeth responded in kind, the kiss desperate and possessive. He was kissing her for the last time and he wanted something to carry with him for the rest of his life. He knew that once his Harami was gone, he would not be able to love the Leigh that would appear in her place. She might look like her, but she would not be his Harami. That thought pained Ardeth.
Around them, the void began to change. The seething mass of shadows began to alter and morph themselves back into Ardeth's tent. The body in his arms also began to change, to become more ethereal and surrounded by light. He knew that she was leaving him. The reality hit him hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. He pulled his mouth from hers long enough to whisper 'I love you' to her.
Leigh whispered it to him in return as he began to fade from her vision. She was being pulled from him, she could feel it. Off to one side of her there was a ghost image of her, a mirror image. The other Leigh's face registered shock upon seeing the mirror image. But Leigh just sighed sadly and reached up to touch her lips. She wanted desperately to taste Ardeth's mouth one more time, but she knew it was not possible. Instead she reached out towards him. One last time she mouthed the words to him, 'I love you MuHibb.'
Leigh's eyes opened slowly. Through a hazy and blurred vision, she gathered she was in the hospital. She tried to draw a deep breath, but she couldn't, there was something preventing it. Off to one side, a soft alarm sounded.
"Miss Crawford? OH! You're awake!!" the petite little nurse's elderly and wrinkled face lit up with joy as she picked up the telephone to call the doctor. "We're so glad to see you wake up Miss Crawford! You really had us worried. I know of some people who will be more than thrilled to know you're awake too! Oh! I have to call that nice young man who brought you in too. He asked me to call when you woke up."
Leigh closed her eyes. She was back in the year 2000, back in her time and reality. As the kind nurse chirped and bustled about, Leigh's silent tears trickled down onto the pillow.
--
MuHibb = Lover
Harami = Thief
****
Stay tuned!! It's not over yet...