The Point of No Return
Past the point of no return
No backward glances
The games we've played till now are at an end…
- The Phantom of the Opera
I stood nervously at the altar as the heads of the guests turned to gape at Emily as she strode down the isle, modestly. As much as I try to deny it, she was lovely with her pearly silk veil flowing, lighting up the darkened church with wonderful majesty. I tried to smile at her, but my glance fell upon the poison I was to consume after my vows had been declared. It was a blood red color that appeared to bubble with Death and beckon for someone to raise their lips to it. I looked up to find Emily beside me, giving me the same faint smile and staring down at her dead bouquet of dead flowers, lovingly.
Elder Gutknecht gestured to me and asked me to declare my vows in his ancient, cracked voice. I picked up one of the candles in my right hand and took in a deep breath, causing the dead to look at me and smirk at my need for air. I recited my vows perfectly, and felt pleased with myself and the fact that the vows had not turned into gibberish. That is, until Emily gripped the goblet and held it up to me with her large, pleading eyes seeming to look into my soul with longing. I bit my lip and revived Emily of the poison, grasping it with a quavering hand. I had to remind myself that Victoria was already wed to that despicable Lord Barkis. He had mocked me silently during the rehearsal and sneered at my clumsiness with his overrated pride. Still, as much as I hate him, he probably would be a much better husband than I ever would.
Bastard.
Anyways, I stared into the liquid once more and thought of my parents. I probably should have said goodbye, but they probably wouldn't have approved of suicide, much like everything else. But, I didn't care.
I was not afraid to die.
Suddenly, letting my emotions and memories go, I raised the goblet to my lips and let the poison trickle into my mouth and down my throat in a twisted path.
It was now, past the point of no return.
It burnt, God it burnt with the fire of Hell! It felt as if someone had taken a boiling kettle of tea and forced it down my throat. When the last drop had passed into my system, I let the goblet fall from my hands and crash onto the floor, waking up a few guests who had dozed off. Suddenly, my legs went numb and I collapsed onto the floor in a heap, closing my eyes and feeling the poison work its way towards my heart slowly. Everything in its path froze and I put a finger to my wrist, feeling for a beat. The pulse grew fainter and fainter until it stopped all at once, the pain eliminated with it.
I opened my eyes and looked up to see Emily gazing down at me; she was either sad or happy, I couldn't tell. I staggered to my feet and looked at my hands, which I had now noticed they were a different color of blue. Not as blue as the other Dead, but a faint, almost pale color. I was now dead and there was no way back. I was surprised to hear Elder Gutknecht's voice break through the silence.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," he declared as Emily took my hand. "You may now kiss the bride."
I turned to Emily slowly as she smiled at me, her eyes glittering with undeniable ecstasy with the fact that she was now a bride. I thought to myself, maybe being dead won't be so bad; Emily is lovely and it's certainly more bearable than my Victorian lifestyle. We leaned into each other slowly and our lips pressed against each others as if they were pulled by magnets. Kissing a corpse disgusted me at first until I realized that I was dead as well. It was my first kiss I could remember, and not one of those kisses that parents gave you when you were a child going to bed. I felt the world around me dissolve and my insides flutter like a small schoolgirl's. Everything felt properly placed until I heard that voice.
"Victor."
Emily and I pulled away and I turned around to see Victoria staring at me in horror. Her eyes widened when she saw me and she buried her face into her hands, beginning to cry. I stood there, felling helpless and confused as the church filled with her sobs.
"Oh, Victor," she managed to get through in between cries. "What have you done? Why?"
I turned back to Emily only to find her with her eyes glued to the floor, trying to block out Victoria. The dead were cringing and frowning at Victoria in sympathy and Elder Gutknecht gestured for me to comfort her.
I walked over to the sobbing girl and wrapped my arms around her as she sobbed into my suit. She began hitting my chest with her fists, half-heartedly until she could not raise her arm anymore. It was then when she finally calmed down just enough to look up at me, her eyes and cheeks stained with tears.
"Victor," she breathed. "Why have you done this? Why have you killed yourself?"
"I did this so that we all might find our happy endings," I responded, biting my lip. "You will have your man, Lord Bastar-Barkis, your parents will have their money, I will have my bride, and Emily here will finally have a husband. Everyone will be happy."
She pushed me aside and turned away from me, silently. I could tell things had not gone, dare I say, according to plan.
"Lord Barkis is as broke as my parents," she whimpered like a child. "It would seem that only you and your wife have found you happily ever after."
I reached out to her, but she brushed my hand away in rejection. I let my hand fall to my side as I turned back to Emily, who looked at me in despair and confusion. I thought that things would work and that everyone would be happy with their wish. I was wrong and I could never take back what I'd done. I was about to turn back to Victoria when I was interrupted by elder Gutknecht amidst the chaos.
"Our time is short on in this world," he whispered to me, gravely. "We must go back. Say you goodbyes, now Master Van Dort."
I clasped Emily's hand and closed my eyes before cocking my head to the side so Victoria could hear my comment.
"Goodbye Victoria," I said, slowly, trying to be as sincere as I could. "Just tell my family I fell into the frozen river; they should believe that." Then, I added hastily, "Please don't hurt yourself to…"
"I won't," she interrupted, coldly, wrapping her arms around herself and walking away from Emily and me in an act of protection for her broken heart. I bowed my head like an ashamed puppy as I led Emily out of the church and into the haunting twilight near the woods. The moon was impeccably full, causing shadows to wrap around the trees. The guests staggered out of the church, mumbling about the "rude interruption of a perfectly good wedding" as Elder Gutknecht stumbled up to me, tugging at my coat for attention.
"Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort," he said, which made my insides recoil with regret that I dared not to show Emily. I had to kneel to see the old skeleton face to face.
"Yes, sir?" I replied, loudly so he could hear.
"I'm not sure an after ceremony would be the best idea," he continued. "Considering the incident with the living girl." He shook his head, seemingly annoyed. "I think we just need things to get settled down, but tonight, why don't you send the night together, alone."
He chuckled and hobbled away, leaving me with a sinking, sick feeling that I couldn't describe. I glanced at Emily, who giggled at the elder's comment as we walked into the dark forest, where the entrance to the Land of the Dead was located. Before we disappeared, I heard Victoria cry out one last thing into the night sky:
"Alas! I shall always love a corpse!"