Lilia had heard stories about the Lifestream. She had seen it in documentaries and on the News. It was a beautiful thing, but it was also haunting. There were plenty of stories to tell. Some had witnessed it first-hand. After all, on the island of Mideel, springs of Mako reach the surface and pool on the ground, glistening lakes of aquamarine. She had never been to Mideel. She could never afford to go. A girl of the slums, she was destined to live out the rest of her life in the grime and gloom.
She did not expect her life to be short-lived. She did not intend to meet the gushing streams of Mako energy at the tender age of seventeen. Even though she was poor and dirty, became an orphan at six and had little prospects, a glimmer of hope shone within her heart, and she wanted to live. But sometimes, that choice is not yours to make.
She was lying on the floor, covered in her own blood. She could hear people screaming and sobbing. Voices were crying out for loved ones. Desperate hands were all around her, scraping through the rubble, longing to find their nearest and dearest. She tried calling out, but couldn't. Who would want to save her anyway? She wasn't anyone's loved one. Not anymore.
Her voice was barely a whisper. Her chest was hurting and her eyes stung with tears. She couldn't breathe. When she closed her eyes and felt all the pain ebbing away, and all the voices fade into nothing, she knew she was near the end.
The dying girl was comforted by a warm, gentle light and then the soft, beautiful voice of her mother. A sudden gush of emotions swept through her, and seemed to lift her from her dark surroundings, into another realm, a beautiful world full of happy memories and the spirits of those who were pure.
"Do not be afraid, Lilia" she told her. "I'll always be here for you."
She could remember her mother telling her that when she was a small child. It was one of the last things she told her before she died.
"Hope is borne out of love," her mother whispered.
People always said that the feeling of hope in one's heart is a part of the Lifestream that runs through your veins. Lilia had never believed in it; until now.
"I love you, Lilia," her mother said.
"I love you too, mother," she replied, a tear rolling down her cheek.
She relaxed her arms and legs, letting them be taken by the comforting currents, and drifted through the Lifestream, finally at peace.
The End