REMEBER to send feedback to the author, Liz

» CHAPTER FIVE «

The next time AJ opened his eyes, all he could see was a blinding white light that surrounded him. There appeared to be nothing else around but light. He tried taking a few steps forward and found that he was almost weightless. And he wasn’t paralyzed anymore. ‘But where am I?’ he wondered, having no memory of what he’d done.

"Hello?" he called into the swirling whiteness. In the blink of an eye, she was there, dressed in a long white gown and glowing from a light never before witnessed on Earth. She walked toward AJ with a smile that was even more beautiful than when she had been alive.

"Magic," she said simply, holding her arms open.

AJ couldn’t believe his eyes. "Mya!" he yelled, running to her.

To his dismay, he couldn’t reach her. It was like there was an invisible wall separating them. "Baby, why can’t I reach you?" he asked as tears threatened to fall.

"There are a few things I need to explain," Mya said as she sat down on the ground.

AJ sat also. "I’d say so. How did I get here?"

"You killed yourself," Mya said bluntly.

"I what?? Oh, now I remember," said AJ as it all came rushing back. "So, is this heaven?"

"No, this is just a rest stop, you might say. This is nothing compared to heaven. But you can’t go into heaven now. You weren’t supposed to die yet. And that is why you can’t reach me. You shouldn’t be here."

"You don’t understand. I couldn’t bear to live with myself anymore. There was no point in living," AJ said frantically, trying to make her understand.

"AJ, all lives have a point. It’s not up to you to decide that," Mya replied gently. "But you are being given a chance to go back and finish what you were born to do: make music that touches thousands of lives."

"But I’ve already done that. I can’t go back there without you."

Mya smiled at him. She still loved him with all her heart, and she wouldn’t have minded him staying, but he couldn’t. "You can, and you will. Like I said, you’re not done yet. When you get back, you will write a song that will inspire people more than you can imagine."

A tear rolled down AJ’s face. "I’ll miss you too much."

"I swear I will always be with you. And you can go on living with the knowledge that I am in a much better place. You can’t tell me you don’t feel better already," she said teasingly.

"Well, yeah, I do," he admitted.

"Then hold on to this memory. It’ll be enough."

"Will I get my healthy body back?" AJ dared to ask.

"Sorry. You have to return just as you left."

"But how am I supposed to get laid?" he jokingly whined.

Mya gasped. "I can’t believe you just said that to me! But at least you’re sounding like your old self. You can live without it, trust me. And who knows, maybe you’ll get a miracle cure someday. But if you do, just remember that I’ll always be watching you."

"Always?"

"Well, maybe there are some things I don’t want to see. But anyway, you need to be getting back now."

"Wait. There’s one more thing I have to say."

"What’s that?"

"Well...that night, I was going to propose to you. That was the surprise. All I want to know is, would you have said yes?"

"AJ, of course I would’ve," Mya whispered. "I wanted that more than you ever knew."

He smiled. "That’s good enough for me. But...can’t I just touch you once before I leave?" he said, finally accepting the situation.

"I think it would be healthy for you if you did," said Mya, stepping over to him and taking him into her arms. AJ held her just as tightly, memorizing the feeling. He had never felt so loved, and he knew that no matter how far they were apart, their love would always connect them.

Mya kissed AJ’s forehead and stepped back. "Bye Magic."

"Bye Spice. Have fun up here," said AJ, a little sadly. "Is there gonna be a snack served on this trip back?" he joked.

Mya laughed. "I think you can wait till you get back. Now, close your eyes. . ."

"Love you, baby," he whispered. Then he was gone.

¤ Chapter 6 ¤
REMEBER to send feedback to the author, Liz