She Waits

Gwendolyn stood by the bedroom window. Soon, the sun would rise. It would be a beautiful day. She smiled, then turned and walked to the bed where Evan was sleeping. They’d been married for 56 years. She remembered every year. She placed her hand on his cheek, gently trailing her fingertips across his face, to his lips. “I love you, dear,” she whispered.

She sat down on the bed, next to him, and waited for him to wake up. Knowing he would not notice her. Knowing he would open the window curtains, and stand there. Staring out. Wishing he was not alone. Wishing she was there. With him. It brought tears to her eyes every morning, watching him, and the pain he was in.

As she watched him sleep, he began to twitch. Anger covered his face, twisting his smile into an ugly look of hatred and rage. He was having another dream. Another nightmare. She’d seen so many of them in the past two years. Every since she’d crossed beyond the veil of life. Since that day, she’d visited him. In the night. Before the dawn. She just wanted to spend time with him.

“I know, my love, you can’t feel me. Can’t feel my touch. Can’t hear my words. But I can feel you. I can hear you. And I so wish I could hold you now, and comfort you. Show you that the nightmares you have each night are not real, but only dreams.”

As she sat on the bed, next to Evan, he began to swing his arms about. And he spoke from his dreams. “That’s a crime!” he cried. “It’s wrong! And you know it.” He reached for something as if he were reaching across a counter. “I’ll take this somewhere else!” She could almost see him as he hefted something, turned from the counter he’d reached across, and stormed off.

“Just a dream, my love,” she whispered, “Nothing more.”

Evan was old. When the sun rose, he would celebrate his 87th birthday. Friends would visit him all day. They’d bring him cake. Sing Happy Birthday. Make sure he had a good birthday. One that showed him how much he was loved. Gwendolny was looking forward to that. It was such a gift to her, to see him smile. To see him laugh. To see him happy.

As the sun rose, she leaned down and kissed her husband gently, on the lips. Then she stood, and walked to the window, wishing she could open the curtains for him. Knowing she could not. She could see the sun rising through the curtains. The colors of the world coming back to life. She watched for a few moments. A few of Evan’s heartbeats. She could hear them quite easily. And she knew from their sound, time was slowly running out for him. One day soon, his heart would beat its last. One day soon, it would be his turn to cross beyond the veil of life.

“I’ll be here when the time arrives, my love.” She smiled. “I’ll stay right here. By your side. I’ll wait for you.”

When she spoke those words, Evan always smiled.

545 Words
@LurchMunster

My first attempt at anything with a ghost in it. Please go read the other entries in the EVER Flash Fiction Blog Hop and Giveaway. You can find them all at Jessa Russon’s Site. If you wish to vote for someone, leave a one word comment, where the word is “VOTE”… Rules of the game.

The EVER Flash Fiction Blog Hop and Giveaway By Jessa Russo