All Hallows' Eve

All Hallows’ Eve

 

 

The alarm clock rang signaling the start of another bland day for Robert Davies.  He followed his normal morning rituals of dressing, breakfast and driving to work.  He spent his hours doing meaningless tasks at his job.  The people in Robert’s life had noticed a change in his personality since the accident.  The once kind and smiling man changed into a cold person with a blank expression that seemed to be permanently painted on his face.

People from his office tried many times to get him out of his lonely apartment and around others.  But, Robert always objected.  After a while, his friends and acquaintances just stopped trying.  The only people that ever called were his parents, who now seemed to call more out of concern rather than interest.

On the way home, he stopped by the cemetery.  There wasn’t a single person visiting, which is how Robert liked it.  Having just one other person in the cemetery made him feel like he couldn’t express himself.  He couldn’t talk out loud to the gravestone knowing that another living person was around.  The air was cool and a slight breeze cut through him as he walked amongst a sea of gravestones.  In the distance, a small flock of sparrows chirped, calling back and forth to each other.  Robert set his sights on one particular gravestone placed under a tree.  He stopped a few feet from the gravestone and traced the letters on it with his eyes.

Robert couldn’t stop thinking of her.  It had been eight months, but his heart still hadn’t found a way to mend itself.  He dug in his pant pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.  He had been waiting for the right moment to propose to her, but the moment never came.  Robert always carried the ring with him as a reminder of what he had, or almost had.  Sometimes, late at night, he would hold the ring and convince himself that the last eight months were all a dream, and she would come walking through his apartment door.  If that ever happened, Robert thought, I would give it to her right away.  I wouldn’t hesitate.  I’ve waited so long to be happy, and who knows what else life could throw at me? 

“I miss you,” Robert said to the cold piece of granite.  “I wish you could be here.”  His eyes started to fill with tears.  “It’s been so hard without you.  I don’t know what to do.  Nothing takes you from my mind.”

Robert stood in silence, listening to the dried leaves rustle amongst the blades of chilled grass.  He listened for a response, something to give his life some sort of direction.  His mother had always said that if he listened hard enough, God would provide the answer, but she was wrong, there was always silence.

He stood quietly with his thoughts for a few more minutes until his cheeks started to get too cold.  With his hands tucked warmly in his pockets, Robert went back to his car and drove home.

Home for Robert was a delightful apartment in the more upscale part of town.  He rented it just as he was starting to build the courage to ask her to marry him.  Secretly, he had referred to it as their “love nest,” and hoped that she would move in with him once they were officially engaged.

He set his briefcase down on the maple dining table and went right for the refrigerator.  After heating up some leftover pizza, Robert went into the living room to watch the news.  The picture of her setting on the stand next to his chair always caught his eye and distracted him, making everything else around him fade away.  It was his favorite picture of her, one that he had taken during the summer a few years ago.  She was standing in a meadow, surrounded by flowers, looking contemplatively off into the distance.  The sun was setting behind her, making her light brown hair have a tint of orange and light red.  His pizza started getting cold as he studied every line of her face and hair.  His mind went back to the moments leading up to the picture; they played in his head like a silent movie.

The sound of music on the television snapped him out of his trance.  His heart felt as if it had stopped, and there was a sinking feeling in his stomach.  He bit in to the cold pizza and tried to turn his focus on what was on in front of him, a show about the origins of Halloween.  Halloween, Robert thought, That always was her favorite time of year.  Memories of their past Halloweens started to pour into his mind, but he fought them back.  With the holiday only a few hours away, many of the stations had been playing marathons of spooky shows and scary movies.  He half-heartedly listened to the show as he continued devouring his food, but something that the show’s narrator said caught his attention. 

The people on the show started talking about how the Celtics believed that the veil between the living and the dead became thin on Halloween.  The Celtics thought that on this one day, the souls of the recently deceased could come back to visit all their loved ones.

Robert sat in his recliner flipping through channels for the next hour and a half.  Finally, out of boredom, or some sort of subconscious desperation, he turned the TV off, grabbed his green jacket and walked to his car.  Am I really going to do this? He thought as he inserted and turned the key in the ignition.  Halloween was her favorite time of year, I think she would like it if I went to visit her.  At the same time, the narrator’s voice from the Halloween history program was repeating in his head.  His mind uncontrollably focused in on the parts of the program talking about the veil between the world of the living and the dead being thin on that one day.

The headlights of Robert’s car were the only lights in the cemetery as he pulled onto the gravel road that went through the middle of the sacred grounds.  He parked the car and stepped out into the cool autumn night.  Dark grey clouds moved across the sky, occasionally blotting out the crescent moon and dead leaves swirled in the autumn breeze as Robert carefully made his way across the plots of other people’s loved ones.  Before he knew it, her gravestone was before him.  A shadow, his shadow, blocked the name from sight, but he knew it was her stone.  A scraping sound coming from somewhere close by put him on edge.  The tree next to the plot creaked with each light gust of wind that blew through the sea of granite.

The glow from his watch hurt his eyes.  It was almost time.  Halloween was almost here.  He watched the seconds tick away.  Finally, a faint alarm from the watch signaled midnight.

“Well,” Robert said shivering, “I made it.  It’s Halloween, you know.  You loved this stupid holiday.  I want you to know that I’m here, and I always will be here for your favorite day.”

The tears running down his cheeks burnt his skin in the night air.  The wind blew harder and the leaves circled his feet.  The mysterious scraping sound, which turned out to be a small cluster of dried leaves still attached to the tree, increased with fury in the wind.  Just like someone flipped a switch, everything stopped.  The wind died down, and the leaves stopped moving.  Not even a cricket made a sound.  He looked down.  It was a minute after twelve.

“It isn’t stupid,” said a soft voice from behind him.

He knew the voice instantly, for it was the voice he heard every night in his dreams.

A look of shock came over Robert’s face when he turned as saw her standing only a few feet from him.  She was dressed in a conservative looking blue dress, the dress she had been buried in.  Robert had all these things that he had wanted to say for eight long months, but he couldn’t seem to remember any of them.  He quickly turned back to her grave to see if the ground had been disturbed, but it hadn’t.

She smiled.  “I know what you’re thinking, but don’t.  It’s really me.”  She walked over to him and put her hand on his cheek.  “See?”

Her skin was cold to the touch, but Robert didn’t know if it was because it was cool out or because she was actually dead.  He couldn’t take his eyes off her as they started towards the car.  She seldomly looked at him, but when she did, she would delicately grin and push her hair behind her ear.

The drive home was silent, except for the soft music from the radio.  Why won’t she say anything?  He thought while trying to keep his focus on the road.  She must know how much I have to say to her; doesn’t she have anything to say to me?  Robert looked over every so often to see her contently studying the buildings and other scenery as they passed by.  Finally, after what seemed like hours, they reached the apartment.

Robert opened the apartment door and turned the lights on for her.  She stepped inside and looked around, studying every detail.

“It looks the same,” She said with a smile.

“Yeah, I guess I never felt the need to change it,” Robert said as they walked into the kitchen.  “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”

“Oh.  No, but thanks for asking.”

She was exactly how he remembered her.  They had been dating for years, and she never took his politeness for granted, and always returned the gesture.  In the fluorescent light of the kitchen, Robert was able to get a better look at her.  Nothing had changed, except for the paleness and coldness of her skin.  Her smile warmed his soul and her voice still lifted his spirits.

She asked questions about what was going on in his life.  Robert went on and on about work, both of their families and their friends.  Robert rambled on, hardly blinking the whole time, making nothing more than small talk.  She sat quietly at the table listening attentively, seemingly hanging on every word he said.  Before he knew it, it was almost 2 o’clock.

“I’m pretty tired,” Robert said with a yawn.  Becoming aware of the time was the only reason his body decided on sleep.  “How about you?”

“I’m not,” she said with a smirk, “Obviously.”

“Right,” Robert said beating himself up inside for asking such a stupid question.  “Do you mind if I get some rest?”

“Not at all.”

They got up from the table and went to the bedroom.  She grabbed his hand as he started leading her down the hallway towards his room.  The hallway was almost bare, a framed picture that he took of her from a year ago, and a dying plant were the only things he considered decorations.

“This is the same too,” she said.

“I know.”

She walked to the nightstand and picked up the book that sat in a thin layer of dust.

“You kept my book,” she said flipping through the pages.  The bookmarker was on the last page she had left it on.

“It’s your book,” Robert insisted, “I wouldn’t dream of moving it.”

She sat silently on his bed as he quickly gathered his nightclothes and went into the bathroom to change.  After a few minutes he came out with a smile and did a little modeling pose for her in his blue lounge pants and plain green t-shirt.  She laughed and got up to hug him.  Then, Robert pulled the covers back and slipped between the crisp, cool sheets.

“What are you going to do?” He asked as he felt sleep taking hold of him.

She crawled into the bed.  “I want to watch you sleep.  It’s been so long since I have.”

Robert found this a little odd, but also strangely comforting.  He didn’t question it, but instead whispered his goodnights to her before letting his body fall into sleep.

The bright morning sun pierced through the open curtains and fell upon Robert’s sleeping body.  Within moments, his eyes slowly opened as he came out of a peaceful sleep.  His vision was blurry, but he could see her silhouette standing at the window.  He stayed silent, watching her as she looked out the window.  The bright orange from the sun made her hair look similar to the picture next to his chair in the living room.  He couldn’t help but to think that while she seemed the same, there was something slightly off.  What it was, he couldn’t tell.  After a couple of minutes just studying her, Robert moved just enough to catch her attention.

She turned and smiled.  “Good morning, my dear,” she said as she walked to the bedside.  “How did you sleep?”

As she lowered herself gently down onto the bed next to him, Robert answered, “Just fine, thanks.  What did you do all night?”

“I read a bit from my book, and just stood by the window watching the sun rise.”  She turned towards the window, “It has been so long since I’ve seen one, I hardly remembered what they looked like.”

“So,” Robert started as he propped himself up a bit.  “What do you want to do today?  We can do anything your heart desires.”

It didn’t take her long to think up a couple of ideas.  Robert could tell, because she always batted her eyes almost unnaturally fast when something she really wanted to do came to her mind.

“I want to go to a few places around here.  Just for old time’s sake.”

“Sure!” Robert said as he threw back the covers and crawled out of bed.  “Where would you like to go?”

“I want to go to Gemble’s Field.  You remember where that is, right?

“Of course,” Robert said as the enthusiasm drained from his voice.  “How could I forget?”

It really was impossible for him to forget that place.  When they were just getting to know each other, Robert didn’t have enough money to really take her on a proper date, so he made a little picnic basket and the two of them had lunch under a walnut tree that grew by itself on the side of a hill.  They sat under that tree for hours just talking.  She had even surprised him with a kiss.  Years later, she would tell Robert that it truly was the best date she had ever been on.

The two lovers drove on the road that led east, and went just beyond the city limits.  The scenery turned from buildings and other elements of civilization, to plants and wildlife.

Just as he had done years before, Robert found the small turn off, and parked the car.  They then walked hand in hand down the old tractor trail that led through a patch of dying trees.  Their feet crunched in the dried leaves, and sparrows chirped in the trees, alerting other animals to their presence. 

The trail eventually led them to a wide field.  A breeze rustled the dry, dead weeds.  The couple walked through the field, dried weeds and twigs crackling with every step.  Climbing up the hill in the crisp air left Robert short of breath, but had no effect on her.  They found their spot under the old walnut tree.  Robert stomped around on the ground, pushing the dead weeds flat, so they could have a nice place to sit down.  He then sat and put his back up against the tree.  She then sat down and snuggled against Robert.  Her soft hair fluttered against his face, and he smelt the faint scent of her old shampoo.

“We haven’t been here in a long time,” she said looking Robert in the eyes.

“No,” he responded.  “And we never came here during this time of year.”

She looked out over the golden weeds that moved like the ocean in the breeze.

“I think this might be my favorite time to be here,” she said with a shiver.

“I thought you liked the view of the field in the spring,” Robert asked, looking down at the top of her head.

“I did, but I changed my mind.  This is a beautiful and pleasant time of year.”  She loved the golden and red colors of fall, the stillness of nature as it prepared for the oncoming winter.

Robert was so happy to have her back at this place, to have her in his arms again, making him feel complete.  He didn’t want to ask her anything about her time away, but he was so full of questions.  There were things on his mind that just wouldn’t go away, no matter how much he ignored them.  He thought that he could ask her something simple, something that wouldn’t provoke a negative reaction.

“There’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he said with a nervousness that she might have mistaken for a shiver from the cold.

 She turned and looked into his dark eyes.  “Anything, my dear.”

For an instant he hesitated.  Did he really want to get answers to the things on his mind, or would it be better to have them left unsaid?

“How were you able to come back to me?”  He finally sputtered out.

She responded like the question never fazed her, like it was something so simple to answer.  “I was able to come back because of you.”  She pulled away from Robert, but reached out to touch his cheek.  “You wouldn’t let me go; it was that devotion to me that allowed me to come back to you.”

“But, my devotion to you never stopped, so why didn’t you just come back months ago?”

“It’s because of the time of year, Halloween.  Don’t ask me why, but the barrier that separates the living and the dead is thin on this particular day, and that let me cross back over into the world.”

Robert hesitated for a second.  His head swirled with so many questions that he started feeling his head throb.  “Does that mean you can stay?” Robert asked, but deep down, he knew the answer already.

Her head lowered.  “No.”  Her voice was filled with pain and regret.

“When do you have to leave?”

Robert wanted time to do everything he had ever wanted to do with her.  He wanted to live a full life with her, even if she could be with him for a week, to give her everything that she deserved.  They had always dreamed of doing big things and going to far off places together.  He would give up all that he had to fulfill those dreams.

“I have until midnight,” she said softly, still not looking up at him.

Tears started piling up in Robert’s eyes.  “But,” he hesitated, fighting back the sorrow and disappointment that was creeping into his voice.  “That’s not enough time…”

He was interrupted by her cold finger against his lips and her whisper, “I know, I know.  It isn’t fair, for either of us.”  Tears came to her eyes.  “It’s better that we have today, then no time at all.”

“You’re right,” Robert said as he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.  But that still didn’t make him feel any better.  All those dreams they had were gone, never to be attained.  The life he wanted would never be.  More importantly, the life he wanted to help her achieve was now nothing more than smoke in the wind.  “Now, where do you want to go next?”  He smiled as bravely as he could, but she could see through the lie.

She thought for a second and her eyes rapidly batted again.  Without looking at him, she said, “I know this is going to seem strange, but I want to go where the accident was.”

Robert could feel the tears coming back again.  “Oh, please don’t make me go there.”  His voice waivered out of fear and tears stung his eyes.

Just thinking about taking her to that place made his heart stop and his limbs feel lifeless.  She sensed how it made him feel, and hugged him reassuringly in a vain attempt at comfort.  The last time he had been there was on the night she died.

He remembered it like it was yesterday.  Her father had called him; Robert had thought it was going to be just another conversation since the two of them had always had a great relationship since the day she brought Robert home.  Instead of a friendly talk, all Robert heard was he father screaming into the phone and telling him to get to the hospital.

Within minutes Robert was in the hospital, where he found her mother standing in the lobby looking dazed.  Without a word from her mother, he was led to a waiting room, where her father delivered the news that she had passed away.

Robert became weak and crumbled to his knees on the floor.  He tried to fool himself by saying that it was a mistake, that the doctors had the wrong girl.  His body went numb, but at the same time it felt like there was a knife in his stomach.  All doubts of the truth were extinguished when he was allowed to go see her body.

She lay flat and still on a table in an operating room.  Her lips had a bluish color to them and her skin already looked paler than normal.  Robert studied her body for what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few moments in reality.  He prayed for a sudden sign of life, but it was hopeless.  A doctor tried to say something comforting to him, but Robert couldn’t hear a thing.  Flashes of her went through his head, which made reality even worse.  With his head hung low, he walked away without a word and wandered the hospital for quite some time.

Robert drove her to the spot where the accident took place.  They pulled off to the side of the road, but he stayed in the car as she wandered about.  She soon found the tree that her car smashed head on in to.  The bark was still missing where the car impacted, and the faint image of the black marks her tires made as the car had tried to stop could still be seen leading from the middle of the road to the tree.

He watched silently as she followed the tire marks with her eyes and motionlessly stared at the injury to the tree.  Finally, she came back to the car with tear filled eyes.

“I remember,” she said softly, as she looked back at the tree one last time.  “I remember losing control of the car, and seeing that I was heading for the tree.  I knew it was going to be bad, but you know what I thought in the split second before crashing?  I thought, ‘Lord, I wish I could see Robert’s face one more time, so I can tell him everything I always had difficulty saying.  I want to tell him it will be okay, and that I will always be waiting for him.’  Now I have my wish,” she said, turning to Robert with tears falling down her face.

“I always knew you would be waiting for me, but I hoped that you knew I was waiting here for you,” Robert said, as he tightened his grip around the steering wheel, in hopes of somehow fighting back the tears that were already making their way back down his face.

“I never had any doubt in that.  Now, let’s go back home, Robert,” she said rubbing his knee reassuringly.

The sun was starting to set behind the hills as the couple headed back into town.  Within an hour or so, the streets would be filled with children running from door to door in disguises hoping to fill their bags with treats.  As they came close to the local grocery store, she made Robert stop so that they could get a pumpkin to carve for the holiday, something that had been their yearly tradition since they started dating.

As they walked back into the apartment, she said disappointingly, “I can’t believe you haven’t decorated for Halloween.”

“I know you do,” Robert said as he put the pumpkin down on the dining room table.  “My priorities just took a little bit of a shift this year.  But, now that you’re home, we can do this thing properly!”  He shot her a quick smile while her eyes lit up with anticipation.

Robert rummaged through kitchen drawers gathering a knife and spoon, and then sat patiently and watched as she concentrated on drawing on a face for the pumpkin.  He studied the way her brow shifted as she focused on her task, and the way her lips moved as she drew the face with a marker.  She made a couple small mistakes, but easily erased the marker lines by licking her middle fingertip and scrubbing the line away.  Her eyes glanced over the drawn face, giving it one final look over before she approved it.

Once she had determined the face to be perfect, she slid the pumpkin over to him so he could carve it.  She had always rather had him do the carving, since he was more patient and would pay attention to the details.  But, there was little detail to the pumpkin this year.  It was a simple face, the type that you typically see in the pictures and decorations of the holiday.  Nonetheless, Robert cut the top of the pumpkin and hollowed it out before cutting out the face.  In his peripheral vision, he could see that she was studying him, just as he had done to her.  When the pumpkin was finally completed, Robert told her where she could find a small candle for the completed decoration.  She placed the small white candle in the center of the pumpkin and lit it with a match.  Robert turned out the kitchen lights, and the two stared for a moment at the glowing masterpiece.

In the pumpkin’s glow, Robert decided to do something he had been waiting over eight months to do.  All he could feel was the heavy thumping of his heart as his eyes stared deeply into her’s.  The next thing Robert knew the small velvet box was out of his pocket and being squeezed tightly by his sweaty hand.  Her eyes darted back and forth between his clenched fist and nervous eyes.  Robert’s legs felt like rubber as he finally got the courage to get down onto one knee.

“Will you marry me?” he asked as he opened the box for her.

The diamond ring twinkled in the soft glow and her eyes welled up with tears.

“You never had to ask me, Robert.  Of course I will.”

He pulled the ring from the box as she stretched out her hand.  With one trembling hand, he held her cold hand steady, and slid the ring onto her skinny finger.  She held it up in the air to get a good look at it, her eyes flickering in the candle light like tiny faint stars, and then gave Robert a long and joyous kiss.

A chill went through Robert’s body as he felt her cold lips press against his.  Her coldness was so unlike how she was once upon a time.  While their lips still touched, the thought of what she was came back into his mind.  How could someone he once knew so intimately be changed by death?  Still, the change he felt only seemed to be the coolness of her touch and a deep longing for things to continue on forever.  He loved her anyway, and always would.

“Come with me,” she whispered in his ear as she clenched his hand.

She led him out into the cool night air.  Dried leaves scrapped across the pavement as costumed children ran from door to door asking for candy.  A smile came across Robert’s face while he watched her stare contently at the children. The calm night air was filled with the sound of high pitched giggles, doorbells, and fists knocking on doors.  The streets were void of any traffic.  This was a night for the children, and time for them to run wild without having to worry about the rules of the everyday.  

As the two walked through the bustling street, she said, “Robert, I have to tell you the truth about why I am here for you.”

“What do you mean?” he asked as a ghoulishly disguised child passed by him.  “I thought you were here because of my devotion.”

“I am,” her tone quickly turned from loving to concern.  “In this case, that isn’t exactly a good thing.”

“How is being devoted a negative thing?”

“Honey, I am dead.  When this night is over, I will be gone, and where will that leave you?” she said sympathetically.

Robert didn’t have words to answer her.  He knew that he would be back where he was just a day ago, mourning her.  Actually, now the pain might be even worse.  To be even closer to obtaining their dreams, only to have it all disappear again once the day was over.  It was hard enough to have her ripped away without a goodbye, but now they would have to bid their farewells for good.

“Do you know what this night is all about for those who have died?” she asked.

“It is for them to visit their loved ones,” he said in a hopeful voice.

“It is, but it isn’t for them to be like I am.  The spirits of the recently deceased go about the world visiting all of their friends and loved ones.  The deceased get to see how they’re getting along without them.  They don’t come back in the flesh, but as ghosts.  This is the day where their minds are put at ease.”

“But, what if they see that their loved ones aren’t getting along very well?” Robert asked, his voice fading in and out while trying to hold his emotions back.

“Then the spirit gets to make a decision.  They can either stay in the world as a ghost, or move on and hope that their loved ones can do the same.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Robert asked as tears filled his eyes.

“I’m telling this to you, because after tonight, I know you’re going to still be in pain.”

Why does she always have to be right? Robert asked himself.

“But, how am I supposed to move on?  Do you want me to just forget you?” Robert asked as he reached out to hold her delicate hands in his.

“Of course not,” she said rubbing her thumbs against his skin.  “I don’t want you to be held back by me.  I want you to go out and live.  Go out and see all the places we talked about, and do the things that make you happy.”

Robert’s voice quivered, “How am I supposed to go on living without you in my life?  You are my world.”  The now familiar feeling that he was being stabbed in the gut while falling from a cliff seized him.

 A tear now formed in the corner of her eye.  “I can’t help you with that.  Just keep in mind that I will always be with you.  I will always be watching you, and someday, we will be together again.  I promise.”

Robert lowered his head, tears started roll down his cheeks.  “Okay, for you, I will do my best.  But, you can’t just expect me to forget about you.”

She put her hand under his chin and gently raised his head up so she could look into his eyes.  “I never said for you to forget.  Remember the times we had together, but also remember that no matter what we will be together again.”

Robert felt a little more at ease from her words.  In his mind, he had known that she wouldn’t want him to be how he was, to be less than what he was.  She wanted him to be as happy as he could, even if she wasn’t right there with him.  And as they walked silently towards the apartment, Robert came to realize that people were right when they talked about making a special place in their hearts for lost loved ones.  Robert realized that he was luckier than most.  His thoughts now changed; being able to say his proper goodbyes was maybe more of a blessing.  He had already achieved more than someone else that had suffered the loss of a loved one.  Perhaps he was maybe just a little but lucky to get the chance to hug and kiss her once more?  His lost love came back to him to tell him it was okay to move on.  Knowing that she would be waiting for him made living life easier.  He was too much of a coward to speed up his waiting, plus he didn’t want to risk going somewhere where she wasn’t.

They got back to the apartment with a few hours to spare before she had to go.  The couple sat cuddled up on a chair in the living room, his fingers curling around in her hair, and her head resting gently on his chest.  The rhythmic beating of his heart soothed her, making her eyes heavy.  Robert, like her, was also fighting to keep his eyes open.  He didn’t want to miss out on one moment of their time.

It was now eleven o’clock, and the butterflies started in Robert’s stomach, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from fading in and out of sleep.  At one point, he drifted off, only to wake up with a jolt that caused even her to jump.

“Sorry, my love, I fell asleep for a second.”

“It’s okay,” she said getting up from the chair.  She reached out for his hand.  Once she had it, he stood up to meet her.  “Let’s go to bed now.”

Robert conceded to the idea, and the two went hand in hand to the bedroom.  They lay down together on the bed, and Robert felt exhaustion come over him like a wave.  Blackness started to slowly creep into his peripheral.  He could feel her fingers running through his hair.  With each motion of her fingers the warm feeling of contentment lulled him closer to sleep. 

“It’s okay,” she whispered to him.  “You can sleep.”

She held him close to her cool body and placed a tender kiss on his forehead.  Robert felt at peace for the first time in eight long months.  He let go, and surrendered to sleep.

He awoke early the next morning, alone.  He jolted up in his bed and looked around the room.  The sun poured through the window onto the bed.  Birds chirped in the tree outside the window, and a strong wind made the building creak.  There was no sign of her.  He smelled the pillow that she had been laying on, but there was no trace of her scent.  Was it a dream? Robert asked himself as he pulled back the covers and put his feet on the carpeted floor.  He searched the room for any evidence of her, but there was nothing, not even a strand of her hair.

Convinced that it was all just a bittersweet dream, Robert dressed himself and went into the bathroom to shave.  Going into the bathroom, Robert noticed on the counter was a folded up piece of paper with her engagement ring sitting on top.  He gently picked the cool ring up between his thumb and index finger, glanced at it for a moment with a smile and slipped it into his pants’ pocket.  His heart thudded in his chest as he picked up the paper and opened it.  There was a heart drawn at the top that he recognized was in her drawing style, and under that were words in her handwriting.

“Forever and Always.”