she is speechless , that face..that face looked farimilair , that face …so farmiliar like that she could hear his voice, smell his perfume and can picture the way he jotted down and advised her…
how..how ..
Her husband is shaking her ” TINA !!!”
“Yes yes..Charles , why are you shaking me like that “?
“I lost you there for a second. , you zoned out on me. Are you okay? these days you seem like you are not even here..”
“I am here..”
“No I know you are here but you seem like you are elsewhere , ever since. .ever since the accident you haven’t been yourself. Should we go back to the hospital, ?”
she frowns “I am okay Charles I am, we don’t need to go back to the hospital. we lost a child Charles, it’s normal for me to…not be myself some times but I am here. I am fine. ”
he goes to her and hugs her
“I am sorry babe, I should just put this off, I guess even the story on the news is upsetting enough ” he turns the TV off and stares at her
“Sure you are fine babe? you would tell me if you are not right ?”
she manages a smile and nods “Promise”
“Good” he places a kiss to her forehead “Have to go to work, let me know if you need anything and please go out babe, you need to start going out , meet friends , have fun, don’t be at home all day, i worry ”
“Yes…I will..now go” she pushes him out of the door.
*
” Oh my goodness. !!!! wow!!!!! Hi Tina, how are you? haven’t seen you for. .ages, how are you?” the red haired woman who had just come into the supermarket where Tina was shopping sights her and rushes to hug her
“Oh Mary hi??” Tina is taken aback
“Oh wow!!! you look…you look unwell are you okay. I heard you got married and that you were..pregnant. where is the little bundle of joy, I am sure she or he must be beautiful just like you and that your amazing cute ass husband of yours..you guys dated all through college and I knew that you guys were going to be forever and everything. I am so sorry I couldn’t attend the wedding but I was out of state, travelling the world and all of that..but..hey, where is the little one..?” She is looking around ..
“There is no baby”
“I am sure he would have such beautiful eyes you know I always loved your eyes and then I am sure your kid is going to love chocolates like you as you did in school, and…”
“I SAID THERE IS NO BABY!!” she shouted
“Whoaaa what??” Mary stares in shock at her… “What do you mean..like. ..There is no baby?”
‘”I lost it, in an accident. a few weeks ago. ..and ..”
Mary pulls her into a hug “Oh dear I am so so sorry..forgive me” she hugs her , Tina pulls away..
“Its fine. look ..I have to go ..its nice running into you but..I have to go..”
“No..please..let me take you home”
“No Mary,it’s fine ”
*
Tina is standing infront of a small tomb, where it was written..
“Our baby sleeps here.
Gone before living ”
she bends , placing a flower on the tomb she places a kiss there..
“I miss you Mine..because that is what you were to me..to us. I hope you find peace in the warmth of God’s arms baby, mama and papa loves you” she says
“I love you too”
she turns , wondering if she actually heard that voice or it was her in her head.
then she turns back to the tomb.. she screams backing away. .
A baby, a baby sat on the tomb, dangling her legs and playing with the sand of the earth.
“Mama? ”
she faints
*
“Tina..Tina baby wake up?” Her husband shakes her awake..
“What’s wrong.. What’s wrong ??” She is startled..
“You were having a nightmare, what’s wrong babe? ”
she holds her head , it’s aching “I ..I didn’t remember ”
he sighs pulling her to him “baby, this nightmares, you need to go to the hospital ”
“I am fine really..I just want to go back to bed”
“Okay baby, come here” he pulls her in, and they go back to sleep.
*
“What did they want Charles ?” She asks him as he puts down the phone and turns to her , it was the evening of the next day.
“Someone had dug up our baby’s tomb and removed it’s body…who who would do such a thing..??” he says
“Someone ..who baby who?? ”
“they don’t know. it was just the tomb touched, and they didn’t see anything ,the securities like….I don’t know. I have to go there. I have to.. they said the coffin was empty …and our baby’s gone..I mean….who..what. .” he sinks to the chair
Tina is standing there, her vision blurs.. she slumps to the ground
“Tina, Tina? ? ” Charles rushes to her, shaking her , grabbing the bottle of water on the table he sprinkles it on her face
“Tina please wake up.”
*
They were driving to the hospital , she was in labour, she was screaming in the car, and he was trying to concentrate on the road and then on her..
A car comes out of nowhere and swerves them off the road..
by the time paramedics came , the child was already in distress, by the time they got them to the hospital..and she pushed..he was dead as soon as his head touched the nurse ‘s hands.
it had broken them, she had had a nervous breakdown .
they buried the child a week later, inside a white small coffin, `amongst family and friend.
She had cried and cried.
Ad then one day, she just stopped crying , her eyes refusing to shed anymore tears..
The person who had swerved them off the road, was a man, he was a doctor, he had been drunk, a hit and run. he never stopped.
She remembered his face, and the name on the crested vest he wore…
He knew that because she saw him, she saw him when he didn’t see them, she was screaming, trying to get the man’s attention waving for him to stop, calling out for her husband’s name, but it was too late.. but she saw him and he didn’t stop when they swerved off the road by him and summersaulted.
And when she had woken up in the hospital..she had woken up with his name on her lips..”Dr James Jedieh ”
*
She had left home, going to her graveside everyday. To cry for her child.
She didn’t return home that day, falling asleep there.
it was the cold breeze that woke her up, and the rustling of the leaves .
Her tears had dried on her cheeks, and it was dark, but the errie sounds of night gave her goosebumps.
but something was wrong… there was a tree in the middle of the graveside, it wasn’t there before.
it was pulling her, pulling her to it and then she had gotten up and began to move towards it, each step her fear increases but she couldn’t stop.
“mama!!” She heard it again.
“Who is there..who are you?”
“Mama!!!”
“WHO ARE YOU? ” She screamed..
“Why are you scared, I would not harm you..”
she turns around to find him, him that she couldn’t describe. , she backs away.., falling down and backing away , her back hitting the tree “What. .who ar. .are you? ”
“I am the taker of life, life’s that had been cut too short, or stayed too long, life’s that ought to be cut short and removed from the earth. I am known as many things but you can call me..Death”
Cold sweeps through her body, she bags to scream.
“Do not scream, if I wanted to kill you i would. I have come here to take life..life thay belongs to me, and I have seen you,broken, sad and I was pitiful and I know I am a life taker and I thought…what if there was something I could do for you…to make your miseries lighter even if you cause more miseries..tell me and I would do ..it.. Sssshhhh be calm” he says, suddenly calmness came unpon her.. “Speak. ”
she had found herself talking to a shadowed man, about her husband, her unborn child , the accident , the death …the hit and run ..everything .
“What do you desire ..to see your child again even for the last time or to know where they are being kept, the dead ones or to have the one who have done these to be where the others are….what do you desire. .”
“To see her..where she is ..to know that..she or he is safe..at peace ”
“it was a she…and look behind you.. ”
she does, but all she sees is the tree
“Look behind you again, stepping away from the tree ”
And she does…. backing away..away from it in peace…’No no no no no” she backs away .
the tree, which had been nothing but a tree became alife..
Alife with eyes, ……
“Your daughter is alife there…dead but alife..dead to the physical but alife to the sprititual. You had seen her…just now. see had bee sitting on the tomb side. .she called you mama”
she is shaking her head…”I want to see her again..I want to see her again”
“you can’t. but all you have to know that…she is here..dead but safe, those blinking eyes is because …she isn’t at peace. that is why you saw her..that is why she would remain here…in that tree and when she finally have peace…she goes to the Hills, to the land of peace ..of darkness…of nothingless. .but the tree…the tree is where she would remain till then. The Trees of eyes,”
“Tell me… do you desire to let your daughter have peace ”
she is speeches ..
“Do you desire to let your daughter have peace ??”
“Yes…Yes ” she screams out…”I do..I do”
‘Then. ..let me..let me give it to her..”
“How. ..??”
“Gimme a name”
“Whose name..”
“You know…the name. Give me his name ”
“DR JAMES JEDIEH “!!” She breaths
Then we shall pay him a visit. and I will give him what he deserves..
“Then what happens to my daughter. ?”
“I will give her a befitting burial. I will dig her from the earth..and place her in the hills. she would find peace. . away from the tree of eyes. ”
Then he …the darkness. .the one called death, came closer to her..closer to her till all she felt was a cloak of nothingless.
A few weeks later, She had found herself booking an appointment with a doctor over the phone..
A few days later she had gone to his office , knocked on the door and he had opened it…
“DR JAMES JEDIEH? ?”
“Yes please…Come in” he says opening the door wife for her to come in , she enters with a smile on her face, and when she sat on the chair and stares at him..
He sees the shadowed man standing behind him..
*
“Tina..Tina. .open your eyes? ?” Her husband shakes her awake..
“Are you okay??” he gathers her into his arms..
“Yes..Yes I am ” she says.
While he hugs her,she looks out the window.. there he was..standing beside the tree..the trees that had eyes…and the shadow that isn’t a man.
And then he and it was gone..
“I am okay now”
****
THE END.
