Life Wish

LIFE WISH

"Hey Martin!" she whispered excitedly into his ear.
"Leave me alone, stupid." he said flatly, his eyes transfixed on the two dogs fighting in front of him.
"Maar-tin! Wanna see somethin'?" she whispered pleadingly, tugging at his shirt.
"Sandra, leave me alone. Je-sus Christ!" he shoved her away from him, his eyes never leaving the scene that unfolded before him, a scene he helped create.

         Sandra moved back from her brother and a scowl rolled across her face. She twisted the earring in her left earlobe nervously. Around and around she twisted it, biting her nails and swaying from side to side. "Martin!" she tried again. "Martin, I found somethin'."
Martin turned toward her. He put his middle finger up to his lips and growled, "Shhhh! I'm doin' somethin!"
But Sandra was insistent this time. She stepped in his line of sight, "I gotta show somebody. I can do, well, weird things, and I can't turn it off."
He stood on his toes, trying to see over her, oblivious to her speaking and mesmerized by the two stray dogs ripping each other apart over an old pork chop bone, a slow grin crept across his face.
"I said shut it, stupid!" He again shoved her out of his way. This time she lost her balance. She seemed to ‘float’ a bit mid-air and then landed with a light thump on the dirt.
Sandra shook her head. "Martin! Listen to me!" she pleaded again. Seeing she was getting nowhere with her brother, she stood up, dusted off her jeans and headed back in the direction of the woods.

         She walked carefully over the rotted log that lay across the stream, balancing herself as she went. She followed what she thought was a low humming sound. She had heard it three days ago when she ran into the woods to get away from her father. She heard it then, even through all of her crying and covering of her ears, she heard it. She heard it and followed it now, just the same. It wasn't an annoying humming sound like what came out of a television when it was turned on too long, or the mechanical hum of a refrigerator working over-time in the summer. It was a soft sound, like music. Like a mother's voice would be. Like love. She followed it until it was as if it spoke to her and told her to stop.

         Sandra stopped and looked around. This spot was different. She never followed it to the same spot twice. It spoke to her. This time, it told her not to be afraid. To concentrate on the earth, and all that surrounded her. It told her to outstretch her arms and feel the life, the energy, the goodness around her. As Sandra followed the instructions of the voice, little green sparks flickered from her gnawed fingertips. She watched as the rotted log, by her own hand, sprung to life. Flowers of all sizes, and shapes, and colors covered the tree. She watched in awe as her own ratty fingernails grew long right before her eyes. She giggled with delight. "Am I doing this?" she whispered softly, to no one in particular.
"No, you stupid idiot!" came a harsh tone from behind her up on the ridge. Martin. She turned to see him. Had he seen her do it?
"Martin! You scared me!" Sandra said with a start. In her head she began to hear the sound of nails on a chalkboard mixed with words of caution, words of fear, words of anger. Sandra held her head tightly between her hands and fell to her knees. "Stop the noise Martin! Stop it." But as Martin approached her the sounds only got louder and louder.
"Martin! Help me! Make it stop! It's so loud. My head."
"What the hell are yer yellin' about? I don't hear a thing you stupid girl." he slowly approached her. He grabbed at her under her arms and tried to shake at her. "Shut up stupid! What are yer yellin' at?"
Unable to stand, Sandra remained in a slump on the ground, holding her head and rocking back and forth. "Run." was one word she could make out clearly. "Ruuun." as cold as ice this word was whispered into her soul. Then, there was nothing but darkness.

         Sandra opened her eyes. A brown ceiling dotted with moss came into focus as her vision returned to her. Sandra did not know how she arrived here. But here she was nonetheless, safe from harm, and with a quiet head. She could remember nothing of what happened after she heard the voice tell her to run. This cave she was in, it seemed familiar, as if she had been here before - but only in a far off dream. She felt safe, and loved. She swung her legs over the dainty bed and sat up. Her head was till spinning and it ached somewhat. She rubbed her temples.
"Evil that boy is. Always has been." Sandra gasped and jumped back as a small fluttering being approached her holding a tray with a cup of purple steaming liquid. She was no bigger than a small child, yet she appeared to be quite old.
"Who are you?" Sandra thought, and the small delicate being answered her, "It is too difficult for you to say, so you may call me whatever you like."
Sandra covered her mouth and gasped a long breath, this time she said aloud, "You can... read my...?"
"And you mine." the being answered without speaking yet again.
Sandra giggled aloud as well as in her head.
"Here dear, take this. Drink it. It will ease your pain."
"Yes," Sandra began aloud, but decided to try out her newfound 'talent', "Thank you very much. I'd like that." and she giggled again. She reached out and took the translucent cup that looked like the leaves of a dahlia, but were indeed made of some glasslike material.
"It is nice to see you smile dear. It has been too long that I have had to wait. Seeing you suffer and in pain."
"You've seen me. You mean you've been watching me?"
"Yes. Of course. That has always been my job. I am your, well, let me show you instead." The little being fluttered over to Sandra's head. She reached out her delicate pointer finger and placed it in the middle of Sandra's forehead.
"Remember." She whispered aloud. "Remember." Sandra closed her eyes and was transported back in time to the memory of her birth.

         She was left alone. Her brother was two. He had no clothes on, except for a sagging dirty diaper. Sandra watched as this cute two year old climbed up onto a dining room chair and reached into a hidden compartment in the china cabinet. From it, he pulled a long, very sharp knife. Looking at the being, Sandra thought to her - "What is he doing?"
"You shall see." she responded.
         And see Sandra did. She watched this two year old version of Martin climb up on the couch next to her in the bassinet. A soft glow surrounded the baby. From the corner of the room Sandra could see the small being that was with her now. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the baby in front of her. She surrounded the baby in fog-like shield.
         Then like a fast forward motion she was lurched from that scene and slammed into the next. Sandra went for what seemed like an eternity on this merry-go-round, fast forwarding through her life of the last ten years. She had seen her brother try to harm her in every way imaginable. But one thing had always stopped him, this ‘being’. "Who are you?" was the question again.
         Sandra opened her eyes. The smiling, fluttering being before her responded, "Not a “Who”, but more of a “What?”. I am what was left of your mother's spirit when she left this world. I was sent here to guide you, to guard you against all harm. It was your mother's one Life Wish"
"Life Wish?" Sandra asked, puzzled.
“Yes dear. A Life Wish. All humans have one great wish inside their hearts. Some use it for good, and as we have seen – some can never find it underneath the hate that has been layered on top of it. They get lost and begin to think they were forsaken and not given one. They need only look within to find this magic.”
“Like Martin?”
“Yes dear. Like Martin.”
“You found yours. Yours is special. The things you know you can do. The things you have yet to discover you can do. The goodness that comes from you, that lives within you. You are unique. You can use your wish over and over again, because yours is combined with your mother’s spirit. Her spirit that lives on, inside you.”
“Her spirit lives on?” Sandra asked, confused.
Then, as if a switch had been flipped, she declared, “I know this. I’ve seen her – in my dreams. She visits me and sings to me. She makes my head stop hurting.” Sandra raised her hand to her head and lightly rubbed her temple. The pain was lessening.
“Ah, yes. About those headaches, well, I hate to tell you this – but that is your way of knowing when evil is approaching. Kind of like an early warning device.”
“And it happened with Martin. In the woods, my head felt like it was going to explode.” Sandra placed the fragile cup back on the tray.
“Something must be done about him!” called a small voice from the window ledge. It was another, younger being with the most delicate wings.
“You are one half of the coin, my dear. You are light and he is darkness. There can not be one without the other. It is the balance of the world. Good, versus – well, evil.”
         She turned toward the small being, and as she had been doing all along, spoke clearly – using only her mind. “Therefore, no harm must ever come to Martin. For, in harming Martin – we harm Sandra, and that my dear – we do not want to do.”
“But how do I make him stop?” Sandra asked pleadingly.
“You must love him. You must help him to see through the layers of hatred and contempt, that there is goodness in him. You, my dear, must help him find his Life Wish.” As she said this, she guided Sandra toward the moss covered window of the cave. “Go to him. Take the knowledge that lies within your heart, and share it. Show him that he has the gift, he need only look inside.”
Sandra looked at the fluttering being, her eyes sparkling, “Thank you. Angel. We shall meet again.”
The being nodded in agreement. “Until then, my dear. Until then.”