Grave

Pale moonlight shone on the statue. It was an angel. Grey-ish white, with fully extended wings and a beautiful solemn face, it stood atop a grey stone block. There was writing carved into the stone. Abigail Fuller, 28/09/09. Devoted and amazing sister, daughter and friend.

Grace had picked the angel out for her. She thought it represented her sister beautifully. Abigail was a perfect person, inside and out, and she knew that if she were in Heaven, she’d be an angel. Grace didn’t want to take Abi away from that but she needed her sister. She needed Abi to hold her and tell her everything would be fine, she wouldn’t go away again and that her death wasn’t Grace’s fault…

But it was her fault and Grace knew it. Without her urging Abi to do it, Abigail never would have gotten on the cliff top. Without her playing around, Abigail also wouldn’t have ended up falling off and landing on the sharp cliff rocks below. Grace could remember in all too clear detail the look on her sister’s face as she waved her arms, trying to gain balance, on the cliff edge, before falling back. No, it wasn’t anyone else’s fault but Grace’s. She’d killed her own sister. That’s why she had to fix this.

Grace looked up at the angel. I won’t let you down, Abi, she thought, I won’t, I can’t. I don’t think I could survive it. She’d found the ingredients; it was the perfect place, it was the perfect time. Now was the time to get her sister back.

She picked up the heavy, leather-bound book she’d laid on the grass. Human Resurrection, it said, Follow these instructions exactly, in chronological order, and the resurrected shall appear. She read over the instructions a few times. She checked she had all the ingredients, put before her sister’s grave. She knew she was procrastinating but she couldn’t help it. What if it didn’t work..?

It will, she convinced herself, I can do it. And there’s no time like the present.

She put the ingredients together in a large stone bowl, following the instructions exactly. Grace knew that she absolutely could not screw this up. If she did, she’d have to wait for next year… She couldn’t last that long without her older sister and she knew it.

She followed the instructions and dimly noticed in the back of her mind the sounds of people walking down the streets near the cemetery. Grace could hear the children shriek ‘trick-or-treat’ and cheer for lollies and sweets. She wished she could go back to those days. She had a mission now though, and she told herself that she could not go trick-or-treating without her sister. She’d make a big deal of it next year and her and Abi would have loads of fun. But for now she had to concentrate.

She finally finished putting the ingredients together and poured them out of the bowl onto the site of Abigail’s grave. She placed a photo of her sister on top, just as the instructions dictated. Next came the incantation. Eu vă întreb, lumea spiritelor, vă rugăm să eliberarea persoana mea de la prindere dumneavoastră. Te implor. Fac apel la bunătatea dumneavoastră şi rugaţi-vă să eliberaţi persoana mea pentru mine. Grace didn’t know what she was saying and she prayed she was saying it right.

The last instruction said to repeat the incantation five times. Grace did so, and finished on the mea pentru mine. But nothing happened.

Grace couldn’t remember falling. She just knew that one moment she was feeling the crushing feeling of disappointment, the next she had fallen to the ground below. Her eyes were open to see Abigail’s photo near her face. She could imagine anger creasing Abi’s perfect face and a look of disgust being given to Grace. She deserved it.

She couldn’t believe it. All this effort and it didn’t even work. She’d let her sister fall again.

Grace closed her eyes and prayed that in the morning her sister would appear. Abigail would be waiting by her grave, shaking her head at Grace, but smiling, thinking that she was the silliest little girl for falling asleep. Abi would be perfect, she would be back and everything would be alright. Grace hoped that when she woke up she would see her sister.

But she didn’t have to wait that long. As soon as Grace’s eyelashes closed, she fell into a dream. In this dream, she was at the same cemetery, in the same place, but instead of the angel above the grave, Abigail stood there. Abi looked at her with pity and stretched out her hand. Grace grabbed it quickly, anxious not to let her get away again. Abigail embraced her.

You must let me go, she heard her sister say, in the broken, disjointed voice often heard in dreams. You must. You are strong and you can do this. I believe you can. Grace couldn’t understand what her sister was saying. I can do what? I am strong? What can I do? She shook her head roughly. She didn’t understand what Abi was saying but she knew she didn’t like it.

Fine, as long as I’m with you, Grace told her sister, I’ll do anything, but you have to be with me. Please, she finished on a sob. Was her sister not coming with her? Did she not love her? Did Abi blame her for her death, too?

I love you, Gracie, her sister said, It was not your fault. I was careless and my death was not your intent. It was not your fault. It was time for me to move on. It is time. You need to promise me you won’t try to bring me back. Please trust me, Gracie.

Grace clutched to her sister. No, she would not let her go. Tears spilt down her cheeks and Grace could feel her sister’s tears soaking through her hair. If her sister didn’t want to go, why was she going?

Please stay, she begged. Her sister pulled back from the embrace and looked lovingly at her younger sister. I love you so much, Gracie. You will do so well in life and I want that for you so badly. But that can’t happen if I stay. I love you too much to see you unhappy and I know you love me too much to see me sad too. It would make me sad to see your life crumble because of me. This way you can rebuild. You’ll be an excellent person and I’ll be watching you every step of the way.

Grace couldn’t take it, she was sobbing and clutching her sister. Abigail gently removed her fierce grip and started to walk away. Without her sister to support her, Grace fell to the ground.

Abigail looked back at her little sister. Gracie, she called. Grace looked up, tears still streaming down her pale cheeks. Happy Halloween, her sister said with a smile, before disappearing. All that was left was the empty cemetery.

Grace closed her eyes- and woke up by her sister’s grave. She remembered her dream, every little detail and quickly scanned the cemetery for a glimpse of Abi. Nothing was there but the photo of her sister. It had been taken a few years ago. In it, her sister was sporting a massive grin.

Grace didn’t know if her dream was real, she didn’t know whether her resurrection attempt had failed or if it had just come out differently than she had anticipated. But now she did realise that her sister would want her to be happy. And now that she knew Abigail was happy, she could be too.

She looked out the cemetery gates and saw people still walking down the street in the moonlight, dressed in their costumes and carrying their candy. I’ll join them, she thought. If Abi wants me to be happy I will be. There’s no time like the present.