Holiday From Real

I swallowed the thick spit in my mouth and managed to say, “Just go. Get out. Help the others.”

Tom didn’t say anything, but he also didn’t move.

My friends remained silent.

My world was ever so slowly turning white. I couldn’t see any detail of any object. I wondered if I was just passing out or if I was dying, but either way, my main way of understanding the world was leaving me. I felt the hands of several people lift me up; the cold air wasn’t as cold as the wet stone floors, but it did rush into my wound, giving it extra stings. I might have cringed or made some sounds of pain, but I was too calm. My body was almost totally numb, I could only see the purist of whites, and my heart felt relaxed. I can’t recall too many moments when my heart felt stressed, but this… this is different.

I guess I can’t compare the feelings of life with the feeling of death. The heartbeat of the living holds the hope of a fantastic moment. The heartbeat of the living keeps the whole body moving so that dreams can be more than slowly fading pictures in the mind’s eye. The heartbeat of the living is the exhale of God. The heartbeat of the dead holds the fact that you’re about to get what you’ve spent your whole life earning. The heartbeat of the dead signals your soul to start taking charge. The heartbeat of the dead is when God inhales, when God knows you’ve done your job.

My skin warmed when I felt my body land on a table. The air was warm and the table was strong, giving my body no need to worry. I felt old, experienced hands push my hair back and gently open my eyes, one lid at a time, flicking some droplets into each. My vision cleared up enough for me to see a crowd of worried people suddenly turn to see Fawkes. The owner of the hands jumped back as Fawks stretched out his wings, let out a loud call, and dove to me. Dumbledore held Tom back while I somehow found the strength to slightly sit up. Fawkes retracted his wings; the force sucked me up several feet above the table. Fawkes let out another call as he bursted into flames and flew into my torso.

I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t feel. I couldn’t smell. I couldn’t taste the spit in my mouth, and I could barely see. Fawkes’ fire wrapped around my body before sliding into my skin, burning all the venom out of my body. Loudly panting, I collapsed back onto the table; I was unable to close my eyes even the tiniest bit, but I still couldn’t see. I mean, I could see, but I couldn’t register what I was seeing. All I knew was that Fawkes called out one more time, but not out loud for all to hear; it was in my head, letting me know I was safe, that I would be ok.

I drew in one, long, deep breath and somehow rolled off of the table, bounced off of the bench, and fell on my belly onto the floor. I slowly slid my hands, palm down, next to my breasts, and lifted my self up. I stared at the floor and tried to understand what just happened. I used my knees to help me rest as I turned my head to the right. Dumbledore squatted down next to me with tears behind his half moon classes. He smiled and then whispered,

“Fawkes now lives in you.”

I gulped and mumbled out with a rusty voice, “Wh—what?”

He used his left hand to tuck the hair on my face behind my ear. “You had too much poison for him to give you tears. It was too deep in your body anyway to cry the problem away.” He chuckled at his joke, but then continued, “So Fawkes gave you his life instead of watching you die.”

I collapsed back onto the cool floor. I gulped, drew in a breath, and then looked back up into Dumbledore’s eyes. I smiled and felt life fill my face with gratefulness. “I can’t express my appreciation.”

Dumbledore scooped me into his arms and hugged me tightly. “Just enjoy living. That’s the only way to give meaning to Fawkes’ sacrifice.”

I quietly cried out of happiness.

Dumbledore pulled away and wiped away my tears. He helped me onto my feet, turned to the large crowd, put his wand to his throat, and then said, “Today you have witnessed three of the bravest acts possible.”

I looked at Dumbledore with complete curiosity.

His eyes twinkled and his lips formed a smile. “All of your lives have been saved because of Karma’s efforts to rid Hogwarts of the basilisk. She successfully killed the beast.”

I exhaled slowly and for a good minute.

Dumbledore’s smile widened, “Fawkes was able to save Karma’s life by helping her in the Chamber and sacrificing his life for hers.”

I drew in a deep breath.

“But Fawkes couldn’t have helped if Nalo didn’t let him out of his cage.”

I gasped and looked around for my brother.

Nalo ran up to me and squeezed me. He looked up at my shocked face and smiled. He whispered, “You read the books to me.”

I laughed, squatted down, and squeezed him tightly. I cried on him and told him, “I love you so much.”

Nalo cuddled into me and said, “I love you, too.”

The crowd didn’t clap, and really, it would have been wrong if they did. Dumbledore squatted down to us and said, “There’s a strong wind blowing.”

I looked at him.

He smiled, “And it’s blowing the way of the future.”

I immediately understood and offered Nalo a piggyback ride; with some help from Tom, all of my classmates were gathered and met in the Forbidden Forest, the same spot where we arrived. They jumped in one a time, eyes shut tight, bodies stiff, and hopes high. Tom and I watched my classmates disappear one at a time into a large, white, swirling hole three feet off of the ground. Nalo asked Doug to toss him in. Nalo entered the white hole laughing.

Tom abruptly turned me to him and wrapped me in his arms. He stared into my eyes before kissing me. I enjoyed our short kiss before saying, “I love you.”

He nodded and whispered, “I’ll find you.”

I nodded. I would have stayed with him, right there, right then, forever, but Doug reminded me that we had to go. I kissed Tom goodbye before jumping in the white hole with Doug. It swallowed us up; our entrance exploded like a firework with pinks and yellows while we were sucked into twirling tubes. We were regurgitated into the airport. I found myself back in my seat, next to Jane.

She looked at me, looked at her burrito, and then threw it away. She sat back down next to me and then said, “Was that a dream?”

I looked around at all the confused faces of my classmates before looking at her with a wide smile, “No.”