About the Past.
The Made Up Story.
His beautiful, deep emerald green eyes stared into mine. He was reluctant about something, but I couldn’t place it. He held me close to him on his messy, unmade bed. It was dark, except for the bright unmistakable moonlight shining through his bedroom window.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked, running my fingers through his short, black hair. “Something’s up, talk to me.”
“I need to know that you’re ready to hear this, okay? I need to know that you can handle knowing this, and that you won’t leave.” He pleaded.
“Why would I? I love you.” I said.
“I know, and I love you too. But not everyone can handle stuff like this. It’s a lot to deal with.” He sighed.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “What is it about?” I asked.
He sighed. “It’s kind of everything.”
I rolled my eyes in the darkness. “What is it? Just tell me.” I said.
He paused for a moment, and locked his fingers in mine. “I was actually born in 1675. So, technically, that would make me about three hundred plus years old. I know, I know it sounds crazy but it’s true, I sear.”
I felt his heart beating against my chest. I had no clue what he was talking about but I know there was real emotion in it.
“What?” I asked completely confused.
He took a deep breath. “We met in 1692. I knew I loved you from the second I saw you, I knew you were all I wanted. I had everything planned out, I was going to propose to you. Then they took you.”
“Sixteen ninety two?” I asked. “That was the year of the-”
“Salem witch trials. They’d accused you of witchcraft and you’d been hanged.” He said sorrowfully.
“What? What the hell are you talking about Zechariah?” I said, starting to get upset.
“Your name was Mable. You died on a Sunday.” He said.
“Zech, stop I don’t like hearing this-”
“But then, a few years later, I was settled down, a wife, several children. Nothing could have made it better unless it was with you. Then I found you, you were twelve years old. You’re name was Adeline. I knew it was you because you remembered me, by name. Of course we couldn’t be together after that, you were just a girl and I was in my thirties with children and a wife. I spent every waking moment with you though.” He said, his voice hollow.
He paused for a moment, his normal heart rate had returned but he was sad, even in the dark I could tell that. “Then what happened?” I whispered.
“You died again.” He said. I caught my breath, making him hold me closer. “You got pneumonia which was fairly common back then, no one knew why I was so sad, I hardly even knew your family.”
“Wait.” I whispered. “What about you?”
“What about me?” He asked.
“If I kept dying, what about you?” I questioned. None of this was making any sense to me, and I wasn’t buying it. I had to admit though, it was an interesting tale.
He sighed. “I was forty two, and at that point I was sure I’d lost your soul forever, for all I knew you could’ve been some kid in Mexico, or England. Sometimes souls get lost that way. I’d lost my family. My youngest son was stillborn, my eldest in law school, and my wife had left me. There was nothing left for me in this world.”
I could hear the depression in his voice, I almost felt for him. “I decided to end it, I was weak. But, just as I was hanging the noose in my shed, he came to me. I have no idea where he is now, but he explained it all to me. You, Byrd, are my one and only soul mate. That’s why when you died that first time, your soul made it back to me. He explained that that would continue to happen, until I died, but I had lost your soul. No one, not even he could find it. So he made me an offer, for my soul, he would give me eternity to find yours.”
“But I was stupid.” He continued. “In order for us to truly connect as one I would need a soul as well. I can’t get it back now, so I’m forced to watch you die, over and over, then scour the planet until I find you again. All just to relive this experience, lifetime after lifetime.”
There were tears brimming in my eye now. I had no words to explain my feelings. This whole thing was ridiculous, and impossible to believe but it resonated with me. Almost like I was there when it was happening.
“Please say something.” He whispered, his voice breaking.
I felt a tear that wasn’t mine fall to my cheek. “I can’t.” I said, blinking away my own tears. “I want to, but I can’t”
I pressed my lips softly to his cheek, before pulling away from him. “Byrd.” He said. “Byrd where are you going? Please, don’t leave.”
I did my best to hold back tears while I searched for my shoes in the darkness and slipped them on. He called behind me, all the way out of the doors to his loft, and down the hallways through the building. Traitor tears slipped out of my eyes as the elevator doors closed in front of him.
I couldn’t make anything of what he just told me, he was probably making the whole thing up. But he knew things about me that I haven’t even found out myself. I was lost and confused. I hurried out of the elevator and to the parking lot to find my car. It was well past midnight, and there weren’t many lights illuminating my way.
I quickly got into my car and drove home, tears streaming down my face as I drove past the front of his building. I stopped for a second, he stared at me through my drivers side window, with tears covering his cheeks. I drove away, I couldn’t stand seeing him like that.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked, running my fingers through his short, black hair. “Something’s up, talk to me.”
“I need to know that you’re ready to hear this, okay? I need to know that you can handle knowing this, and that you won’t leave.” He pleaded.
“Why would I? I love you.” I said.
“I know, and I love you too. But not everyone can handle stuff like this. It’s a lot to deal with.” He sighed.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “What is it about?” I asked.
He sighed. “It’s kind of everything.”
I rolled my eyes in the darkness. “What is it? Just tell me.” I said.
He paused for a moment, and locked his fingers in mine. “I was actually born in 1675. So, technically, that would make me about three hundred plus years old. I know, I know it sounds crazy but it’s true, I sear.”
I felt his heart beating against my chest. I had no clue what he was talking about but I know there was real emotion in it.
“What?” I asked completely confused.
He took a deep breath. “We met in 1692. I knew I loved you from the second I saw you, I knew you were all I wanted. I had everything planned out, I was going to propose to you. Then they took you.”
“Sixteen ninety two?” I asked. “That was the year of the-”
“Salem witch trials. They’d accused you of witchcraft and you’d been hanged.” He said sorrowfully.
“What? What the hell are you talking about Zechariah?” I said, starting to get upset.
“Your name was Mable. You died on a Sunday.” He said.
“Zech, stop I don’t like hearing this-”
“But then, a few years later, I was settled down, a wife, several children. Nothing could have made it better unless it was with you. Then I found you, you were twelve years old. You’re name was Adeline. I knew it was you because you remembered me, by name. Of course we couldn’t be together after that, you were just a girl and I was in my thirties with children and a wife. I spent every waking moment with you though.” He said, his voice hollow.
He paused for a moment, his normal heart rate had returned but he was sad, even in the dark I could tell that. “Then what happened?” I whispered.
“You died again.” He said. I caught my breath, making him hold me closer. “You got pneumonia which was fairly common back then, no one knew why I was so sad, I hardly even knew your family.”
“Wait.” I whispered. “What about you?”
“What about me?” He asked.
“If I kept dying, what about you?” I questioned. None of this was making any sense to me, and I wasn’t buying it. I had to admit though, it was an interesting tale.
He sighed. “I was forty two, and at that point I was sure I’d lost your soul forever, for all I knew you could’ve been some kid in Mexico, or England. Sometimes souls get lost that way. I’d lost my family. My youngest son was stillborn, my eldest in law school, and my wife had left me. There was nothing left for me in this world.”
I could hear the depression in his voice, I almost felt for him. “I decided to end it, I was weak. But, just as I was hanging the noose in my shed, he came to me. I have no idea where he is now, but he explained it all to me. You, Byrd, are my one and only soul mate. That’s why when you died that first time, your soul made it back to me. He explained that that would continue to happen, until I died, but I had lost your soul. No one, not even he could find it. So he made me an offer, for my soul, he would give me eternity to find yours.”
“But I was stupid.” He continued. “In order for us to truly connect as one I would need a soul as well. I can’t get it back now, so I’m forced to watch you die, over and over, then scour the planet until I find you again. All just to relive this experience, lifetime after lifetime.”
There were tears brimming in my eye now. I had no words to explain my feelings. This whole thing was ridiculous, and impossible to believe but it resonated with me. Almost like I was there when it was happening.
“Please say something.” He whispered, his voice breaking.
I felt a tear that wasn’t mine fall to my cheek. “I can’t.” I said, blinking away my own tears. “I want to, but I can’t”
I pressed my lips softly to his cheek, before pulling away from him. “Byrd.” He said. “Byrd where are you going? Please, don’t leave.”
I did my best to hold back tears while I searched for my shoes in the darkness and slipped them on. He called behind me, all the way out of the doors to his loft, and down the hallways through the building. Traitor tears slipped out of my eyes as the elevator doors closed in front of him.
I couldn’t make anything of what he just told me, he was probably making the whole thing up. But he knew things about me that I haven’t even found out myself. I was lost and confused. I hurried out of the elevator and to the parking lot to find my car. It was well past midnight, and there weren’t many lights illuminating my way.
I quickly got into my car and drove home, tears streaming down my face as I drove past the front of his building. I stopped for a second, he stared at me through my drivers side window, with tears covering his cheeks. I drove away, I couldn’t stand seeing him like that.