The Black parade

She was beautiful. My dark brown hair and eyes, her mothers nose and mouth.
My little girl.

"Hi, my name is Sophie, what's yours?" she asked.

How could she talk to something as horrid as me? I touched my head with my hand, but instead of feeling cold dead skin, I felt thick hair! My skin was a healthy color, I was wearing casual clothing and not a hospital gown! I was me again, for only 5 minutes.

"Hi Sophie, my name is...Gerard..." I said slowly and softly.

"Liar..!" Virgil hissed in my head.

I ignored him and continued, "I knew your mother. She and I, we had you when you were just a little baby. You've never met me, but I'm your-"

"Sophie! Who are you talking to?" I heard Grace shout from the other room.

"Mr. Gerard mommy! He seems really nice! He came out of the wall!" Sophie answered excitedly.

"WHAT?!" Grace screamed as she came storming into the room we were in.

"Who?! Where sweetie?!"

"There mommy! Sitting next to me!" Sophie said, pointing directly at me.

"Honey, there is no one there. Is this another imaginary friend of yours?"

Sophine shook her head, "No mommy, there really is a man sitting next to me! You can't see him cause he's invisible, but he's real!"

Grace smiled slightly, "Okay honey, okay. You can keep playing with him, just don't get into any trouble okay?"

Sophie nodded happily before turning back to me, "Sorry mister, but my mommy can't see you right now."

I nodded, "It's okay, I'm pretty sure your mommy wouldn't want to see me anyway."

"That's alright, she never believes me about anything."

I sat down next to her, "Your mommy and I had a disagreement a while back. And becaue of that, I can't stay for long-"

"I know that I can't make you stay, nothing lasts forever y'know," she said adbruptly cutting me off.

"Who told you that?" I asked.

"Mommy did, she says that nothing lasts forever, that all good and bad things must come to an end."

"She's right. Nothing is forever."

Sophie looked at me, straight in the eyes, "Mr., why are you here?"

I was taken aback by the remark, "It's hard to understand really. I'm..I'm incomplete. I've been that way for a long time now."

She gave me her full attention, she was rather mature for a girl her age. Just how old was she?

"How old are you sweetie?"

She smiled, "I'm 5 years old mister!" she said proudly.

5 years?! 5 fucking years?!

Virgil cued in my head, "Yes young master, you've been dead for five years now! I told you that time in hell is different, why do you think I kept hurrying you along? You've been conducting your trials for five years now!"

I put my face in my hands, soaking in the span of time that I had spent.

"3 minutes!" Virgil hissed.

"Mr. are you okay?"

I turned to look at my daughter again, "Yeah sweetie, dad- I'm fine."

"Sophie, dinner's ready!" Grace called from the other room.

"Hold on mommy! Mr. Gerard is talking to me!"

Grace came into the room, "Oh really? And just what is it that he is saying?"

Sophie turned to look at me, "Say something!"

I paused, unsure of what to say at first, but I quickly responded.

"I love you, I'm sorry, and I miss you."

Grace stood there, waiting patiently.

"You can't hear him can you mommy?" Sophie asked.

"No, I can't. C'mon honey, let's go eat now."

"Hold on mommy, he's telling me to tell you something!"

Grace stopped in her tracks, still waiting patiently.

"I have no heart, and there is nothing I can say to change that. His life was demanding, and he got weak. He had a love that was so demanding, and still he can't speak to you." Sophie said, repeating what I was telling her.

Grace became curious, she casually took a seat across from her daughter, "Go on, what is Mr. Gerard saying now?"

"He's not afraid to keep on living, that he's not afraid to walk this world alone. That if you stay he'll hope to be forgiven, and that he's going home soon..or something like that mommy!"

Grace turned a little pale, she brought her hand to her mouth as if to stifle a shocked cry.

"Go on sweetie.."

"I'm out here on the other side, it's like a jet black hotel mirror or something like that. He feels so weak right now.. he says he has faint memories of you."

Grace slowly moved closer to Sophie, "What else?"

Sophie continued my message, "He saw you lying next to him, with words he thought he'd never speak..awake and unafraid...asleep or dead..? I don't get it mommy!"

Grace calmed her down, "It's okay sweetie, just keep going, mommy is here!"

Sophie looked confused and a little frustrated, "He's just saying he's not afraid to keep on living this life he has, that he's not afraid to walk this world alone...it's wierd..it's all mixing together and sounds scary!"

Sophie got upset and ran to her mother, I shutted up and backed away.

"1 minute!" Virgil hissed.

In frustration, I ran my fingers through my hair, like I used to. Clumps of hair fell from my head and onto the floor. My clothes began to tatter and fade, the gown returning.

I looked over a Sophie, ashamed and disgusted with myself, "Sophie please sweetie...I love you and your mommy!"

Sophie buried her face in her mothers bosom, hiding from my unsightly self.

"Oh my God, who are you?!" Grace shrieked as I became visible to her.

"30 seconds!"

"Grace, I love you, and I'm so sorry! I never meant to hurt you and our daughter!" I stammered, moving towards them.

They lurched back in fear.

I looked at them helplessly, now having returned to my orignal state of a walking corpse.

"Please forgive me!" I shouted as I started to fade away.

"Say good-bye!"

I cast Virgil a cold scowl in my head, cursing him.

"Good-bye Grace, Sophie. Daddy loves you both!"

And with that, the pain, coldness, warmth, bright lights, and darkness returned in one rushed wave.

I was back in hell, the charred cracked dirt crumbling under my feet.

"Welcome back young master! You did splendidly!" Virgil said as he walked up to me with outstretched arms.

I didn't want to look or speak to him, I was disgusted.

"I know it seems bleak and pointless, what you just did. But look and listen!" Virgil said cheerfully, pointing at Fear and Regret.

Regret on cue, played a soft tune on her fife, and a mirror like portal opened up before me.
I saw a graveyard, miles of headstones, and amongst them I saw a little girl and woman.

"Grace? Sophie?"

Virgil nodded, standing next to me, "Yes, you left quite an impact on them!"

I watched as they moved among the graves until they reached a single solitary one.
Sophie placed a bouquet of red roses on the gravestone.
Grace was smiling sadly, her hand gently stroking the cold granite.
She knelt over and gave the gravestone a gentle kiss.

Sophie did the same, saying, "I love you daddy! Thanks for visiting me and mommy one last time!"

The image flickered away into a muddy blur.

"All that is left..is for you to make a deal. For you to make a pact." Virgil said.

"What do you mean?"

Virgil looked at me kindly, "You left a piece of you on earth, so you must leave a piece of you here in hell before you traverse to the great beyond!"

"Can I decide?"

Virgil nodded, "It can be whatever you want it to be."

I had a choice to make.....