Promises

Maria thought nobody would ever love her again. What was the use of carrying on without Mike? He was her soul mate and now he was gone, killed in a car crash. Big fat tears rolled down her face and dripped off her chin as she swallowed the pills washed down with whisky. She’d taken four and was already feeling drowsy. She felt herself sink into a comforting darkness. Oh good the end is near, she thought, at last my troubles are over. Suddenly she was in a passage with a white welcoming light at the end and started slowly moving towards it. At each side there were closed doors. There was knocking coming from somewhere and someone shouting.

"Maria."

She listened carefully. The voice was coming from behind her. She turned around but there was nothing, only an empty black void. As she looked in front all she could see was the tiny white light which seemed to grow larger as she moved nearer. Her movements were effortless and she had no control over them. It was as though she was floating.

Maria had no idea where she was going. Her body stopped in front of a red door. With sweaty palms she pressed the handle. The door swung open revealing a warm room, illuminated by a crackling coal fire, its flames hungrily licking lumps of coal. It triggered a memory. She knew this room as a child and could remember Gran sat in the chair by the hearth. As she wandered round the room touching the shiny polished table and the thick velvet curtains she heard a creak. With her heart jumping as if it was doing an Irish jig she looked around. There was a rocking chair, creaking backwards and forwards. Maria hadn’t noticed it before. Her body zoomed over to it. Gran was sat in it, staring into the flames. Her grey hair was pulled back into a plait, just as Maria remembered. She looked up and spoke.

"Only you can do it," she said, smiling.

No this was wrong, Gran was dead. Maria finally found her voice and managed to speak shakily, "do what?"

"The only thing I can tell you is to follow the passage and open some doors."

"Which ones?"

"Only those that are meant to."

Maria drifted out of the room backwards.

"Bye Gran," she managed to say before she continued moving along the passage.

Her body came to an abrupt halt outside a black door. Maria touched it and went cold all over as the chill from it seeped into her very being. Slowly it creaked open. Maria held onto the door frame. No, she didn’t want to go in. There was something terrible inside. She tried to dig her feet into the ground but still she moved into the room. As she went in the door slammed shut. There flicking a long red tail and holding up a tall red fork was the devil. Maria screamed. She tried to turn her head but her gaze was fixed forward. The devil grinned at her, rubbed his horns and flashed his blood red teeth.

"Stay on the same path," he said, "then you can stay with me forever and ever. Ha, Ha."

"Maria," shouted a voice, "I need you."

Her body was catapulted out of the room and she was in the passage again drifting slowly towards the bright light.

She stopped in front of an unusual white door with clouds scudding across it. It had a big brass knocker on the front shaped like a harp. Maria lifted it up and knocked three times. The door opened and she floated forwards. The room contained no furniture. It was just like an expanse of summer blue sky, yet Maria felt as if she was stood on solid ground. Clouds wafted by with angels sat on them. She gasped as a tall angel wrapped his arms and feathers around her.

"No, this is not the way," he said. "Let me show you."

The room cleared and Maria felt someone take hold of her hand. She looked down and a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes was gazing up at her.

"Mummy, can we go to the park today? I want to go on that big slide. Promise you won’t go away - I’m waiting to come."

"I promise," said Maria.

"Are you ready dear," said another voice. She spun round. It was her neighbor, Josh. He lifted her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. She stared in amazement at the gold ring on her finger.

Everything faded back to the room with no furniture. The Amgel still had his arms and feathers wrapped around her.

"Was that a vision of the future," she asked.

"Yes, but only if you stay on the path meant for you."

Maria floated gently out of the room, returning to the passage. She had almost reached the light. She gasped as she realized someone was waiting for her and began to move faster towards them. It was Mike.

"No, Maria. This isn’t the way. You aren’t ready. Go back and remember what the Angel showed you."

A sudden force jolted Maria. She whizzed backwards along the passage until she felt as if she had landed with a heavy bump on the floor. Her eyes were closed. There was a warmth on her lips. Her eyes fluttered open and as the bleariness cleared she saw Josh leaning over her.

"Maria! Thank God. I thought I’d lost you. The ambulance is on its way"

"You won’t lose me," said Maria, thinking about what the Angel had shown her. "I promise."