He opened his eyes.
There she was, right before him, looking younger and more
beautiful than he ever before recalled. He should have been surprised to see
her, and to see her like this, but he wasn’t.
“Hello.” He whispered.
She smiled slightly.
He looked into the light brown eyes and felt himself lifted
into a cloud of compassion, understanding, and love. Her smile was both
reassuring and tinged with sadness.
He suddenly cried out in pain and his vision began to blur.
“Look at me.”
He tried to refocus, and succeeded.
Her smooth, soft skin was nearly without blemishes. The slightly
buoyant hair cascaded past her shoulders and along her narrow back.
“So…beautiful!” He stammered with clear effort. And she was.
He had never seen her so striking.
Her smile broadened, enhancing the sparkling eyes. It was
profoundly comforting having her here.
“I’m sorr…ahh!” He clenched his teeth mid-sentence and
grimaced. He felt himself slipping away.
“Come to me.” She commanded gently but firmly. “You’re not
ready.”
He tried.
“Stay with me.”
That was becoming more difficult. He was increasingly losing
consciousness and sliding into the abyss. His peripheral vision collapsed until
only she remained illuminated in front of a bright light.
“Reach for the light, my darling. Reach for life!” A mix of
emotions seemed to envelope her.
“Forgive me.” He managed to utter, and his head dropped.
Tears began wetting his cheeks.
“Look up, dear one.”
It was difficult, but he did while blinking slowly, as if
each blink would be his last. Through blurry vision he saw her reach out and
gently wipe away the tears.
“I will not leave you again.” Her eyes were moist, the touch
comforting.
And he knew her words were true. She was radiant, but in
that radiance was deep suffering. He knew she suffered for him, and her love
would keep him from dying. Lord, what she must have had to endure!
“Pray for me, mother.” His head suddenly snapped up and he
arched in pain.
“Unceasingly…” She breathed, the drawn out word seemingly
reverberating throughout his entire being, in union with booming otherworldly
voices.
He closed his eyes.
“What did you say?” The sergeant asked several seconds after
their fighter jets made a low pass.
The medic clicked off his pen light. The soldier’s retinas
still contracted but he had finally breathed his last. Removing his hand from
his face, the medic stood up and wiped the soldier's blood on his pants.
“I said they hammered these poor devils unceasingly. This
one’s gone.”
“Thank God.” The sergeant eyed the distance the mortally
wounded soldier crawled. “It would have been more merciful if this one had died
sooner. Why do you think he clawed his way out of the hole?”
The medic shrugged. “Survival instinct.”
Together they surveyed the rest of the carnage. The medic
sighed, looked down, and descended into the pit to check the rest of the
bodies.
