Mindphoon!

Pouring Out What’s Left

She died like many people die these days – a tiny shell on a hospital bed in a converted room on the first floor of the house they shared for thirty years. She wasted away slowly over two years – from that first dark spot on the x-ray, through the treatments, the difficult discussions, somber preparations and finally, the talks about who she wanted to speak at the funeral and what flowers she wanted.

He’d always loved the way her eyes sparkled with mischief. As she got older, the laugh lines only made them shine brighter. He knew the end was near when the spark faded and she stopped smiling. She tried so hard to maintain appearances – was so brave in the face of the inevitable end.

When she finally faded away, he poured what was left of himself into his work. He had a small futon put in his office and spent many nights there, because it was easier than facing an empty house and the memories. The equations, documentation and experiments kept his mind off his grief. That was all he could hope for.

(this story is a prequel to: Note quite an error)

The Threads

“This is it” he said to himself as he floated above his lifeless body and his family gathered around his bed, “I’m dead. I don’t believe it. What do I do now? Where’s the light I’m supposed to head towards?”

Instead of a light, he started seeing golden threads expand out from his still chest. Each thread connected to a family member, then a thousand more threads sprung from them. He saw even more threads expand out and suddenly he was carried upwards (but not really upwards) until he saw not only himself and the threads around his bed – he saw them travel throughout the town, over the countryside and around the world. He saw each person as the thread connected with them. Each person he’d touched, or known or smiled at got a thread, and each person he’d influenced through his actions who he may never have met; they all got threads as well, until there was a golden blanket over the world, bright shining and glorious.

He looked up, said “Thank you” and continued on his journey to whatever comes next.