There And Back Again

            There are two kinds of people in this world-the ones who have loved and the ones who eventually will. Eos had long transitioned from the latter to the former when she'd met Cephalus, her husband, three years ago. Today he lay debilitated in the town's renowned hospital counting down the seconds he had left to live. He’d been in coma since his car met with a terrible accident. The doctors had given up their hopes citing prayers as the only viable option and the Almighty as their only savior. Then so be it. She thought, even as she made her way to God's sanctuary.

            

***

  

            It was a typical monsoon day, the first of what was an all-girls holiday trip to the nearby hill station on the black sea coast. Eos was out getting dinner for her friends from a restaurant. As soon as she stepped out, she discovered a handsome young man, conspicuously drunk, sitting on the pavement silently lamenting about something beyond her understanding. That's what drunkards do. She thought and started walking her way to her hotel. But somehow it felt too sadistic to abandon him like that. All of a sudden it felt like she was supposed to help him. Nothing had ever seemed more right. After emerging victorious in a long battle with her suspicious and reasoning self, she slowly paced towards him.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

No reply.

"Something wrong there pal?!?" This time she was loud enough to turn some curious faces in her direction. 

"Er ... um ... yeah ... I-I can't remember which way my hotel is. I don't even have a phone to call my friends. And ... uh ... yeah that's it."

She thought of a baby who'd just learnt to speak. She smiled momentarily, unnoticed by the apparently lost kid.

"Well in that case kiddo," She realized quickly her gesture might have seemed awkward in the situation, "a name could really help me help you."

"Cephalus," He said, "Hi I am Cephalus. I'm usually not like this."

"Hello Cephalus. I am Eos. And by name I meant your hotel's name."

"Uh ... Yeah. Yeah ... it's-it's ... DC -I'm not sure I remember that."

 She was once again entwined around by the innocence emitted by the aurora that formed the young man's face. The prolonged silence that followed brought her senses back.

"Well my hotel's nearby. And there's nothing like space crisis there. Only three of us-me and two of my friends-are staying. You can stay with us as long as it takes you to er .. let's say start remembering things." The girls are so going to love this. 

"I-I am not sure. I think I should wait here you know, till ... till ... oh God! You know what? You're right. I could use your help. You're-you're right."

"I always am. Here. Let me help you stand up."

He obeyed sincerely extending his hand to meet hers and pulled himself up after several attempts.

             

"Thank you. Thank you so very much." He kept mumbling throughout the way. She couldn't help smiling at his constant babbling and her immaturely responsible decision to help him and suppressing it just long enough before she started smiling again.

"OH MY GOD! You were supposed to bring dinner not go out on one. Nevertheless it's delicious!" Exclaimed Iris even as Eos helped a half-conscious Cephalus into their hotel room.

"I'll explain everything. Now give me a hand, will you?" She said as Artemis showed her allegiance to Iris by making facial expressions which asked but the blatantly unanswerable questions.

"You better!" They both said in unison.

              She did explain once they'd managed to put him to sleep on the couch. They listened with a growing child's curiosity and obliged with the occasional gasps when necessary.

"No wonder your inner self or whatever spoke up only when you found a lost handsome drunk on the streets. So romantic!" Iris popped even as Eos' detailed account embraced its climax.

"Shut UP! It was nothing like that okay. I mean ... uh ... maybe it was. But he might not remember anything. Let's just get through with this."

"Look at you all blushing and caring. You're literally falling all over the stranger." Said Artemis.

"Yeah whatever! I am going to go to bed. Have a good night both of you."

"Sweet dreams. About HIM."

               The morning breeze brought no surprise-she was the first to wake up and embrace it. She moved the drapes just enough to have a view of the clouds camouflaging the mountain peaks. The sun was yet to rise and get lost somewhere beneath the clouds. She sat on her bed watching him lost in some paradise of his own; it was a while before he came back to the land of mortals. She fumbled from inside as the first thing he did after stressing his eyelids open was look straight at hers. She quickly turned her head away pretending to look out the window through the small gap she'd just created. She was glad the girls were still fast asleep.

"You're up early." He said in a fully stretched yawn.

"So are you. How are you feeling now?" In trying to sound casual her voice had lost that smooth touch. It came out a bit too panicky.

"Better. In fact, a lot better than last night. Thank you for not letting me rot on the streets. It was very benign of you."

"You're welcome. So you remember everything?"

"Not everything, but most parts. The good ones when you stepped in."

"Oh." She chuckled. "And your hotel?"

"Yeah I remember. Gotham International."

"Thank God!" She sounded like she didn't mean it. "Last night you said it was-I don't know-DC or something ... Oh my God! Now I get it."

"Bet you do. And I am not like that usually. My first time."

"I figured. And you weren't that bad."

"Glad you put it that way. Anyway, I should get going before my friends put my name in the 'lost' section of local media."

"Yeah sure. Or you could wait till breakfast, you know, regain some energy. It'll help."

"No really, you've already gone through enough trouble for me. I already owe you a huge one. Don't pile it on me. You're from the town?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yeah, me too. Here, take my number. If you ever feel you can use my help in any possible way or even want to grab coffee or dinner or anything, call me. You'd be glad you did. But not more than me."

"Er ... yeah, sure. Absolutely."

"Nice to meet you, Eos."

"Nice to meet you too, Cephalus."

                  It had been a year-an eventful one-since they’d first met. Soon after the holiday she’d called him just to know if he’d found his friends and was safely home. He had asked to see her. She found herself saying yes. And before she realized it started happening. It grew from occasionally to frequently in the blink of an eye. The place didn’t matter at all-it would be movies, plays, operas, coffee, dinner and almost everything under the sun that couldn’t be done alone. The patience during the period between saying goodbye and seeing him again now seemed unbearable.

             There was something about him. Whenever she thought about him that way-which was almost every time now-she would come to realize that it wasn’t just something; it was everything about him. His face, which had an aura of calmness that could only be his; his hair, impeccably black and never combed, eclipsing his forehead as if protecting a luminescence which wasn’t meant for this world yet complimenting his face in every possible way; his eyes, saying everything she wanted to hear when the mouth rested after a metaphorical remark about how stunning she looked in a particular dress; all this surmounted on a trustworthy body which was just strong enough to bear the weight of the vibrant cosmic phenomenon, protruding limbs so that it could move about with a magnificence only an observer as curious as her could notice.

             Today was the day she’d met him an year ago. She wondered if he’d remember that. Not that it mattered, but it would certainly mean something to her. She was going to see him later that day. She hoped he’d remember but expected nothing.

             He was already waiting for her at the restaurant when she entered. Clothes, normal. No bags, nothing on the table. So nothing special. She thought.

“Hey,” she said, “Am I too late?”

“Just thirty seconds.  But I’ll give you that. Given the way you look, I could wait for hours.”

“There you go again.” She smiled. “Thank you!”

“Here,” he said raising his fists, “Pick one.”

“Not this again. You can order whatever you want to eat, okay. I can be lucky for you only so many times.”

“Oh come on! Don’t be a spoilsport. Pick one. I promise it’ll be fun.”

“Okay!” She gently touched his right hand.

“I am afraid it says …” He said slowly, turning his fist up and opening it. It was a ring. “Marry me.”

“Oh my God! You remember?”

“Did I-did I miss a ‘yes’ … in … there?”

“Oh, of course. Yes! Yes! YES!”

“Thank God. Now we can celebrate.”

“Wait! What was in the other hand?”

“Er … it was … wait, let me show you. Oh! It says ‘marry me’ too.” It was another ring similar to its predecessor. “Now what do you say to that, huh?”

“Um … sorry buddy! I’m already engaged.” She raised her hand with the ring finger proudly flaunting the predecessor and they broke into laughter.

***

    

            The sanctuary was deserted. She kneeled in front of the idol, joined her hands and closed her eyes to set out on a pilgrimage to find the Savior. Save my husband, please save him. Take my life instead, but save him. You have to save him. You have to intervene. I challenge you to show me a glimpse of your existence. A source of white light first emerged, then gradually started increasing in size, as if it were an answer to her summon. Even as she tried to understand what was happening, it engulfed her into nothingness.

             Two men appeared out of nowhere. One was dressed in white and the other was in black. They were arguing over something in fainted whispers, apparently oblivious to her presence. “Hello Eos!” said the one in white.

“Who are you?” She somehow managed to find her voice, suddenly realizing that it was too naïve of her to ask the obvious.

“I am the in-charge of creation and every good thing that happens on the place you call earth. But of course you have a different name for me there.”

“God. And who’s he?”

“He oversees destruction and bad things. He actually is the destructor. What you folks call the Devil. He compensates for all the good I do. Together we maintain balance in the universe.”

She looked at the Devil, surprised that a thing like that could actually be true. He noticed it.

“What? You were expecting me with horns or something?”

“Ignore that.” God interrupted. “So, I believe you’re here because you want to save your husband.”

“Yes. I’m willing to do anything for that, including offering my life in return for sparing his.”

“I’m afraid that’s not how it works. That scenario totally excludes your suffering. In normal circumstances you don’t get an appointment like this one because as I said He is the in-charge of taking lives. But at times we do help each other out as in the case of an extreme chaos and you’re fortunate that He owes me one. So He’s agreed to oblige. But I must warn you about a few things. He’s a misanthrope, a non-believer of emotions such as affection and happiness. He will find a way to make you suffer. So unless you’re absolutely sure about what you want, I’d advise you not to go through with this because it’s not worth it. So answer me, are you absolutely sure about what you want?”

“Yes. More than anything in my life.”

“Then He’s all yours.” He said vanishing into the nothingness.

“Thanks pal, for the eulogy.” Began the Devil, “As for your husband, yes, I can spare his life. Believe me, it kills me to say so but yes, I can. But there will be ramifications-consequences defying your worst nightmares.”

“I said I’m willing to die.”

“Death, my dear, will be much, much easier. So tell me, what do you want?”

“I want you to spare my husband’s life and make sure that he leads a normal one.”

“Is that it? No sub-clauses? Are you absolutely sure?”

“I am.”

“Then so be it. Your husband will live. Of course, I’ll have to make amends for it, but let me worry about it. I’ll tell you what you have to worry about. As you heard from my friend you can’t leave the mortal world until you’ve suffered your share. I have the arrangements ready. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Here’s what it will be. When you open your eyes you’ll be at the place where you first met your husband. Three years back. What you have to do is simple. You have to make sure that you don’t meet him under any circumstances. He lives normally as long as you’re able to do so. The moment you fail, he dies.”

“But that’s not possible. How can you be so cruel?”

“That’s your suffering dear. I thought you said you were ready for anything.”

“Yes I am. But there’s got be some way. I mean how can-?”

“I am the Devil, dear. I don’t do negotiations. But I owe to your God big time. So, here it is. The curse, if you must call it, breaks if and only if the first words your now-husband tells you are the last he did before he went into coma without being made to do so. He has to do so at his own will. And you can’t say a word to him before that. Any means of communication counts as one-from written to verbal to sign language. If it doesn’t happen exactly the way I put it, the conditions stand true-he dies. So be careful or all you’ve done and will do would be for nothing.”

“But that’s just another way of spelling impossi-?”

“Good bye. Have a good time on earth before I get you.”

“But-”

He vanished just like His Counterpart did. As she opened her eyes, she found herself standing outside that same restaurant.

       

           She looked at him. It was as if she were revisiting her own memory. She desperately wished it was just a memory. But then, she remembered her deal with the Devil. It soaked every ounce of that feeling out of her. The question now was-did she love him enough to be happy to just know his heart was still beating, devoid of any feeling whatsoever related to her? The answer scared her very instincts. She wanted to help him-she even thought of an indirect way to do so. Then again the Devil’s words reverberated through her head and she realized it was a risk she couldn’t afford to take. With the unwillingness and helplessness of a prisoner being forced into solitary confinement she walked her way to the hotel-alone. Only her dungeon was ever more abysmal and the prospective inflictions far worse than just agonizing.

          

            Initially she did spend a lot of time thinking about loopholes in the Devil’s conditions. There’s got to be some way. But every time the stream of thoughts came to an abrupt halt at one junction-was a frivolous trick worth risking his life after all she went through to keep him alive? After all He was the Devil for a reason. He would have thought of everything before putting forth his conditions. She was no match for his cunning. She would just have to suffer her share. Gradually, she made up her mind that she was happy just knowing that the heart which once used to beat for her was just beating now. She had to live and suffer like that, for as long as she did, he lived. That was an achievement she’d take any day.

              

           A year had passed. She hadn’t seen him since the holiday trip. She had sincerely kept her end of the deal by keeping socializing to a minimum. So it was a bit of a shocker for her when the earthquake happened a few months back. It came as an enormous relief to find his name was not on the dead victims’ list. It was then she decided she didn’t have to be that way anymore. She could devote her life, her affection to someone who needed it. She knew where she would find this ‘someone’.

“This one suites all your preferences. Phaeton was just brought in after the earthquake. Next month he turns one. His parents died in the disaster. This brave one somehow managed to survive. He’s a remarkable little kid. Other kids his age cry a lot. He almost never does-just when he’s hungry. Never seen one like him in ages,” said the lady behind the desk.

          Phaeton was indeed a genuine kid. Eos found in him a reason to make her miserable life more meaningful. This way she could keep herself busy and avoid all the socializing. As time went by, Phaeton certainly seemed a better investment of her time. Unlike normal kids he liked to stay indoors with his mother, help her in the kitchen, and spend hours talking about stuff with her. He even asked her about his father once. Eos told him he was dead. She never told him about his mother though. She was finally leading a normal life with an exception of reading obituaries everyday in the paper.

          Phaeton was five now. He was in the first grade. As Eos had expected he’d never complained about going to school. Eos had managed to keep her end of the deal so far. She hadn’t tried even once to make any contact with Cephalus.

            

            Phaeton had a spelling test that day at school. His mother had made sure he knew every word a first grader was supposed to know. She knew he’d score full in the test. She was waiting for him on the porch when his school bus arrived.

“Hey pumpkin, how did it go?”

“It was good. I missed three words. The new teacher wasn’t as loud as Miss Eve. She’s gotten ill or something.”

“Show me.” She said curiously.

“Here, I haven’t seen it yet. I thought I’d show it to you first.” He said extending the test to her.

“Oh, did you now?” She kissed his cheek. “You did miss three words. I’m sure your new teacher has vocal issues then ‘cause the words aren’t new.” She said looking from the bottom to the top, “‘Honey’, ‘night’, and ‘good’-you know all three.”

***

Four Years and Three Months Ago

“What are you up to?” Asked God, surprised to find his Counterpart occupied.

“It’s been a long time since the last earthquake on the planet. Just rocking them a bit.” The Devil replied casually.

“Well, your choice of the epicenter doesn’t seem as random as the inception of this little idea. The girl has kept her word.”

“What do you think I am-human? Ok, I like to be dramatic at times. But I know, and I’m not going to hurt her guy. I mean not her guy anymore.”

“How many have to die?”

“Everyone in that building. Oh, don’t frown now. Ok, you can save but one. Who will it be?”

“The kid. Second floor.”

“What? He’ll be sent to orphanage, because his parents are going to die no matter what. You, God, want that life for him? You amaze me every passing day.”

“You never understand. You never will. Just do as I say.”

“With pleasure.”

A Month Ago

“There’s going to be a mass sacking because of the recession. The girl’s ex is one of the millions at the receiving end. Want me to do you one by sparing him? Because you see the deal was his life, not his job.” The Devil expected God to be pleading but he was surprised.

“No. Do as you wish.”

“You know, one of these days you might actually qualify for my job.”

“That will never happen. It’s for his good. He’d make a great teacher.”

Earlier, Present Day

“Epidemic, I guess?” asked God.

“Yes. Influenza. Delightful, isn’t it? Want me to spare anyone? I guess not. Both your favorites aren’t on my list today.”

“No. But I’d like to make an addition to the list. Miss Eve Read.”

“Really? The primary teacher? Who am I to complain, the more the merrier. But you surprise me every passing day.”

“Just do as I say.”

***

The Beginning

         She was falling, embracing every hint of gravity that was pulling her into the abyss, except it wasn’t gravity-the force was far too stronger. She tried to look up. She saw Cephalus fading away.

“NO! CEPHALUS! CEPHALUS!”

         She was on bed. He was looking at her from his working desk, puzzled. He quickly rushed in.

“Bad dream honey?” He asked taking her into his arms.

“Yes. Thank God it was just a dream. Why are you still up? Don’t you have to go to work early?”

“Yes. I’ll be in bed as soon as I’m done. It won’t take much.”

“Ok. I guess I’ll sleep then. Good night.”

“Good night honey.”

          It was the telephone ring that woke her up. Cephalus had already left for work.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Wayne?”

“Speaking.”

“I’m afraid your husband’s car met with an accident. He’s into surgery now. You have to come to the hospital at the earliest possible.”

“Oh my God! How’s-”

“Please come over right now.”

“Ok I’m coming right away.”

***

 The End

           She opened her eyes. It was God’s sanctuary. Everything felt like a dream, more like a nightmare. How could it be so? She hadn’t violated any of the conditions and yet she was here where the appalling reality awaited her in all darkness. She tried hard to concentrate, to see the Devil and ask Him what this was all about. But it was not to be. Defeated, she slowly walked back to the hospital.

           Her husband’s room was filled with doctors and nurses. It looked as if they were doing some tests. This could only mean one thing. She didn’t want to know. She didn’t want to accept the inclement reality that was now bestowed upon her. She wanted to run away, die. But then-

“Congratulations, Mrs. Wayne. He’s out of coma. It’s a miracle.” A nurse exclaimed as she came out of the threshold.

“WHAT! OH MY GOD!” She ran in as fast as she could. He was as alive as a normal person could be. She kissed him holding him tight. She’d never ever let go now. Never.

“We did it! We did it!” She exclaimed.

“You did it.” He smiled. Only she knew how much that smile meant to her. Now she realized how it had all happened.

“You’re not driving again. Ever.” She commanded.

“Whatever you say, honey.”

And they lay with arms around each other for hours before the doctor came with his discharge papers.

Whenever you smile 

like that at me,

it's my fortune that

even the heavens envy.

Rest assured, for I will

never let go of your heart,

Even the Devil trembles

trying to tear us apart.

So let Him

misconstrue His li'l speech for your cue.

Lord knows, forever is but the beginning

of the time I wish to spend with you.

***

“So you found the loophole,” said the Devil. “Nice work with the kid and the teacher.”

God smiled.

“Tell me something. You knew everything from the beginning? When I would do, what I would do?”

“I didn’t know. I guessed. I believe it was a good one.”

“How does that happen?”

“Simple. I’m God. You’re not.”

“Someday I’m going to get you. Someday.”

“I’ll wait.”