LJIdol 11 Week 1
The beginning had been far less esoteric, more of an accident really. There were no bright lights, no doctors and nurses, no humming machines or the beeping symphony signifying vital signs. The beginning had been beautiful. Sun bright in an azure sky, snow glistening around the base of evergreens, and the temperature surprisingly warm for the mid-winter day. Melinda had been drawn by the peacefulness, curious to see what was around the bend and over the next hill.
“Count backward from ten,” a disembodied voice instructed. It was time.
The lights seemed to brighten slightly just before the numbness came. She wasn’t unconscious. Was it supposed to be this way? Was it her or Shanna? They had been together so long that she sometimes wasn’t sure who’s thoughts were going through her head.
She braced herself for the pain that was to come. The procedure would not be done with scalpels and knives. It would be done at a molecular level. She didn’t fully understand it, but knew it had to be done. If they stayed together they both would die. It had been a shared decision and a shared conclusion.
The beginning had been painless. Or, maybe there had been pain and she had forgotten. She had come over a rise and a great wind started blowing around her. She had turned to flee when a soft voice pleaded, “don’t go. Help me. If you help me, I will help you.” The turn of her head back into the wind had been interpreted as acquiescence and in seconds a great whoosh of air rocked her body, knocking her to the ground. When she came to, there was peace and Shanna. Only Shanna wasn’t in front of her, or behind her. Shanna was her, and she was Shanna.
For years they had co-existed. Shanna received sanctuary from a world that could not understand her. Melinda had longevity and strength she had never imagined, her appearance defying her chronology.
The lights blinked. “Almost there,” she heard another voice say, just before her vision blackened.
When she came to, the lights had changed. They were softer and dim. Looking around took an effort she did not expect. She felt tired and sore in every cell of her body, or so it seemed. The bed to her right was occupied by a fierce young woman, seemingly wholly healthy. Wild, platinum hair covered the pillow and her feet nearly hung off the end of the bed.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought maybe...but I didn’t know really.”
Shanna.
“I…,” Melinda’s voice creaked.
“Shhh. Rest now,” Shanna replied and moved to her side. “Thank you.”
Melinda loosely grasped the hand that held hers as the darkness came for the last time.