Some days I'm a withering senior citizen, a baby who can't even crawl yet or a man stuck in prison. I'm always more of a passenger than the driver when I spend a day in these people, just simply watching their lives play out. It makes good days like today stand out. Today I'm a man on his honeymoon with the love of his life.
His wife had been wanting to come to this lake for a while now but the rent on a cabin in this area of the state is so damn expensive so they had decided to wait until now to come here. It was even more breathtaking than either of them expected. The lake was so clear you could see the bottom at most points. The air was crisp and felt so fresh. Surrounding the lake were tall cliffs with wide hiking trails over them. It was perfect.
It was their first full day here. From what his memory shows yesterday was spent driving here and unpacking and was rather uneventful. Today had been quite the opposite. He awoke slowly beside the women I recognized as his wife. He lied there for a few minutes just enjoying the moment but before I knew it they were both out of bed and I felt I was about to have a busy day.
Once this couple was out of bed there was no slowing down. I hadn't been in a body this busy in quite some time. It was exhilarating. They went for a morning jog on the cliffs, swimming in the lake, sitting in the sand talking about what a whirlwind the past week had been, jumping off the smaller cliffs into the water and exploring the small shops and businesses this summer town had to offer. The thing that amazed me most about this man though was not the amount of energy he had. It was the awe he had for everything his wife did. I didn't often feel this kind of soul changing love in others, at least not to the degree I did while here in him.
By late afternoon they were both exhausted and fell asleep outside the cabin on a picnic blanket. Everything went dark for me as he slept but my mind stayed awake and skimmed through his old memories.
He was born in a city close to here. His childhood was fairly standard, had two parents and one brother. They lived in a nice neighborhood. He has many fond memories of his family and friends. He was smart in school and graduated highschool with ease. He continued to do well in college and maintained a solid group of friends. Not a lot of dark places in his memory at all. The day he met his wife made everything before her pale in comparison though.
He had been up all night studying and scurried into a coffee shop in the early morning to grab a quick bite to eat. He was flipping through notes as he ordered and didn't look up until the cashier read him the total. He looked up as he grabbed change from his pocket and his eyes met hers. From there they went on a couple of dates, once for coffee and once to the movies and realized life with each other was a whole lot brighter. They became pretty inseparable and had too many memories for me to even look through all of them. He had proposed a little over a year ago in their home while they drank their morning coffee in their pyjamas. They had a small backyard wedding with their closest friends and family and then departed for the lake a few days after.
I grow bored of looking through his memories and they both begin to wake up. They can't believe they've slept this long, it's already dark out. They laugh about it and head inside to make up a couple sandwiches. His wife makes a joke about how they aren't really eating supper and how it's more of a midnight snack. He laughs in response as he looks over at the clock. 11:53pm.
My time with them is almost done. I'm sad but also happy to have had the chance to spend a day with such a happy couple.
His wife suggests going for a walk because it's still so nice out. He agrees happily and I feel that warmth in his heart again that he gets whenever she speaks.
This will be a nice way to end my time here. I hope tomorrow is even half as good as this.
They walk along one of the hiking trails over looking the water. Holding hands and just enjoying each other's presence. The trail narrows slightly and he gestures for her to go ahead. Everything happens next in almost slow motion through his eyes.
As she takes the lead his foot catches on a rock jutting out of the ground and he falls forward into his wife's back. She stumbles and loses her footing on the edge of the cliff. Before he can reach over to grab her she rolls over the edge. On his watch he's wearing on his reaching arm I catch a glimpse of the time. 11:59pm.
I'm not going to be able to see how this ends. I hope she did not far fall. I feel the panic rising in him as I am pulled outside of his body.
12:00am
I have a hard time opening my eyes but I know this person is awake. Today I'm a female, she is very scared. She looks up to see someone looking over an edge at her.
It's the man I was yesterday. I'm his wife and I am dying.
I watch him scurry down the rocks. I turn my head to look at him running over to me. I see blood. I am laying in a lot of blood. Her husband kneels quickly beside her and begins apologizing profusely and joking about how uncoordinated he is. He suddenly turns pale when he realizes the condition she's in. He frantically tries to find where she in bleeding from and touches a soft wet spot on the back of her head. I feel a pain radiate through us. She gingerly reaches up to grab his hands and weakly smiles up at him. I feel a sorrow radiating out from her but even stronger than that I feel that same loving warmth towards him as he has for her.
He's rambling now, saying that he needs to go get help and she grips his hand and nods no. I can feel her becoming weaker. I don't know what to do, I've never been in a person who has died.
He looks down upon her and his tears fall down upon her face. They are hot against her cool skin. They are all I can feel. He stares down at her with no words. She feels so much sorrow watching him cry and she grows weaker. She kisses his hands that are now enveloping hers and whispers that she loves him.
Then everything goes black.