Helen's Resurrection
"Fine, I’ll leave it up to Him," you say, relaxing your body and looking up towards the sky. Darkness fills most of it, yet your eyes are drawn to the small pinpricks of light shimmering in the sea of black. Each star stands out because of the background provided by the void of nothingness around it.
Whispering winds rustle the fallen leaves in the otherwise silent graveyard. Calmness washes over you as the breeze rushes past. Though it is cold, you feel a warmth emanating from everywhere around you. Lamar brushes against you, also gazing upwards at the night sky; however, the snake is nowhere to be seen.
"It’s beautiful, isn’t it," Helen’s voice calls from behind you.
Jumping out of your skin, you turn to see Helen's body sit up. Lamar grabs your shoulder and stammers something you can’t hear. Mind racing, heart pounding, your try to focus on your sister and stop the world from spinning.
"What..." you start to say.
"Ugh, did you have to make me come back into this body?" Helen asks. "It is stiff and cold and gross…"
"Is it really you?" you ask in a trembling voice.
"Wait, you aren’t scared, are you? Didn’t you ask me to come here?"
"Yeah but…"
"Oh, I see. You want me around until I actually show up looking like a zombie!" She opens her icy-blue eyes and glares at you like she used to.
"I—"
"I’m kidding! Loosen up Alex, you are the one without embalming fluid in your veins." She laughs and the entire graveyard lights up. It’s a sound you never expected to hear again, and it brings tears to your eyes.
"I am so sorry, Helen. This was all my fault!"
"Oh, you are blaming yourself for this… just like when you thought that your Ouija Board killed Grandpa."
"What? Why are you even bringing that up, I—"
"Because it is the same thing. At least you didn’t dig up Grandpa’s grave…"
"But—"
"He is in a better place now, trust me."
"Wait, what is happening? Why are you saying this?"
"Well, you did pull me out of heaven into this… husk," she says staring at her pale hands. Her movements are stiff and forced like she can’t quite control her limbs the way she expects to. Straw falls around her head where her healthy hair used to be.
"What is it like in Heaven?" Lamar asks. You jump again, having forgot he was behind you.
"Oh, it’s to die for," Helen jokes.
"Funny," you mumble. Any doubts that this is really your sister melt away in the face of her blatant sarcasm.
"Come on, Alex. I get one, don’t I?"
"Fine, fine. You really don’t blame me though?"
"Alex, what could you have done? The other driver ran a red light and hit the passenger side."
"I don’t know…"
"I know you would have saved me if you could, but some things aren’t in your control."
"Then tell me why!"
"Why what?"
"Why did you have to die?"
There was a long pause. Helen sat in her grave, examining her hands, touching her face, avoiding the question. Finally, she sighs and shakes her head. She looks up at the star-studded sky and asks, "Does there have to be a reason?"
"Yes!" you shout, closing your eyes to prevent the tears from flowing.
"Bad things happen to everybody. They can ruin your life, or they can make you stronger."
"How is this supposed to make me stronger?"
"Can you answer my next question honestly, Alex? Or do you just want me to stay here for your sake?"
Whispering winds rustle the fallen leaves in the otherwise silent graveyard. Calmness washes over you as the breeze rushes past. Though it is cold, you feel a warmth emanating from everywhere around you. Lamar brushes against you, also gazing upwards at the night sky; however, the snake is nowhere to be seen.
"It’s beautiful, isn’t it," Helen’s voice calls from behind you.
Jumping out of your skin, you turn to see Helen's body sit up. Lamar grabs your shoulder and stammers something you can’t hear. Mind racing, heart pounding, your try to focus on your sister and stop the world from spinning.
"What..." you start to say.
"Ugh, did you have to make me come back into this body?" Helen asks. "It is stiff and cold and gross…"
"Is it really you?" you ask in a trembling voice.
"Wait, you aren’t scared, are you? Didn’t you ask me to come here?"
"Yeah but…"
"Oh, I see. You want me around until I actually show up looking like a zombie!" She opens her icy-blue eyes and glares at you like she used to.
"I—"
"I’m kidding! Loosen up Alex, you are the one without embalming fluid in your veins." She laughs and the entire graveyard lights up. It’s a sound you never expected to hear again, and it brings tears to your eyes.
"I am so sorry, Helen. This was all my fault!"
"Oh, you are blaming yourself for this… just like when you thought that your Ouija Board killed Grandpa."
"What? Why are you even bringing that up, I—"
"Because it is the same thing. At least you didn’t dig up Grandpa’s grave…"
"But—"
"He is in a better place now, trust me."
"Wait, what is happening? Why are you saying this?"
"Well, you did pull me out of heaven into this… husk," she says staring at her pale hands. Her movements are stiff and forced like she can’t quite control her limbs the way she expects to. Straw falls around her head where her healthy hair used to be.
"What is it like in Heaven?" Lamar asks. You jump again, having forgot he was behind you.
"Oh, it’s to die for," Helen jokes.
"Funny," you mumble. Any doubts that this is really your sister melt away in the face of her blatant sarcasm.
"Come on, Alex. I get one, don’t I?"
"Fine, fine. You really don’t blame me though?"
"Alex, what could you have done? The other driver ran a red light and hit the passenger side."
"I don’t know…"
"I know you would have saved me if you could, but some things aren’t in your control."
"Then tell me why!"
"Why what?"
"Why did you have to die?"
There was a long pause. Helen sat in her grave, examining her hands, touching her face, avoiding the question. Finally, she sighs and shakes her head. She looks up at the star-studded sky and asks, "Does there have to be a reason?"
"Yes!" you shout, closing your eyes to prevent the tears from flowing.
"Bad things happen to everybody. They can ruin your life, or they can make you stronger."
"How is this supposed to make me stronger?"
"Can you answer my next question honestly, Alex? Or do you just want me to stay here for your sake?"