Dreaming Elijah

It had been countless hours since I heard the tires screech and saw a fraction of blinding headlights. That late March afternoon, my life had changed. Elijah's life had changed. So many thoughts ran through my mind as I prepare to take the incoming clash of metal on metal. But one thing in particular was on my mind, and that was my boyfriend.

 For some strange reason, his face popped into my head just before that 6 ton semi franticly shattered my 2004 Grand Prix.  Before I could take my last breath, my life was crushed right in that front passenger seat. At age 17, I was laid on a cold bed in the ER with signs of existence, but no response to any comforting words from family members or a firm squeeze after a long hand held. Before I knew it, people were talking. Some had said that they saw the destruction, and others were just shocked by the sight of the scene. But the only thing people actually knew, was that I couldn't move. I laid on that flat hospital bed, still, for what seemed like forever. No movement, not even a blink was seen from me. The only thing that moved in that bare room was my heart monitor. It told everybody that there was still a chance. It gave hope, and even I had hope.

Though I couldn't react to anything physically in the real world, I was still awake. While stuck in a room of blankness, I could still somehow see. I saw my loving boyfriend by my bedside, holding my hand, still hoping that I'll return in his arms. I also saw my caring friends and family, sticking around in Room 302. But it all only lasted for a couple of weeks. As the hopes had gone down, they disappeared one by one. Up until December, Elijah was the only one who had stuck around with still a dream. Soon, even he had faded away.

One day, Elijah stopped showing up. Stopped bringing flowers, balloons, and even those soft kisses on my pale cheeks. My empty room remained abandoned, and I couldn't talk to Elijah anymore. The day he didn't show up, was the day he perished. I had lost communication with Elijah, and so I had lost my only phone call to the real world.

Days continued to be dull and lifeless. While moments with nobody but the raggedy old nurses had ceased to exist. I could still hear his soft voice whisper in my ear saying, "We'll make it Anastasia", along with a tight squeeze in my hand. The long walks, detailed talks, seemed like they were for nothing. So many dreams had withered away within one wrong tilt of a steering wheel. The last few words I ever heard were spoken as if from an angel. Elijah, with his head on my chest and hugging me with a firm bear hug,  said, "I'll see you soon."

Months went on from there, and it seemed like Elijah and I were to never speak again. Just as I was about to give up on seeing anybody, I was suddenly in a new place. I could magically walk, skip, and jump around just like I've always imagined. It was like a gift from God. The mysterious place was filled with glistening shadows that pranced around all day long, along with the most graceful music that filled the air. I could remember all my fondest memories like they were yesterday. The reason why the nurses moved me to a brighter, more enlightening place has always baffled me, but I wasn't complaining. Overjoyed in my new room, I decided to look around. The place went on forever, there was no end. It shined like the heavens above and was the most beautiful room I had ever seen. Though I was glad to walk, talk, and move again, I was still lonely. Lonely like I've been for the last 9 months. Days without Elijah were like days in a drought without rain. Useless and disappointing.

Just as things were getting better for me, they went wrong In reality. On a cold December night, almost in the exact same spot of my wreck, a totaled car was found. The driver was instantly rushed to the hospital, but there was nothing the doctors could do. The man was said to have lost control of the vehicle during a blistering snowy night. The news shocked the lives of many, and yet, gave them another chance to forget about boring old me.

After word about the collision spread, I heard a voice. It was the sweetest, most comforting  voice coming from above. The familiar voice was one I had heard  before. It followed me, whispering sweet things to me that only I would know. It had a sense of comfort, and spoke of my accident along with the man who had died in the same spot. The voice murmured about Elijah and told me how he meant to crash in the same spot. Beyond all the beaming beauty in the room, the soft voice then whispered in my ear saying, "I told you I'd see you soon."

Elissa Slizoski