"Again, again!" a voice echoed in my head "on 3 ok, 1-2-3" at that cue I felt electricity run through my body and I wished I could scream. The voice went on but slowly fading away, the beeps and the noises their shoes made too. Eventually it was totally silent and nothing made a sound.
Scared to open my eyes because I had no memory of what had happened last I heard voices. The more I heard the voices the more I got scared, then that beeping sound again, now a little irritating then the voices got louder and louder. Curiously I slowly opened my eyes with a soft groan to the light in my eyes.
Looking around I could tell I was in a theatre, four nurses and a doctor stood around a bed and the doctor's voice dominated the room with him giving orders. As the nurses rushed around I moved closer to get a good look at what was happening, though it seemed impossible for anyone to have missed me no one seemed to notice me. As I got closer to the bed fear gripped me and I froze, a spitting image of me lay on the bed nose bleeding.
"Painful isn't it" a voice said from my left with a pat to my right shoulder, first I looked at the hand then the face the voice came from. Still in shock I didn't say a word then he took his hand off my shoulder and stretched it out at me.
"Guard" he said with a deep voice full of character
"Oh sorry" he said taking off the glove in his hand
"I'm Guard" to which I shouted in reflex "God"
He smiled and shook my hand "No son Guard with a U, A, R" then took a few steps back and went on,”And don’t worry I know who you are, I watch over you.”
"Stay with me Earl, stay with me" was the doctor from the other side of the bed to my astonishment.
"What?" I quacked from deep shock pointing a finger at the figure on the bed. "You mean thaa..." somehow I couldn't finish the sentence and I looked at Guard who calmly raised an eyebrow and nodded softly.
"It is you son"
"What, am I dead?" I cried out as it all started to seem real
He raised his eyebrows again "Want the truth?" he asked with a bit sarcasm and to which I gave a stern look.
"Yes son you are." now with a flat tone then walked over to my incarnation and lay his hand on his chest and the beeping machine went quiet for a moment.
"So I'm a ghost" I uttered touching myself
"No" he replied and paused "You just aahm ...a spirit! Your soul...with no body" then he turned to walk across the room and lean on the wall.
"And what you call that?" I burst in annoyance
"A soul" he replied gazing at me on the bed "Ghosts don’t walk the day, you are."
On the bed I seemed to have calmed but as a soul my head was flooding with questions.
Nothing seemed to matter to him except the figure that lay on the bed, and then he turned his head and looked me in the eyes. "Do you believe in karma son?" I kept silent and he went on "The supernatural power? Good for good, bad for bad?" I nodded blankly then he went on "Well you are a result of that." He pushed himself from the wall and fined his suit "For every act of kindness Karma pays back and well as for you...” he chuckled and went on “you got lucky... or not. The kidney transplant went well, for the girl, wish I could say the same for you but you know what happens." he flicked his fingers to quote the "what”. He pointed at the doctor "Moron left a tweezers in you, doesn't know and you were to suffer the consequence" finally showing some emotion. "I couldn't let that happen, so I made a deal with Karma. Death gets you and you get an hour back, as a soul to visit your daughter." I had no idea of what he was talking about "12 November at Café Baku remember? Xoli the dancer? She gave birth to a baby girl." That was one night that I had sworn I would take to the grave, a night I always kept at the back of my mind, the one night-stand.
Guard put a hand in his jacket and took out an hour glass "You got an hour" he said and placed it in mid air.
"Starting now" and he disappeared at the same time I blacked out. Suddenly I heard voices of small children and squeaking metals then the smell of fresh grass and trees and I woke again, I stood in the middle of a park in the children's play station.
Looking around my attention only took to this one girl who sat alone in a swing slowly swinging side to side so I walked to her, still invisible I walked through the play machines without being noticed. I lay my hand on her shoulder and she turned, surprised she could feel my touch I uttered a Hello and God she replied.
My blood rushed when I heard her voice and I walked over to the other side and sat on the swing next to hers and tears crawled from the corners of my eyes.
“Why are you crying?" she broke the silence and stood to wipe my eyes.
"What's your name?" I asked inaudibly to divert her attention
"Thumeka" she replied and something in me hurt, her voice was too familiar.
Minutes later she walked over to the sand pit and told me to close my eyes, I could tell something naughty was brewing in her head, she had a look I somehow recognised but I took a chance. Just as I did so sand poured over me and I screamed her name to her amusement as she ran with a smile on her face that took my heart. I stood and chased her around the swings, I got a hold of her and played on for a while rolling on the ground and pouring sand on each other. We laughed our lungs out and enjoyed the moment and for once in my life I was at peace.
The running and rolling on the ground finally tired her and we lay on the grass with her head on my chest. I kissed her on the forehead and she smiled, somehow I felt an emotional connection to her.
"Thumeka!" a voice broke the peace "What have you been doing?" Xoli quacked helping Thumeka to her feet. For a moment I tried to talk to her before I remembered she could not hear or see me, I got to my feet and just stood by.
"Times up son." said a voice I had come to recognize and a slight peek over the shoulder confirmed its source.
"Beautiful huh?" Guard whispered and I smiled in affirmation. She looks just like her.” I whispered back in a crackly voice and he chuckled, “Who exactly?” he asked with a big smile on his face and I blacked out.
By ELLIOT MOYO
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