Here and There It was a warm spring afternoon in the country, only minutes from the busy city. The view of nature wasenchantingtohereyes, andfilledhersoulwithdelight andpeace. Herhopesanddreamswerebeingrevitalized as nature revived from it's wintry slumber.Nature had a magical and a mysterious effect on her;a feeling of simplicity and serenity that she could only eperience faraway from the cement roads and thecold somber buildings of the city. The awareness of oneself, the encounterwith what you are and whereyoureally belong ma!es you always want to return to those green oasis, the few remaining and "uic!lydiminishing in every city, yielding more and more to the iron and steel giants scratching the polluted s!ies.#nnie thought she would visit $ranny's tomb on her way home. %ately she missed $ranny terribly. &heremembered $ranny's garden with the daffodils and the violets and the fresh cut grass; and that old patiowith the yellow painted bench that was always covered with the blan!et made by her very own little agilehands. #nd the times they sat there for hours, tal!ing about her grandfather, the war, and how they hadfallen in love when they first laid eyes on one another. ' (h, how wonderful he loo!ed in his dar! bluemilitary uniform,' she remembered $ranny would always say to her.&hebrought abou"uet ofvioletsfor$rannyandawhiteroseforhergrandfather.Thealleys ofthecemetery were invaded by weeds, fighting for each centimeter of ground between the old pavement.Theold gardener smiled at her as she passed, but she realized that he didn't recognize her.)or several yearscataracts had been causing his eyesight to deteriorate. )or him who wor!ed in the cemetery day after day,death was as natural as the surrounding nature.He bought his place here long ago, li!e one buying his ownhouse downtown.His serenity with death impressed #nnie the first time she came with $ranny to visit herbeloved grandfather's tomb.&he felt very happy when she reached the tomb.&he hadn't visited all winter, and the guilt of not havingcome to see $ranny soon went away and she found herself listening to her gentle voice, while her blac!agateeyesstruggledtorestrainarebel teardrop. &hespo!etoherinhermind, andtoldherhowsheneeded her advice about what she should do with her life.#nnie whispered $ranny's prayer, then caressedthe white funeral stone and left wandering through the old cemetery. &he felt a pleasant wea!ness as hersteps became heavier and heavier, while her head stayed incredibly clear, li!e that feeling you get on top ofa mountain, ehausted yet your mind is wonderfully refreshed.&he turned left to get to the main alley andshesawafreshtombfull offlowers, somefadedandwithered. &uddenly, shesensedapairofeyeswatching her yet when she loo!ed around she was alone. &tepping closer she read on the funeral stone*'+ichael ,rown, (ur ,eloved &on, (ur (nly -hild .assed #way Through /ternity #t (nly 01 2ears (ld.(ur %ove 3ill 4efy 4eath, +ichael56ntil 3e +eet #gain7' Then she loo!ed carefully at his photographand noticed for the first time his greenish eyes. &he tried to imagine him alive, standing probably a tallyoung man, very handsome as she could see. &uddenly, a thin band of light, a rebel ray from nowhereshone brightly on his white funeral stone.&urprised, she "uic!ly stepped bac!, a bit frightened because inthelight heseemedtobe'smilingat her.'&hethought, '+aybeI'mimaginingthingsbecauseofhisyouthfulnessandbrightness.',eforeleaving, shegentlycaressedwithawarmwomanishgesturehisforehead, then down his upper chee!, thin!ing all the while that he could have been her brother, her friend,her colleague, and even her boyfriend.&he wondered if he ever had the chance to love someone.&he feltsorry for leaving, and found herself promising to visit him net &unday.#nnie !ept her promise. )or several wee!s she came faithfully every &unday to visit +ichael's tomb. &heplanted on his tomb the same small resistant greenish red plants she had planted on $ranny's tomb.Nowshe bought two little bou"uets of violets, one for +ichael and one for $ranny.&he lit a candle for each andsaid a prayer, $ranny's favorite prayer. &he began to wonder why she felt that $ranny was beginning to li!e+ichael.(ne night she dreamed of tal!ing to $ranny while sitting together on the old yellow bench in the bac!yardpatio. $ranny was contented and told her how happy she was to finally be with her husband, who wasplanting daffodils near the old green gate.#nnie gently turned her head towards her grandfather who waswearing strangely his dar! blue uniform. Then $ranny said that +ichael was a fine young man, a verytreasured angel there for he had a divine voice and even the birds were so delighted that they sang alongwith him with their trills.#nd his voice is heard in Heaven every time a bride and bridegroom were 8oinedtogether here on earth. 'He is a seventh-grade angel having a soul free of lust,' said $ranny. .uzzled,#nnie as!ed how that is so. $ranny said smiling, 'He had never !nown a woman, my dear, he was only 01when he died, didn't you !now9' #nnie awo!e very confused and tormented.Her dream seemed so real5#ll that day she remained under its vivid spell and couldn't stop thin!ing of what $ranny told her.3ith the passage of time #nnie became a part of +ichael's family somehow.&he met his parents onedayinthecemetery. Theyinvitedher tohavelunchwiththemandeveninvitedhertotheirhome.+ichael's room was left untouched.His parents showed her his paintings, his writings, and even his diary.(ne day +ichael's mother left her alone to read his diary in peace. His handwriting was very small andregular, a sign of a very balanced and steady person, she thought to herself.He always wrote in blac! in!.#fter reading his thoughts she was moved to tears, though she was restraining to hold her tears bac! tryingin vain to read further, a rebel tear drop fell onto the page dissolving the in! and leaving a strange grayshaped stain.&he could hardly read that part of the tet.&he suddenly closed the cherry colored diary andloo!ed helplessly upwards. '#m I in love9' she wondered. 'No, it couldn't be so. It's crazy5', she saidunconvincingly to herself.Though she tried for the past year to date some boys, she could never further herrelationships with them. &he was not sure why, but now her feelings gained contour, though still not tooclear.(n the shelf net to the bureau where she wanted to put the diary, she found an unfinished painting thatfrightened her so much that she yelled out, 'It can't be5'The large forehead, the chestnut hair, her archedeyebrows, her blac! vivid eyes, $ranny's &panish eyes5 Her diamond shaped face7the chee!s and lipswere not finished, but nobody could deny that it incredibly resembled her5 +ichael's mother came rightaway, when she heard #nnie's loud cry. '3hat happened my dear9 4id you hurt yourself9' she as!ed.#nnie couldn't spea! at all, shoc!ed by the obvious li!eness of her in the painting.3ith trembling handsshe handed the painting to +ichael's mother, waiting for her reaction.'#nnie, dear, it's you5 4id you twomeet each other before +ichael died9' eclaimed +ichael's mother in disbelief.#nnie "uic!ly answered,'No, +om.'&he was surprised that she called her, +om. &he too! a deep breath to gather her thoughtsthen said, 'I've never met +ichael before seeing his photograph at the cemetery.This is indeed strange.'#nnie as!ed if she !new any of +ichael's ac"uaintances or colleagues that resembled her.'No, none that Ihave ever met,' responded +ichael's mother.&he calmly assured #nnie that it was probably a coincidenceand not to worry. '+ichael had a fabulous imagination,' his mother went on to say, 'did you read hispoems9 He was writing since he was :, mostly about nature and love.He even wrote the tet and music forsome of the songs they are singing in our church. 3e still have his piano drafts, would you care to seethem9 2ousaidyou use to play thepiano, too.' 'Now9' as!ed #nnie,'I'm sorry,but Idon't feelli!eplaying right now, maybe net time.'#ll wee! she was obsessed by that painting and wondered if could it be pure coincidence.,y the end ofthewee!she felt illfor noapparent reason. &he notonly feltwea!,butshedidn'thavethewilltodoanything. (n&aturdayher mother calledthedoctor whoprescribedsomevitaminsandagoodrest.4espite her wea!ness she still intended to go to the cemetery on &unday, as she did each and every &undayfor the past year. (n the morning dar! clouds assembled heralding the impending rain. #nnie was stilldressing when she heard the sound of thunder followed by a bright string of lightning in the rebellion ofclouds.Her mother convinced her that it was not a good time to go to the cemetery, especially in her state.#nnie undressed slowly and lay down on the bed, covering herself with $ranny's handmade wool blan!et.&he felt so warm and comfortable li!e she did in her childhood when she li!ed to lie under the blan!et andwatch the lightning in the s!y and listen to the thunder.&he had the same feeling of safety and welcomedshelter against the fury of nature.&he closed her heavy eyelids and relaed till she fell asleep.In her day dreams, which are usually lighter and more beautiful than her night dreams, +ichael came toher, sat down net to her bed and with a smile, watched her as she slept.He was incredibly handsome, andglowing all around his body, his face and hands was a thin bright aura.In her dream state she sensed hispresence and opened her eyes and heard him say, '#nnie, you must ta!e care of yourself, you're not welland I don't want you to die..romise me you will have a doctor eamine your lungs.' &he nodded her headtimidly. Then +ichael spo!e again, '2ou are so young and so beautiful. $irls your age have boyfriendsand some are already thin!ing of marriage and children. 4on't waste your time coming to see me every&unday.$oandliveandhavealife5'&hegazedat +ichael'seyesasheloweredhisvoicetoasoftwhisper,'I love you and no matter how much I miss you, you have a life to live.I'm dead and you mustaccept that, #nnie, I am a ghost.2ou need someone real beside you.' #nnie's heart started beating fasterand suddenly nothing mattered, #nnie heard only those tender words,' I love you' and the words burneddeeply into #nnie's soul, for these were the very words she longed to hear him say. '+ichael,you loveme9' she as!ed in a soft womanly voice, not epecting an answer. +ichael's answer not only surprised#nnie, but filled her heart with warm feelings. '4o you love me, too9' It made no difference now, twosouls on different planes had found each other and were now 8oined as one in spirit and in flesh, truly aunion of pure happiness and bliss.#nnie, feeling the warmth of +ichael's love affirmed that she loved himvery much from the day she stepped into his room and saw that painting.&he somehow !new that his diaryand poems were written for her, and that her life would be forever bonded with his.'#ll I want is to be with you,' she thought aloud hoping +ichael would see the answer in her eyes. +ichaeltold her that he will guard her from above and reminded her to have a chec!up and see! proper treatmentfor her illness. Neglecting her health would be a serious sin. '#nnie, you must live your life,' he saidemphatically.'I will come to you from time to time in your dreams' were his last words that #nnie heard+ichael spea!. Hesmiledat herandcaressedherchestnuthair. #shetenderlystraightened$ranny'sblan!et she felt a weariness overcoming her andas her eyelids began to close she could see his aura blin!twice as +ichael vanished.#nnieawo!e, thevividmemoryof+ichael still implantedonhermind, andloo!edaroundtheroomsearching for him. 3hen she realized that she was alone, she thought maybe the reason she dreamed of himwasbecause she felt sorry for not visiting him that morning.Then suddenly as she glanced at the blan!ether epression froze. There on the blan!et was a little plant, still wet, li!e those she had planted on histomb.#ndwhere+ichael hadtouchedtheblan!et weretinywet stains. '#mIstill dreaming9'shethought as she pic!ed up the little plant in her hand.&he pluc!ed off one leaf to ma!e sure it was real andnot 8ust her imagination playing tric!s on her.Then she pressed it gently in her hand and smelled its sweetfragrance. &he tasted the raindrops on it and they were salty7+ichael5 'He was indeed here5' thought#nnieholdingtheevidenceinherhands. &uddenlyshesaweverythingthathadhappenedtoherinatotally different perspective, now everything made sense, well not "uite, but it all tied together finally5&oit was not a fantasy, +ichael is alive5#nyway, not "uite alive, but7&he went to tell her mother about what had happened. 3hile patiently listening to her story her mothermade her a cup of tea, then placed her hand on #nnie's forehead to chec! her temperature.&he had no signof a temperature, but #nnie's eyes were unnaturally glazed.3orried that her daughter may be seriously ill,she tried to calm her and said in a stern voice, '#nnie, please don't fantasize about +ichael. He is dead;dead, do you hear me92ou are young and have a lifetime ahead of you; live li!e all the people your age5The first thing tomorrow morning we will go to the hospital and have the doctor eamine you.' '&ure,+om, I promised +ichael I would have my lungs eamined,' #nnie answered agreeably. &he tal!ed sonaturally about promising +ichael that her mom became very worried about her state of mind. #ll thatnight #nnie's mother cried and prayed that her little #nnie was not insane.#fter eamining her lungs the doctor said that #nnie had caught a severe cold and gave her a strong dose ofantibiotics, four shots a day and told her to stay in bed for three days. #fter the second day, #nnie wasalready feeling much better.(n Thursday, after the doctor eamined her again he prescribed some vitaminsand told #nnie's mother that her daughter was doing well.Indeed, #nnie was again happy, full of life andvery optimistic.&he was soon visiting +ichael's family on wee!ends and began to adore playing the piano in his room.3henever sheplayedhismusic, shefelt herself transportedtoanother world. &heoftensensedhispresence in the room as if he was close to her and gently guiding her fingers over the piano !eys.Hismusic was amazingly uplifting and softly caressed her ears. It was so beautiful that it was li!e puttingwings of love to her soul.&he soon learned the musical notes by heart and each time she played she closedher eyes and dreamed of dying and being with +ichael.&he would imagine him dressed in a groom'scostume, so handsome as she saw him smiling tenderly in her dreams and her in a long old fashion whitelaced bridal dress. &he would often lose herself in her daydreams only to return when +ichael's mothercalled her to lunch. (ne morning as she tried to get up, she felt a violent headache. &he placed her hand on the area and rubbedhard to stop the immense throbbing pain. It too! all her strength to lift herself off the bed. &he managed towal! into the !itchen where her legs suddenly gave way under her weight and she fell onto the tile floor.Her mother, who was coo!ing in front of the stove, rushed over to her daughter. &he immediately calledthe ambulance.#t the hospital the doctor too! her pulse and chec!ed her for fever, but found nothingwrong.#nnie was feeling well again.&till, he said that it would be better for her to be eamined by herown physician. Her mother agreed.%ater, that day #nnie sat in her bed and sipped some lemon tea, withsome drops of rum, and honey, li!e her $ranny used to prepare for her. Then she lay down and coveredherself with the old blan!et.Her mother held her hand and caressed her hair while comforting her.#nniesoon fell asleep and li!e a newborn baby, smiled as she drifted into her dreams.Hearing the phone ring,her mother went out to answer it.3hen she returned she found #nnie pale and breathing abnormally. &hewas trying with great effort to write something in the noteboo!7.+ichael7.here7.love7.bridegroom7.Her mother loo!ed at the noteboo! and frantically called out to #nnie's father to come "uic!. He rushedinto the room as soon as he heard her call,slamming the door behind him.+eanwhile, #nnie managed towrite more, with her trembling hand on the ballpoint pen7.no cry,love much7there.&he loo!ed to oneside andsmiled satisfied. Herblac! &panisheyesremainedwide opened fiedonsomething only shecould see. Tears poured forth from #nnie's mother's eyes as she bent over to hold her daughter. &ilently,restraining his tears and grief, her father lit a candle on the shelf.The playful candle flame cast a strangeglowon #nnie'shair, herlongchestnut hair.Thedoctorarrivedtoconfirmherdeath. (nthedeathcertificate he wrote* #nnie ;endall, age 0uly 11