The dark yard

Darkness fell across the land. The hours went by. Glendora sat in her room watching tv, some thriller with many murders caused by an insane killer. She was alone. Her parents spent the next 2 weeks with some friends. They planned a sailing trip on the Baltic Sea. And her sister Kate stayed the night at her boy- friend’s house.

Beside the tv everything was quiet. With the tilting window she could hear the howling of the owls in the park nearby. If she tried hard, she could make out the old Gothic church at the end of her city. Midnite hour was close at hand. By now there were five minutes left, finally the church clock struck 12.

Glendora switched off the tv. She put on her new parka and stepped outta the house. The air was freezing, Glendora locked the door and started walking into the darkness of the october night. "Well, here we are." She whispered a bit frightened to herself as she reached the entrance of the park. At daytime it was a nice place to go, to relax, one of those places where one could spend some nice time. But at night? The bushes, the shadows of the old oaks, everything seemed so different. Fearfully she listened to the sounds of the night. A drunken beggar staggered outta the shadows of the trees right towards her. Glendora started to run, only by seeing the brown wooden gate she slowed down. The beggar was gone. Balling them to fists, she jammed her hands into the pockets of the parka.

Glendora reached the wooden gate, she outstretched her hand, but there was nothing she could touch. Glendora drew back a strand of her dark brown hair. The wooden gate was opened. She looked around, but there was nothing, just her alone in the beauty of the night. She walked through the open gate, then looked back. It was closed again, Glendora shivered. Already she regretted her promise to join Santana and some other old friends who had changed to the "other side" in a black mass.

Since her dog had disappeared two weeks ago, Glendora had started to keep to herself, shutting everybody out, even her parents were not able to get near to her.

She recalled the last memory she had of Sandy, her dear beloved Collie. They were in the park, Sandy was apporting sticks. The night was falling and Glendora had thrown him the last stick for that day – very far away how he had loved it. Sandy dashed after it, she watched him disappearing beyond the bushes, that was the last time she saw him. He had never come back.:

"Thereafter I was scared

Waiting at home

He never came back

I’m still alone..."

her diary entry ended.

Therefore Santana had asked her to join them one day to see that death would be anything to be afraid of, nothing could happen toanyone else. They would meet every Friday in the basement of the small chapel in the graveyard. "I’m sure you’ll like it." Santana had announced as she had said her goodbyes. Glendora was not that sure about that, nevertheless, she promised to come. It was Santana who told her there was something beside God one can worship. Before her Glendora did not know something like Satan even existet. Her parents were faithful christians. They did not exept any books but the bible, any believes but their own. "The Devil is evil" they used to say. "He’s the master of all Evil. He burns in hell and so will everyone believing in him. As for us, the faithful, we’ll spend eternity in paradise, forever."

The icy wind got Glendora back to reality. The graveyard was right in front of her. She entered it and saw the dark red light escaping from the chapel. She never liked this place much, it was shabby, with all the overturned gravestones – weatherbeaten and broken, a place of the Evil. A foule stench was in the air, the funk of death and tombs. She came closer to the chapel. The Satanists were already waiting for her. She was welcomed by a black – clothed group. They began their procedure outside and led Glendora down into the basement. The room was quite small. Wherever she looked, she could make out small grave candles put up onto the walls. These candles spread a red light and created the atmosphere this way. Now the girls founded a special kinda circle and began to praise Satan. Each of them took a knife and cut into six of her fingertips. While the blood was dripping into the christal glass below, she was allowed to tell Him all evil deeds she had committed since the last ceremony.

Glendora watched the scene with disgust and fear. How was it possible to believe in something different but God? If they knew what would be expected them? Did they wanna burn in hell? Did they not care?

Her attention was attracted by the following part of the ceremony: the sacrifice.

She could hear the fearful sounds of a being. Her eyes became wide as she saw Santana herself placing a small cage for the sacrifice onto the altar. Inside the cage there was the sacrificial animal, a black poodle. The poodle shivered, it trembled with its dark brown eyes full of fear. There was no chance to escape, by now the doom of the poodle was already sealed. It tried one more time to escape and started to bark as if this animal knew what it had to expect, it tried to "shout for help".

Glendora felt tears coming into her eyes, she could not stand the sight any longer and looked away. The barking was echoed by the walls but erased immediately as Santana opened the cage and pressed her hands onto the throat of the dog. The barking erased and so did the life of the poodle. Glendora had no choice, she had to watch the horrible scene. The girls lifted the poodle up to show it to Satan, and in this very moment Glendora got to know how her so- loved Collie had to have passed the last moment of his so young life. The contours seemed to fade, to Glendora it was not the poodle any more they were lifting up. The outlines of the poodle faded into the ones of her own dog. She saw how Sandy’s life had to have been erased, how they had showed his corpse to Satan...

Oh, how she hated Santana! How could she, once known to be Glendora’s best friend, how could she do that to her?

Back to the scene Santana placed the dead poodle onto the altar. Two others took a knife and cut out its heart to place it onto a black plate. Everyone took one of the candles from the walls and burned this very heart.

Glendora felt she had to vomit, she had to get outta there. Outside she felt much better, nevertheless, she opened one of the trashboxes and puked – right onto the corpse of her very own collie...

"It’s quite hard, isn’t it? But death happens to us all, it seems as if it was in love with us, it’s nothing to be afraid of..."

Glendora spun around. She was looking in a pale face with blue green eyes shimmering in the moonlight. "Who are you?!" "Well, I’m soRRy, I did not wanna fRighten you", the face answered with a strong Nordish accent. Whoever it was, he came from very far away...

She looked irritated from dead dog to the mysterious man in the moonlight. "I haven’t asked asked what you wanna or don’t wanna do", Glendora’s voice trembled, but she went on. "What I wanna know is, who the hell are you?!" She looked the man straight into his eyes. She looked at him how he stood right in front of her; the dark look, the short but curly hair, his tall thin body... he did nothing, just letting her look at him. There was something about him she did not know how to handle it; distant and cool, bored, but also very warm, there was something about it taking him near to her heart. "Who in the name of Satan am I?" he began. "My paRents called me theiR end, to loveRs I am the eteRnity, to the suffeRing I am the salvation, to the despaiRed I am the solution. I don’t know who I am to you, it’s up to you to find out, and I’m suRe you will as we go along." "Then you are the Death? The master? The one sending people to paradise, the bad ones to burn in hell?" "No, don’t say any more.." "What do you want from me? I don’t wanna have to do anything with death any more! I’m done with that. I’ll go to paradise, so what for all this mess?! Why him?" she pointed to her dog. "There are so many you or they can take, so why him?!"

"Why the poodle, this innocent animal? Why did the fatheR of four childRen die and not the murdeReR? Like in your movie, I can’t change it, that’s the way things aRe." He answered carefully. "You’ve lost something deaR to your heaRt, and it can’t be my desiRe to tuRn this heaRt to stone. As this dog paRted from you, you left heaven for hell. But if you tRust me and follow me, I’ll show you something. AfteRwaRds, you’ll understand and will be able to find your own answeRes to the questions of life."

"Okay, I trust you." She sighed deeply. "Really? ARe you suRe and Ready to enteR my woRld? Do ya wanna join me in death? This gets closeR to the bone than anything you’ve seen befoRe. It shows you the diRt under the nails of the dark. You know, in constant dying lies the beauty of it all... ARe you Ready?" he asked again. "I am", Glendora said.

Then he took her hand and led her to the wooden gate. "So it was you who had opened the gate?" she wanted to know. "Yeah", he responded. "ConsideR it as a veRy fiRst invitation to join my woRld..."

They walked through the gate, but now the park was gone. It was dark and a young boy hurried towards them. "Your Majesty?" Glendora’s companion nodded. "Do you tRust me? You have to do so if you wanna join my world." "I trust you." and they were tightened together before they continued their journey through eternity leaving the boy behind...

The walked along a wide road into the darkness. After some time they passed a house. Through the window they could make out a mourning family sitting around the bed of their dying aunt. In the other room they saw two lovers still loving one another, but their passion was gone, gone with the years passing by. Silently they sat on the bed facing each other.

"That’s your world? I thought there would be just death? Why do you show me something like that?" Glendora asked confused.

"Well", explained her guide. "There’s many kinda death, ya know? Death does not always mean physical death. Sometimes there dies something in a Relationship or you lose someone dear to your heart. That’s kinda death as well. Therefore you can never say you have done with it because it will accompany you throughout your entire life. Do you know what I mean?" She knew exactly what he meant and nodded deeply moved. "Yes, it’s just, I, I... I haven’t consider things this way, yet. In my world we only think of physical death, but it seems as if there are many differences concerning death, I guess." Glendora thought of Sandy and he nodded. "With love it’s the same. Just think of your collie..." he began.

Glendora frightened. "How did you know I’ve been thinking of him?!" "Not very difficult, to be true, I read your thoughts." "You read my thoughts? You always know what I’m thinking?! But I don’t want that!" she cried. "Hm, call it the dark gift but I can try not to do so." he tried to calm her down again. "No! Let me go! I don’t wannt any more!" she glanced at the belt tightening them together. "I don’t wanna have to do something with the Devil!" she screamed. "But I’m not the Devil!" "Of course you are! The boy called you "your Majesty", you’re the master of this world, you do have the power. And this world just contributes of death!" The belt got more and more loose. "What the hell are you doin‘ there? Stop it!" The starnger grabbed Glendora’s arm and looked deep into her eyes. She could hardly stand the look of his cool green eyes. "Tighten the belt!" he said. "This is the woRld of death, you’Re Right." The accent appeared again. "At the moment only this belt and your Trust hold you to me. Before this journey I’ve asked you if you tRusted me, Right?" Glendora just nodded. "You know how tightened the belt was as you said so, Right?" "Right." "Good, and you felt the same belt getting more and more loose within the last moments, true?" "Yes, but I don’t understand..."

"Listen. The belt depends on your trust to me. If your trust disappears, the belt will get more and more loose and will finally disappear, but that’s a thing that may not happen. There are many dark spheres in in this world. Without the belt, you’d drift away, disappearing within these sheres, never be able to come back and I will probably not be able to find you again. What I’m talking about are the depths of soul, they’re too deep to ever get to the surface again once you’re in. I hope now you understand the importance of this relation. The more you trust me the more the belt will keep us together."

Glendora nodded in fear. "About my collie?"

The long and winding road forked out and they turned left. "Look back, Glendora." She did so and looked back into the past. She saw herself in the park with Sandy throwing sticks to him. It was the last day they had spent together. She could see how he disappeared beyond the bushes - how he got trapped by Santana and the others. She watched them getting him into a big cage and saw how Sandy had become the sacrificial animal of october 13. Glendora tried hard not to scream, just watching the scene while her company began to speak:

"You felt like dead by losing Sandy, but he loved you above all. Everything this dog didwas FOR YOU and he wanted to show you. Sandy determined to leave through heaven or hell if that was where he had to go to love you so as you should be loved. And he really did so. Dashing after the stick, he got caught by the Satanists. He endured all tortures and died in the sacrifice of october 13.

I know how hard losing someone can be, and I’m sure that day something within you has dies as well." He put his arm around her shoulder and went on watching the image. "But don’t you disappear. Sandy’s life has ended but not yours." He looked her deep into the eyes before going on. "In parting from you, this collie has left heaven for hell, believe me. But you never disappointed him. The only thing I can assure you is that Sandy did not blame you for what happened. And whatever had to go thruogh, he did it FOR YOU."

The image faded and Glendora started to cry. She was shattered and grateful. Shattered because of the cruelty, grateful because by now she finally knew how Sandy had spent the last hours of his life. She recalled a moment of the scene she had seen before. One time the dog had turned ist head and it had seemed as if Sandy had faced exactly her, as if he wanted to say: "Give yourself no blame, I do it FOR YOU."

Her company pulled her towards him and comforted her. They started walking again. "Now we’re getting deeper and deeper into my world. Soon you’ll be faced with Good and Evil, and I’m sure you’ll find some more answers."

They walked down the street, straight on, straight, straight, straight on...

There was nothing, nothing but them continuing walking into the void,surrounded by the darkness. The more they walked, the darker seemed everything around them. "Don’t be afraid, as long as I am with you, nobody and nothing can harm you." He noticed Glendora’s fear. "Don’t fear the dark, we’re approaching the daRk yaRd, that’s all." "The dark yard?" she lifted her head. "Yeah, that’s what I call the place. The daRk yaRd reflects the daRkness of man’s heaRt, it’s the souRce of all Evil and the beginning of the daRk spheRes. You’ll get to know moRe about it as we go along." Glendora nodded, she somehow felt a strange security near him.

Nevertheless, she craved for the Good, she had enough of the Evil. "According to your condition you’re longing for some brighter things now, right?" Mr Mysterious asked by reading her thoughts once again. These accent really was amazing, it reminds her of high tide and low tide, it turned up, then disappeared to come back again.

"Sure", she answered. "Tell me something about the eternal paradise. This is the world of death, I wanna know where I’ll get once I’m dead. I wanna search for it." His Majesty closed his eyes and sighed. "The eternal paradis, hm? I never thought to call it like that, you really inspire me. But do you really wanna know it, are you sure?" "I am", Glendora said. "Why? What about it? What‘s the matter? Doesn’t it exist?" "Well", he began slowly. "Of course it exists, but not the way you imagine it to be. It’s just, I don’t wanna frighten or disappoint you." "No, I won‘t be frightened or disappointed, I wanna know the truth, that’s all."

If you wanna get to know paradise, we must reach the next level, we gotta get above." He spread his wings and on dark angel’s wings Glendora reached the plateau. It seemed like a new world, the landscape was different from what she had seen before. The colors were much brighter and more natural. She saw fields, clouds passing by, even some mountains and a small lake. They went downstream. "Is this the eternal paradise? I think I’d like it here." "You’ll see", answered her guide ignoring her question in a special way. They turned around a corner where they recognized a group of people. Glendora wanted to head towards them, but her companion restrained her. "NO! They can’t see us, they don’t know we are here. They are dead, they can’t see anybody who’s still alive." "Oh", she kept watching them. "I guess, I can only see them because I’m in the world of death, hm?" "Exactly." Some were fishing, the other lying lazily in the sun. It was a peaceful atmosphere and they went on. Straight ahead there were some houses, a gulf- yard, some sailing boats and horses in the fields. The image represented the future and Glendora saw her parents sitting on some stones, watching the clouds passing by.

The activities, the boats, the houses, the horses, everything looked deserted. "They seem very bored, though they have all they desire." She recognized, looking to her company. "See? Know what I mean? You may not adapt to waht your parents say, to them it may be right, but to you? You gotta start to make your own choices, people have a different imagination of paradise. And you’re right, they are bored. There is just peace and boredom. Everything remains the same, there’s no change and never will be. Look at the activities. No one uses them. The people have everything they desire but their captured to their own freedom. I often saw people trying to commit sucide." she looked up. "Suicide? They couldn’t stand it any more, hm? But it won’t work." "Right, you get the point. There‘s one thing they always forget to consider: They are already dead. They cannot die again." Glendora smiled. "I think I got it. So, there will be crises here, and it won’t take much time." He nodded. "Course, people are here because they don’t know what paradise really is."

"What paradise really is? Will you explain it to me?" she whispered quite curious. "You’ll see. In course of time you’ll find your own answers, just trust me, okay?" the mysterious stranger turned to her. "Okay", she promised. "But all those things about paradise and hell, are they also part of the dark yard?" she asked while walking down the road. "That’s right, now you’re learning. I’m relieved because I haven’t shown this world to many others before, most people reach it not before they’re dead." Her dark angel drew back his arm, Glendora would have preferred if he had not did so, but he smiled. "This new world you’ve entered,there’s nothing that’s real, that’s what it may seem to you, anyway." He searched for her hand. "Right, surreal but nice. I begin to understand what you’ve always been talking about. I’m about to get the way things are linked up." "Of course you do." He found her hand and grabbed it. "You’re a bright girl, Glendora, that’s why I’ve chosen you. I don’t take everybody to show my world to, ya know?" he said touching her fingertips gently. Now Glendora smiled like an angel. "Come on, I’ll show you something to widen your imagination of paradise."

Suddenly they reached the open sea. "The ocean" Glendora whispered. Their fingers intertwined. Further away they could make out an island. Again she reached her destination on dark angel’s wings. She felt free while gliding across the sea, free like a bird. There was just him and her beneath the waves breaking below. They entered a new eternity and landed onto the top of the tallest tree she had ever seen. The sight was breath- taking: white sands circling a lagoon hidden from the sea, coral gardens and freshwater falls surrounded by jungle. It was as if a giant circle had been cut cut of the island to enclose the lagoon in a wall of rock surrounded by a continous jungle- topped coastline. The lagoon was presumably supplied by underwater caves and channels. The falls dropped into a pool from which a quick- lowing stream ran into the trees. The highest trees were more than equal to the height of their own one.

In this "earthly" seeming paradise a community lived in blissful innocence.

"You wanted to tell me more about paradise. Is this kinda paradise as well?" Glendora asked taken, they sat side to side on a strong branch of the tree watching the island. "Oh yes", came the answer. That’s what it seems. But appearances are deceptive, it’s just an illusion. Do you see the people down there?" Glendora saw a group of people walking across the beach and nodded. "All of them were part of the paradise you’ve seen before, but they escaped from it." "Escaped? Is that possible? Why?" she was a bit confused because of all the new she had learned within the short time she joined the world of death. "They were in the search for the eternal paradise just like you." Glendora looked up and met his eyes. But he went on. "They were not satiesfied with the one this world offers to them. Therefore they planned to found their own one." "Aah" she smiled. "Leaving the usual paths, setting off for a new world, a world they did not know but where they expected the adventure of their life, right?" she guessed. "Hmm", now it was up to her company to nod. "But they failed" he finally continued. "The adventure of their life, it had to wrong. They couldn’t find what they were searching for. Their life had passed already, they were dead. Having the illusion they were able to deplace the Death- given paradise, they deplaced this very paradise to an island. But from the original paradise there did not remain what they were hoping for. They imagined heavenly life on a peaceful island, in a peaceful world ‚till the end of all eternity. But look at the people, look what they’re doing and tell me what you notice!" She turned her look from him down to the island and watched the scene. "I notice they‘re doing nothing, like in their old paradise, they are fishing and lying in the sun." Glendora determined.

"Exactly, nothing has changed. Again they don‘t do nothing at all but organizing food and watching the sea. Besides they have enough time to think about the way things are. Nothing has changed, everything remains the same, that’s eternity. You are dead, there won’t be no changes any more. These people failed. They’re captured to their own freedom." Glendora nodded, she understood. "So they wanted to create their own community to live in a world where is just death. At the moment their living together seems to work, they have realized an utopian society." His Majesty faced her respectfully while going on. "Another illusion. But then the awoke from their childish innocence and noticed they had failed and that personal luck is not connected with paradise. Their dream of paradise collapsed, it is gone, gone with the wind and..." "the place of dreams and illusion is now taken by despair." Glendora finished his sentence. He looked at her something confused. "Hei, these were my words! How did you know I wanted to say exactly the same?" "Not, very difficult, to be true." She used his words from the beginning of their journey. "I read your thoughts." "But I thought you couldn’t do so..." he replied. "Oh, I’m improving..." she smiled. "But as for the people, they feel like in hell, right? Paradise turned into hell." she concluded very impressed.

"Yeah, they were searching for the eternal paradise and found hell. That’s why I showed these things to you. You were so despaired, you had decided to search paradise as well. But I don’t want you to do the same mistake, Glendora." From her point of view she had a good look at the scene on the beach, but she raised her eyes. "Wait, you said these people escaped from the paradise you have showed to me before. This paradise foretold the future coz I’ve seen my parents. Does it mean they will do the same mistake?" He looked down and sighed. "To your parents all hope is gone, they’ve already made their decision, they don’t the bible, they belive n the description of the bible and wanna go there." Suddenly Glendora got the point. "Okay, I see. The description in the bible is just another illusion, another myth. It’s the imagination someone had written down a very long time ago." Her dark angel turned towards her. He did nothing but facing her. His green eyes catching the look of her dark blue. "But people do believe in it!" she speaked imploring to him. "Just take my parents, they believe every word written down in the bible and you know how many people read the bible. This very mistake will be done again and again. Is there nothing one can do about it?" Her eyes searched his, and he had to try hard not to lose himself within them. "Not really. We can only appell to people’s reason. They gotta start thinking on their own instead of parrotting they are told by the church or others." That was clear to her, they were still sitting in the top of the tree and he went on. "That‘s why I don’t want you to adapt to your paRents‘ mind. To them all hope is gone coz they don’t tRy to get theiR own imagination of paRadise, but not to you, NOT TO YOU." His accent revealed itself again. Glendora shattered, his words were sending shivers down her spine, and she was freezing. "I... I, I wanna go back, please."

This time they climbed down the tree. By reaching the sea the major suddenly said: "I don’t wanna fly, the power’s gone, let’s walk." Therefore they crossed the water this way. "The power is gone? You take it from others, right? You’re not able to fly yourself." That was not she had actually expected. They were still walking over the water, then reached the shore again. "About Sandy?" she suddenly asked. "he’s dead, this is the world of death, therefore he should be there, I wanna see him. Where can I find him?" Her companion spun around, his eyes took on a distant expression. "In the dark yard." He hardly moved his lips, to Glendora it seemed as if he just let her read his thoughts, as if they communicated by kinda telepathy. "If you wanna go there, just relax." Everything was silent. An imagined page turned and she read the next lines. "The bad influence, the evil power will pull us towards it, pull us right into the heart of this world, towards the source of the Evil and dark spheres. Your dog has changed, he’ll be different. He’ll not be how how you probably expect him to be." Then he closed the book of thoughts and she could not go on reading.

Glendora shattered, the silence had a spooky effect on her. Her company put his arm around her, and now she relaxed. She felt the power pulling them into the heart of this world, she felt herself being pulled, pulled into the void with the master’s arm resting on her shoulder.

Darkness, trees, different creatures, some threatening and sppoky, others friendly and cute, everything was flashing by. He turned her head right and watched him close. The silvering skin, these lipstick- covered lips once red as wine, his nose, causing a tiny shaddow on his left cheek, and this amazingly green eyes. Every time she looked into them, she had the feeling of diving into other spheres, to lose herself within them, but in a quite positiv way. She felt such a safety near him, staying at his side. He caught her look and his eyes smiled. Glendora touched the hand on her shoulder and felt something soft, quite hairy. She glanced at it and recognized the paw of her collie. She held it tight , so that he was not able to draw it back. "Now I know who gave you the power to fly", she gave him a friendly smile. He said nothing, but his green eyes seemed a bit brighter and grinned. "You got it" they seemed to say. "You are growing more and more like me from moment to moment." "Oh yes", her eyes answered.

Then they were there. They had reached the heart of darkness, found themselves in the dark yard. A strange murmuring, a blowing and whispering was in the air. Glendora and her dark angel were standing in the middle of a black star. Finally His Majesty lifted the paw and circling rays of light showed them the way to their destination area.

From far away they heard a scratching, a terribly snarling and biting, long before they finally faced the hounds of hell.

"They bite each other to death, but they can’t die, therefore they live on in their condition and how they look like when the others have biten them, right?" Glendora supposed at this horrible and threatening sight. Some dogs had already lost half of their tongue in a so- called quarrel and could not bark anymore, just snarl. Some others one or even both their eyes, but they went on living, they were creatures of hell, named by Satan, which could not die.

"RRRight", he stood behind her, putting his arms around her waist. His northern accent was stronger than ever as he whispered into her ear. "It’s impressive. You neaRRRly know this woRRRld as well as me by now. Exactly, they can’t die. But they don’t feel it. This is the aRRRea of the heaRRRtless, they have no feelings. TheiRRR heaRRRts aRRRe buRRRned, gone with the ashes, blown away by the wind. TheiRRR heaRRRts weRRRe cut out in the black mass, remember? These cRRReatuRRRes aRRRe victims of Black Sabbath. They aRRRe RRRotting in theiRRR coRRRpses shells until theiRRR eteRRRnity is oveRRR and a new one FoRRR the next geneRRRation will begin."

Glendora made out Sandy who was facing her with devilish eyes. He was just skin and bones. His left front paw was missing and she saw gaping wounds on his back with various lopes of skin hanging down. Well, he did not feel it, she comforted herself. Her guide was right he had changed somehow. Nevertheless, somehow he had not...

"Yes, he does not feel it", the man with the pale skin whispered by stroking her hair. "The only thing he feels is the lack of a heart" he continued pointing with the paw to Sandy. Immediately Glendora‘s dog had four paws again.

"He is your dark angel, it’s not me. He wanted to show you the world of and gave me his power." Glendora said nothing, and he did not expect a response, not yet. She was just standing there leant against and listening to him. "Though he doesn’t have a heart, he still has a soul. He gave it away to make you reach the spheres. Now I’ve given it back to him. The soul of a dog is a deep dark ocean of secrets and he made it possible for you to cross it. Just think of the water before the island..." Glendora did so, she recalled this very ocean, its depth, the lapping of the waves.

"Though he can’t show it, he has not forgotten you. Within his soul, you’ll always be remembered and loved. Kept as a secret in the dark ocean..."

Glendora whiped away a tear and cleared her throat before she turned round standing face to face with the major of darkness. "He is not really dead" she began touching his cold fingertips. "No?" She took his hand, and it really was his hand this time. Glendora faced him straight. "No, he’s not. In my and my family’s memory he’ll always stay alive. Only when the memory dies, when no one recalls you anymore, then you are really dead."

He winced at these words and glanced questioningly at her. "Yeah? Is that true? ... I haven‘t considered it this way yet." he added by using her words from before and felt deeply moved. "So if his eternity ends before you die or if others remind him still, he can return to another eternity in peace. I guess, there’s much I could learn from you, too. Maybe one day I should join your world."

Suddenly he stumbled, they both fell down because of the belt and he held his breast.

"What’s up? What’s the matter?" Glendora bowed over him and touched his face gently. His icy skin made her skin crawl. "The belt, it’s, it’s...so...tight... I I I can hardly breathe..."

She opened the belt and threw it away. "Hei! What aRRe you doing?" he cried. "It’s not just trust. Love holds me to you and love exists throughout all spheres. It‘s stronger than every belt, stronger than all hate. And the best: it does exist throughout all eternity. No matter if whether you are dead or still alive. If there are 2 lovers, nothing on earth could come between them. Not even a dark yard. The dark yard just represents powers, most of them are bad, evil. But did you ever get to know about the power of love?" Glendora smiled like heaven was down on earth. "You’re looking like an angel fallen from grace", she said softly while helping him up. "Let’s get outta here", he replied, taking her away.

Sandy watched them disappearing in the darkness with a relieved look in his devilish eyes. Maybe everything would turn out well, he thought. By now she was not alone any more.

Glendora and the man from beyond had left the world of death. Now they strolled between the tombs of the earthly graveyard. By now the chapel was dark – deserted.

They sat down onto a bench being two new born lovers surrounded by the beauty of the night.

"So", His Majesty finally said by taking her hand once again and again, their fingers intertwined. "I made my journey through eternity, but of all wonders I have seen, there was none as beautiful as you. So before going back, can I have one last immortal kiss?" shyly he looked down. "No", the girl’s bright eyes burned like fire, he saw tiny flames dancing within them and the dark lapping waves of the ocean... "You can have the first..."

They had waited for so long for this moment to come, were so anxious to be together in death. "Oh, when love and death embrace", he groaned kissing her sweet lips. "What do you feel?" he whispered into her ear. "Paradise", she answered, kissing him again before she caught the look of his lovely green eyes.

"Now I know it is not a place you can look for. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life. You feel fine that moment..." "...at last forever’till the end of your time." He finished the sentence. "Hei, you’ve read my thoughts!" "And? You read mine as well..."

"Anyway, I found out as we went along." She finally said. "What are you talking about?" "Who you are to me. You are my end, my eternity, my salvation and solution, my paradise and future. The reason to stay alive for, the one making this life worth living again."

His green eyes laughed. They were alive again, just the two of them.

Alive... Suddenly took a grave candle outta his black coat. "We have to hurry! Sandy’s eternity, it’s running out. Let’s dig him!"

They hurried towards the trash boxes, took out the corpse and cleaned it from Glendora‘s vomit.

They digged him in the darkest part of the graveyard. As soon as they closed the grave, the candle burnt out. Hand in hand they read the inscription of the grave stone:

"This new world you’ve entered, there’s nothing that’s real

It will be your salvation, so no pain you can feel.

Now your body starts sweating, it starts feeling so cold.

You are a victim of faith and your habit grows old

What you thought you could handle is outta control

And now to the devil you’d sell your own soul.

Black Sabbath and Satan, you started to fly

For Glendora you lived, for her love you have died.

You’ll be always remembered and what will they say?

That was the pride collie that odded today."

"Now he can rest in peace." He said before they walked away.

"Okay, my infernal bad lover, are you ready to join my world? Do you wanna join me in bed tonight? I’m giving you the choice I never had..."

Arm in arm they reached the wooden gate, they entered it and stood right in the park – sunrise.

"Well, I’m sorry, the night’s over now." Glendora grinned.

Thereafter everything was normal. She went to school, her lover worked at the theater as a light technician only known as "Mr. Light" thereafter.

13 days later Glendora’s parents returned from their sailing trip. It was october 26, Glendora’s birthday and she got a new collie.

The dog reminded her of Sandy somehow who was resting in his tomb in the graveyard.

The look of the develish eyes...

In the evening she decided to go to the yard to visit Sandy. By now she had two boys making her life brighter again. Her "light" and the dog.

They crossed the yard. The grave was open... empty, the grave stone overturned. Glendora looked at her boy- friend. "Well, a new a eteRRRRnety began", he started. "He enteRRRRed a new life to be with you again. So take caRRRRe of him..."

His accent was stronger than ever, so northern, it made him seem so far away. Was she really sure she knew this man?

"He did resurrection, hm?" she guessed. "RRRResuRRRRection, oh yeah." He nodded. "Don’t be afRRRRaid, it happens to us all." He really came from far away.

Glenora bent down and touched her collie’s breast.

"Resurrection, you’re right. I can’t feel the beating of a heart..."

THE END

Back