I stood in Cherry Haven Cemetery on a vibrant green rolling hill, underneath a blooming cherry tree. Hence the name of the cemetery. It was really a beautiful place. All the plots and marking tombstones were treated with the the most respect and dignity. There were certainly a lot of plots in this particular park. Mine was merely one of them.
I reread the inscription on the smooth black-gray-white specked marble tombstone for what seemed like the umpteenth time. The words started making no sense to me whatsoever:
SAMANTHA MEI WU
AUGUST 31 1982 - JANUARY 1 2000
BELOVED DAUGHTER
HER SPIRIT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN
"DESTINY SHALL TAKE IT'S TOLL"
It really seemed weird reading my mortal name. I had just about forgotten it ever existed. Once I finished here, it would just be dust floating harmlessly in the wind, or so to say. I smiled. It seemed appropriate that they'd take the quote from the Ouija board and place it on my tombstone. I remember when I first saw the message, how it confused everyone, mostly me. Now, it seemed to be the motto of the life I lived now. Destiny DID take it's toll, no stopping it.
A light breeze blew through the pink blossoms on the cherry tree and bent the grass beneath the ground where I hovered. I imagined being able to smell the fragrant air from the blossoms, imagined feeling the wind blow through my hair and embrace me. I traced my finger over the letters of my name on the marble and imagined feeling the etched markings and wiping the dust that had gathered in the letters. I sighed and shook my head. These emotions were becoming frequent. I felt ready to cry, but I knew I had to finish this now.
I waved my hand over my name and it vanished. The marble reflected the sun overhead where my name had once been. I waved my hand over the date, description and quote and they, too, disappeared. The marble was empty. Then the tombstone itself faded away. Faded away, memories, life, dreams, goals, all faded away.
I looked down at the freshly upturned Earth. It had been a month since my burial. My mom had known how much I loved cherry trees, warm weather and being close to the ocean. So, she had agreed to have my body be buried in Cherry Haven underneath a cherry tree, in Florida, on a hill that overlooked the sparkling diamond of the Pacific. This was also close to where Alex lived. I noticed a small spider crawling over the mound of earth. I knew that by now, at least a few earthworms, spiders and the such had already taken use of my corpse. I wonder what would happen to the spider after I took care of my very own body that lay six feet beneath me. Oh, well. I floated along the distance across the mound and with a slight shimmer in the air, it disappeared. Just like everything else. The spider was left to crawl the grass.
There had never been a grave that occupied the hill underneath the cherry tree that overlooked the Pacific diamond, in Cherry Haven Cemetery, Florida. I let myself fall horizontal as if I were lying down on air. I looked up at the swaying leaves and blossoms of the cherry tree and at the sun above it. The sun, of course, didn't hurt my eyes. I remembered back to what I knew about the Greek god Apollo and how he was associated with the sun. I could almost see the Great Apollo riding his chariot with the sun tolling behind him. I wondered if I would ever get to meet him and worship at his feet. I watched as a single cherry blossom petal fell from the tree and through my stomach with no trouble falling to the ground. I dozed off slightly.
"It's a beautiful creation, isn't it?"
I shot up awake. Who knew I was there, who would be able to see me?!
"Who's there?!" I called without turning around.
"I'm sorry to have startled you. My name is Gerald Richardson." Said the voice. I looked up in stunned awe and slowly turned around.
"You-you're Kevin's father." I breathed.
"Oh, you've heard of me. Saves me having to introduce myself. Yeah, I'm Kevin's dad. I was talking about the cherry tree. Isn't it a glorious creation?" He asked. The spirit of Kevin's deceased father moved closer to the tree where I was. I glanced back up at the pink blossoms.
"It's wonderful. I used to love cherries so much when I was alive."
"What's stopping you now?" He asked. I looked up at him uncertainly.
"I'm dead. That's what stopping me." I said, lowering my head.
"Oh, no. One of the things I'm here to talk to you about. Death won't stop you. You've found that you can still communicate with the living. Through dreams and different devices. You can still do everything you've been wanting to do. Visit where you want to visit. It's cheaper this way, too." He smiled. I chuckled.
"So, I'm able to still go and do what I wanted to do when I was alive?" I asked.
"Of course you can. What did you really want to do?"
"I've always been fascinated with Greece. I wanted to visit Greece and explore the ruins. I wanted to visit Egypt and go through the pyramids. I wanted to visit Salem, Massachusetts. That place has such a powerful history. I wanted to try and find Ambrosia.....Wait! Why am I talking in the past? It's not 'I wanted to visit', it should be "I want to visit.'"
"That's right. Nothing's stopping you from doing so."
"But why, Mr. Richardson, did you have any reason to want to speak to me?" I asked.
"The Raven asked me to talk to you. About your future and obligations." He answered. I smiled.
"Finally! The Raven's been keeping me in the shadows far too long. I've been itching to know. What did it tell you, Mr. Richardson?" I asked eagerly.
"It told me, that yes. you are destined to be Alex McLean's Guardian Angel. That's only a part of your future."
"I was worried before that when my mouth went before I could catch my words while I was talking to him in his dream that I was making a grave mistake. But I guess I said the right thing."
"Right, you did. You know the rules of Guardian Angels?"
"I'm only to guide and subliminally direct him, never interfere. If he's in trouble, and it's obviously not his fault, I can hint him ideas on how to get him out. He can call on me for help, and I am free to oblige. But not directly. There are a lot of rules. I believe I understand."
"Good, you know. So, that's one of what you have to do. Now, are you familiar with the Greek term muse?" He asked.
"A muse is Greek for the Goddesses of Inspiration. There are nine of them. Their parents are the Great God Zeus and Mnemosyne, the Goddess of Memory. They lived on Mnt. Olympus under the rule of Apollo, their leader. They were Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry; Clio, Muse of History; Erato, Muse of Erotic Poetry and Mime; Euterpe, Muse of Lyric Poetry and Music, Melpomeme, Muse of Tragic Drama; Polyhymnia, Muse of Sacred Singing; Terpsichore, Muse of Choral Dancing; Thalia; Muse of Comedic Drama; and Uramia, Muse of Astronomy. They were praised and honored because of their great talent with creating original ideas for songs, poetry, stories and the such. They were also known to travel back to the mortal world and whisper these ideas into struggling authors, writers, those with an exceptional creative edge that were dedicated to their creativework. These ideas would become the seed of inspiration for the subject to use. I read all about Muses. It's a miraculous concept and they should be truly acclaimed for their talent, work and dedication to the mortal race." I explained.
"That's right, you know your information. But, do you realize that Muses still exist? That's where the great creators of this world get their ideas are from muses. They have decided that they will wander the world whispering their ideas into the minds of struggling artists of all sorts for the rest of eternity. Did you also know, that History is forever changing and altering. There is about to be a Tenth Muse, Mnemosyne can adopt, so to say. As planned, the Tenth Muse is Amarantha, Muse of Long Dramatic Story, storywriting and storytelling. But, of course, it is still completely your decision. You, and only you, are to choose if you would like to have this future. If your decision is yes, then all you have to do is notify the Raven and it will contact Mnemosyne who already promised that she will lovingly take you in as a 'step-daughter', the Muses will take you in as their 'step-sister' and the History books will change. Clio will make sure of it and the world won't miss a beat. The Raven will show you the way and you will remain to wander the Earth spreading your inspirational seeds. If you choose no, then the Raven will allow you to cross over to the Summerland. And you will be free to do as you please on the other side. There are both ups and downs to either decision, but it's all up to you to decide alone. Whichever you choose, it would have been already decided by the Three Fates who map out everyone's life line by woven thread and everyone's destiny beginning from birth. Destiny shall take it's toll." Mr. Richardson said.
"I understand and I will take the time alone to ponder the given and reach a decision." I smiled. "That phrase keeps coming back to me. 'Destiny shall take it's toll' It's been coming up ever since it mysteriously appeared with the Ouija board. Speaking of mysteries, that fortune teller that disappeared was right, I realize that now. About everything. Prophecy foretold. She told me that I would soon face death, and that came true. She also told me that I would have a chance to talk to you, now that's come true as well."
"Did the Raven not tell you? It was the message on the Ouija, it was the fortune teller. See, the Raven was with you, watching over you ever since your birth. And only recently, did it make itself known to you. You may not have known. But your subconscious, the mind you have with you now, has always known that that was the Raven telling you that your time would soon come. The fact that you are now given the chance to become a muse is all within you. It was decided long before you were born that a specific young child, a girl with an exceptional gift for stories, would be the one to enter the immortal world soon after the ripe age of 16 to become a Muse. That one girl would be The Chosen One. And, of course, you realize that that Chosen One is you."
"It was the Raven all along. I wonder why it never told me."
"The Raven asked me to tell you. It wasn't only by coincidence that you ended up meeting my son, my nephew and his friends, that was also predetermined. It's predetermined that you will end up helping them immensely in mortal and immortal form to great lengths."
"Speaking of the Backstreet Boys. I assume that you have been watching over your son ever since....ever since....you know." I said, not being able to say what was exactly on my mind.
"Ever since I died, I have. Him and his cousin plus his friends."
"You must be ever so proud. They've achieved so much. Many young people look up to them as role models."
"I have the best son in the entire world. I'm overly proud. I know exactly what they have done with their career and what they will do and I highly approve of it all, a bright and successful future for them. I know."
"If only Kevin and Brian knew how proud you are of them." I said.
"They have an idea. Maybe you could tell them for me." He said.
"I bet they'd much rather hear it from you. You should visit them in their dreams." I said.
"Maybe I will, maybe I will......" He said.
Mr. Richardson bid me farewell and I was left in the sunny cemetery with the vacant spot on the grass. I was glad that there was no one in the cemetery the duration of the time I was there. Not that anyone would have seen me, but I wanted to be alone completely to collect my thoughts. I lay back on the grass itself, in the exact place my grave had been. I fell into a deep immortal meditation and waited.
Waited for my decision to be known.
