Glimpses of What Had Been

When someone touches you, what do you feel?

Does your skin turn cold and your hair stand on its ends? Do you withdraw yourself by the repugnant touch or do you stay to feel every tiny millimeter of the skin touching?

I guess for me it was a mix of those and some.

When the blind seer touched my hand, it felt cold to the touch. His palm was lifeless and the icy sensation almost felt like it bit me.

Suddenly, there was a pulse of electric energy that traveled from me to him. Or him to me, I don't know. I felt nauseous, like my world spun around in circles of flashing lights and happy tunes.

And then suddenly, the cold feeling switched into a burning sensation. My hand felt like it would blister any moment but I had no strength to pull back.

The boy fixed his stare at me.

Or at least I thought he did. I couldn't see anything behind the sunglasses he wore and I could have sworn he winked at me. The child was as peculiar as Juno was.

Now that I have looked into him more, I realized he had actually worn something like a full-body jumpsuit. His hair was a beautiful dark brown that melted in waves of shoulder-length locks.

He smiled at me and the heat of his skin gradually turned into a tolerable warm squeeze. At first, I wanted to get my hands away from him but he held on to me as if it was the last thing he would ever do.

"Don't break the bond, Elizabeth." He said to me as he put his left hand over mine.

I blinked and the next thing I knew I had traveled back to the same time and place I died.

Shalem had started to gather into the plaza where five stakes were prepared in a row. Dry woods and other combustible materials were stacked at the bottom and at the center, a huge pole stood erect.

It loomed like an inevitable omen of death.

A tomb to those prosecuted for their 'evil' deeds.

I saw myself being dragged and tied to the pole at the center. The others came as well and we all looked the same despite our differences of stature.

We were in shambles and there was no hope left to our eyes as imminent death was sung by the jeers of the crowd. Alice was at the far end whereas Sussanah and Rebecca was on either side of me.

I didn't notice it before, but apparently there had been a fifth 'witch' that was dragged and tied to the other end of the death row.

A tall guy in gentleman's clothing approached the crowds. He swam in the sea of people to get closer upfront, not wanting to miss the chance and see how these women will die for their crimes against Shalem.

The prosecutors lit us up one by one and flames slowly erupted as the gasoline fed its hungry soul.

The night was young and the stars danced in the heavens to celebrate the moon's arrival. It was so breathtaking and yet down below, hell raged.

"I see now that your life didn't end as beautifully as you are." A man's voice said beside me. I felt the hand that held me loosen its grip and I swerved my head to see a young man in his late twenties.

He was wearing sunglasses same as the boy that I met in the casino and I immediately knew him as the same person. He had also worn the same jumpsuit but now it was shabby and faded like it had been stained and washed thousands of times.

I looked back into the burning in the plaza to see how one by one the women started to cry out in pain and anguish. I saw myself tied up and choking from the fumes.

And then there he was, William.

I clenched my teeth and put my right foot forward as I prepared to run towards him. I wanted to grab him by the neck and wring the life out of him.

My blood boiled at the sight of his fake tears.

But before I could even move another inch, strong hands grabbed my arm and pulled me backwards. I fumbled to regain my balance and when I blinked, the scene had already changed.

We were at the prison cells, the women all huddled together to tell tales of how they lives used to be before. The sound of keys made their skin crawl and they all scrambled to the far ends of the confinement.

It was Mr. Bernards with Katarina and the prosecutor.

The jail guard accompanied them to see what I had become after the trials. My face was full of bruises, my hair and dress an utter mess.

"How long till the execution?" Mr. Bernards asked the prosecutor.

"In about four days from now, Sir." The plump man replied. Katarina's eyes were on me and I saw how she had snickered at my disheveled situation.

"Why?" I asked the blind seer. He had been silent all this time.

He walked away lazily on the opposite direction and I followed him. He opened a door and as we stepped into the exit, we found ourselves inside what looked like a bedroom.

The chamber was dimly lit, the only light that illuminated the space was at the bedside. Someone was fast asleep and I approached gingerly.

The blankets were fine silk and I could trace the shape of the body it had wrapped into slumber. Tall and broad, the head had jet black locks that sprawled into the pillows beautifully.

I made my way around to see if my hunches were right. And I gasped as I saw the familiar contours of a man's face. He was fast asleep and had held a tiny piece of cloth close to his heart.

My kerchief.

"William Simeon Bernards." The blind seer spoke.

He did not need to say it out loud.

I'd know William even if he was covered all over.