Piper was the something that was underneath the unmoving man. Her foot was slightly askew and she didn’t move at all.
I swallowed.
My plan had clearly worked.
She was crushed.
Job complete.
“Marshmallow -
spongy confection made of gelatin and sugar and corn syrup and dusted with powdered sugar.”
Piper
It all happened so fast. One minute I was standing in the Ice Museum admiring the ice daisy and then the next there was this sound and I was being pushed onto the ground and something heavy was coming down on top of me.
I couldn’t see what was happening, but from my position on the floor I heard the commotion and worried yells. It was hard to breathe; the weight pressing in on me was suffocating and I felt panic begin to build within my chest.
I tried to push myself up, but my arms were shaking and I couldn’t. I wiggled my foot, trying to find a place to dig my toes into the floor, to help push me up.
A low groan filled my ears and I stilled. The mass on top of me was a person. Most likely a man. And he sounded hurt.
Dex!
“Dex,” I said, my voice muffled and I lifted my head to try to say his name louder.
I heard some crunching ice behind me and then blissfully, the weight was lifted and I could draw in a deep breath.
“Piper, oh my God, are you all right?” Dex said as he grabbed me by the elbow and hauled me to my feet.
I swayed a little, trying to get my bearings.
“Yes, I think so. What happened?”
“You didn’t see?” he asked, studying my face.
I shook my head. “It happened so fast.”
“The chandelier on the ceiling… it fell. The sculptor over there had an accident with his ladder.” His face was a mix of emotions ranging from relief to fear. And maybe something else I couldn’t quite identify. Before I could think more about it, he continued. “That man must’ve fallen on top of you. Probably saved your life.”
I looked down at the man still unconscious on the floor and gasped. I bent beside him and felt for his pulse. It was strong and I let out a relieved breath. I couldn’t take it if anyone else died for me.
“Sir!” I yelled, shaking his shoulder. “Sir, please wake up.”
A few moments later his eyes fluttered open and he looked at me.
I smiled. “There was an accident, but you’re okay,” I told him.
He sat up and put a hand to his head. “Damn chandelier almost crushed us! I pushed you out of the way. Are you hurt?”
“No. I’m fine, thanks to you.”
He grunted. “That’s good.” Then he pushed himself to his feet. He was dressed in a heavy flannel shirt and snow pants with boots. He had a knit hat pulled low over his eyes and thick gloves covering his fingers.
“Oh, please be careful. You might have a concussion.” I reached out to steady his arm.
“I’ve been through worse,” he said, then looked at Dex, who was watching us. “This your boyfriend?”
“Uh, no,” I replied, glancing at Dex. “We’re just friends.”
The man snorted. “Well, where were you when the giant piece of ice almost crushed your
friend
?”
Dex cleared his throat and looked at me. “I wandered over there.” He gestured to the other side of the room. “To look at another sculpture a few feet away. I never should have walked away.”
“You couldn’t have known that thing was going to fall!” I insisted.
Dex didn’t say anything; he just looked around at the mess of shattered ice.
Movement at the door caused me to look and I saw a few EMTs coming in the door.
“You should go get your head looked at. Just to be sure you’re okay,” I told the man.
He nodded.
“I can come with you,” I offered.
“No, that’s not necessary. I’ll be fine.”
I hesitated, not really wanting to leave him, but then a small woman in a heavy coat came rushing over and took the man’s arm.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you! I heard the sound from the other room and then I couldn’t find you…” Her voice faded away as she looked him over.
He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. “Now you know ain’t nothing going to hurt this hard head of mine.”
The woman looked at Dex and me standing so close beside them.
I smiled at her. “He pushed me out of the way of the chandelier when it fell. He’s a hero.”
She smiled. “I’m glad no one was hurt.”
“Well, he needs to have his head looked at,” I told her.
She nodded knowingly. “I’ll make sure he does.”
He began to refuse, but she wasn’t having any of it and dragged him off toward the EMTs.
Dex grabbed my shoulders and spun me to look at him. “Are you really okay?” he asked.
“Yes, really.”
He nodded and then put his arm around my shoulder and turned us toward the exit that was being flooded with people. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Once outside, we didn’t stop walking; we just kept walking until we arrived back at the little cabin. I was taking my coat off when Dex spoke behind me.
“I’m really sorry.” His voice sounded heavy.
I turned, coat in my hands. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known that was going to happen.”
He frowned at my words and I realized he was more upset about the accident than I thought. I hesitated, not knowing what to do. I thought about hugging him, but I wasn’t sure if he’d like that—or if pressing my body against his would trigger another vision. I had enough of my visions lately to last me a long time. I decided against hugging him, instead setting down my coat and heading toward the kitchen.
“How about some hot chocolate?”
“Only if you put marshmallows in it,” he said, his voice back to normal.
I smiled. “Can’t have hot chocolate without marshmallows.”
Marshmallows always do the trick.
“Aurora borealis -
an atmospheric phenomenon consisting of bands of light caused by charged solar particles following the earth's magnetic lines of force.”
Dex
The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, are naturally occurring lights that can be seen on clear nights in some parts of Alaska. Here, at Chena Hot Springs Resort, they are a huge attraction. When Piper suggested we go and see if they would light up the sky tonight, I jumped at the chance because it was preferable to being alone in the cabin with her.
We made our way to the vast clearing where people gathered in hopes of seeing them, both of us dressed in countless layers because it had to be at least minus twenty degrees. But it was a crystal-clear night and when we arrived, there was already a crowd of people hoping to catch a glimpse of the light show.
Piper and I found a place amongst the people and lay down with our backs against the hard packed snow. I didn’t look at her, but instead looked up at the darkened sky and watched as my breath came out in white puffs and then floated upward until it disappeared.
“Do you think we’ll see them?” Piper asked hopefully, and I glanced in her direction.
She was smiling, looking up at the night sky, waiting for something spectacular to happen. You wouldn’t know by looking at her that just a few hours ago someone tried to kill her.
That I tried to kill her.
I was still feeling a little… confused since this morning, but she seemed to put it out of her mind. I guess I should be thankful for that.
In some ways I wished it would’ve worked today. That any of my plans to kill her had worked. Because then it would be over and maybe I wouldn’t feel so mystified by my own feelings.
I closed my eyes off to everything and took a breath of cold air. I don’t know how long I lay there with my eyes closed, but they opened when I heard her gasp. Ribbons of color were lighting up the night. Long bursts of brilliant color shimmered across the sky, creating curtains of green and yellow.
“Oh look, Dex,” Piper said, reaching out and laying her hand on my arm. Her voice was hushed as if the view was so spectacular her words might disrupt it.
I turned my head to watch her. She was completely enthralled by the lights, and the colors of the sky reflected onto her skin, giving her a neon glow.
She was so beautiful.
How could you hurt something so beautiful?
a part of me asked myself, and in that moment I wouldn’t have been able to come up with the answer to save my life.
“Dex?” Piper turned her head to look at me. “You’re missing it!” she said, her hand tightening on my arm.
“No, I’m not missing anything,” I replied, my voice the same hushed tone as hers.
She smiled and even though it was dark, I saw her eyes soften. The pull between us was so great in that moment I felt like I was in the sky and the ribbons of light were what stretched between us, shimmering and dancing, holding us together, yet still keeping us apart.
“You know,” Piper began, tilting her head back toward the sky, “the guide book in the cabin said there’s a legend saying some people believe the lights are actually flaming torches carried by departed souls who guide travelers into the afterlife.”
I liked that. I looked back up at the sky at the twisting and turning patterns of color and I thought how they reminded me of the way I looked without a body. I was nothing but color without form, a mist that floated in the air. I wasn’t green or yellow, but my color had been neon and vibrant. When I died, where was my guide? Maybe if someone would’ve been there to show me the way, I wouldn’t have ended up working for the Grim Reaper.
I looked back at Piper and realized that maybe where I was now wasn’t so bad.
“So what do you think?” I asked her. “About the legend?”
“I don’t know what to think,” she said, her gaze colliding with mine.
From the tone of her voice I knew we were no longer talking about the northern lights and the legends behind it. We were talking about something else. Something deeper.
“Can you feel it?” she asked, turning her body so she was lying on her side in the snow, facing me. Her hand released my arm so she could bring it up to pillow beneath her cheek.
“Feel what?”
“There’s something between us, but I don’t know what it is.”
“Maybe you think I’m hot,” I said, flashing a grin.
She burst out laughing, disrupting the quiet of the night. She broke it off abruptly but continued to giggle lightly. “It’s those glasses. Men with glasses are hot.”
“You knocking my glasses?” I asked, smiling.
“No!” She gasped. “I was telling the truth.”