The Photograph
Meet Lucy, the 7-year-old fairy, with a dad who was her superhero, her mama (as she called her) her guardian angel, and Lucian, his twin, her partner in crime. This was a small happy Robinson family. Loved by everyone, ill-spoken by none. So, the incident is about the 21st July 2011, the day of their most awaited trip, a trek to the Eagle Point. So happy were they all, for it was their first outing after Lucy’s super dad’s 2-year long deployment to Kandahar. But, as the fate may have it, it was the last time they were this happy, or should I say happy at all, for the wretched day left a hole in the family so deep, so large, that the day cost them their little fairy, to the currents of the great river.
23rd July: the second page of The Tribunal read:
“Girl still missing after drifting in the river currents, presumed dead.”
And days passed, so did a month, and another one after that, and another. School held the memorial for the young lady, the town church held one for her soul to be delivered to heaven.
Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Robinsons were not at any on them, neither did they hold any funeral. For them, Lucy was still alive, since the body was never found. The family, just as that little fairy, drifted away, away from the neighbors, away from the church, away from everyone and anyone who held them dear. Away and apart from each other, no one talked now, just the daily chores done, food served, laundry done and all. But the strange thing was every day, every time 4 plates were served, though only a single child was there for school, still fees for 2 was transferred to the school account, not 3 but 4 beds were made. They failed to accept that she was gone. They talked and acted as if she was still with them. They were now deemed mad by their neighbors. Still, they carried on. A whole year passed, again came 21st July, this time now the family decided to go again to that Eagle Point, 4 lunches were packed. Just like before at the banks of the river, they took a photograph.
And so it happened, the girl appeared in the photo. That was the beginning of another round of hell for the Robinsons. The blotted, scarred face of the girl, the girl once so pretty, now in the photograph filled them with horror, their emotional despair opened a channel to the NOTHINGNESS, from where the scarred soul now came and latched on their back. After they went home, cries and shrieks were heard by them all, the 4th plate now moved and began to empty when no one was watching, the 4th bed was wrinkled in the morning, any animal passing across the house died soon after. The family house was now considered haunted, the family now under fright all the time, though worried for each yet scarred for life, said nothing at all, the father, the mother, the son, 3 strangers under a roof, with one malevolent spirit they once called Lucy. They had bad dreams, lashes on their back, marks on their skin, and worms in their food, yet couldn’t get themselves to call for help.
The mama was the first one to break completely, the first one to be taken hostage by the ghost of the girl, one night she sat in a corner with that photograph in her hand, and started scratching words on it, the morning she called out the first time to her family, read them a letter she had written unknowingly.
“Mama, dada, dear brother, for all the horrors I have incurred, please forgive me.
To make contact with the loved one gently is not the luxury of a scarred soul. For too long, you have tormented yourselves with my death and held me anchored with your emotional distress. I had to make contact for that I had to break the barrier and enter into the physical form. So, all my touches, all my cries resulted in lashes, marks on your body, and ghastly shrieks in the house. Yet, it was better than the life long suffering you would have burdened yourself with, illusioning yourself with me being alive. Mama as your daughter, I had entered into your body, to pass on the message to the living, to deliver my last wish, to set you free. For only if you let go, only then you will live in peace and I will move on, and have my soul freed to be passed on to the next life.
In life and so in death, your Lucy, your little fairy ☺ ”
So the mama read it aloud to her family, the family who realized their torment was outreach by their little girl, knowing that their little girl can now be free to move on once they let go, that their pain and grief would only bring pain to their daughter.
And so the funeral was held at the bank of that river, not with tears in their eyes, but with a smile on their faces, the photograph was taken. The father, the son, the mother were there, embracing each other smiling at each other, but there was one more thing, a fading face with a heavenly shine and a smile, that can end wars, fading into oblivion. And so the family knew peace again, knew happiness again, and so did their daughter who, in the next life opened her eyes to a similar happy family just around the street.
“Girl still missing after drifting in the river currents, presumably dead.”
And days passed, so did a month, and another one after that, and another. School held the memorial for the young lady, the town church held one for her soul to be delivered to heaven.
Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Robinsons were not at any on them, neither did they hold any funeral. For them, no body meant Lucy was still alive. The family, just as that little fairy, drifted away, away from the neighbours, away from the church, away from everyone and anyone who held them dear. Away and apart from each other, no one talked now, just the daily chores done, food served, laundry done and all. But the strange thing was every day, every time 4 plates were served, though only a single child was there for school, still fees for 2 was transferred to school account, not 3 but 4 beds were made. They failed to accept that she was gone. They talked as if she were there, acted as if she were there. Anyone who came to console them met only with abuses and hostility. They were now deemed mad by their neighbours and everyone broke contact with them. They carried on. A whole year passed, again came 21st July. The date of their traditional trek. So the Robinsons decided to go again to that wretched Eagle Point, 4 lunches were packed. There was no joy, no expression, but however only a wish to carry on their lives as before. Just like before at the coast of river they took a photograph.
And so it happened, Lucy appeared in the photo. That was the beginning of another round of hell for the Robinsons. The blotted, scarred face of the girl, the girl once so pretty, now in the photograph filled them with horror, their emotional despair opened a channel to the NOTHINGNESS, from where the scarred soul now came and latched on their back. After they went home, strange activities started taking place. Cries and shrieks were heard by them all, the 4th plate now moved and the food disappeared when no one was watching, the 4th bed was wrinkled in the morning, any animal passing across the house died soon after. The family house was now considered haunted, the family now under fright all the time, though worried for each yet scarred for life. Unimaginable fear got hold of them, even then they said nothing at all to each other, the father, the mother, the son, and 3 strangers lived under the roof, and with one malevolent spirit they once called Lucy. They had bad dreams, lashes on their back, marks on their skin, and worms in their food, yet couldn’t get themselves to call for help. Even their shouts for help were not paid any attention by anyone for they were considered mad.
As the depression and hysteria grew more and more, the family members felt inclination to commit suicide. The fact that their little princess was now dead, moreover a malevolent spirit, seemed a good enough reason for them to end their lives. They had had hoped for a long time that the spirit of Lucy will start showing some tinge of her old mortal self, but no, it had only gone worse. And so after all this time their will to live started to wither away.
{The realm of the dead,
Lucy’s spirit was lingering at the place of her death, the river bank, for over a year. She had had the calling from the next life for a while now, to move on, however there was something that anchored her to her old life and she knew what it was. She knew it was her family that was unable to let go due to her sudden death. There was no way to make contact. But then the Robinsons came back and brought with them, the emotional distress, and their desire to reach Lucy that opened a rift for her to manifest in this world. She tried talking to them but they couldn’t listen, she touched them but it bruised them (after all, she was but an unrested spirit). She knew the pain she was causing, but knew that if she truly wanted to make contact it would be only through a person who has been broken emotionally and mentally.
And so began Lucy’s ordeal, her ironic journey, to break her family, to hurt them just to set them and her free. She knew she had to pass on to them the message of her death, and the torment she was in only because of the fact that her family, itself tormented itself with the false, excruciatingly painful hope that she was still alive.
So, first they had to break.
It was the only way, all of them could be set free.
Hence, every contact she made, even a gentle one passed a lash, a scar, a nightmare on to the family she loved with all her heart.
}
The mama was the first one to break completely, the first one to be taken hostage by the ghost of the girl, one night she sat in a corner with that photograph in her hand, and started scratching words on it, the morning she called out the first time to her family, read them a letter she had written unknowingly.
“Mama, dada, dear brother, for all the horrors I have incurred, please forgive me.
To make contact to the loved one gently is not the luxury of a scarred soul. For too long, you have tormented yourselves with my death, and held me anchored with your emotional distress. I had to make contact for that I had to break the barrier and enter into the physical form. So, all my touches, all my cries resulted in lashes, marks on your body, and ghastly shrieks in the house. Yet, it was better than the life long suffering you would have burdened yourself with, illusioning yourself with me being alive. Mama as your daughter, I had entered into your body, to pass on the message to the living, to deliver my last wish, to set you free. For only if you let go, only then you will live in peace and I will move on, and have my soul freed to be passed on to the next life.
In life and so in death, you’re Lucy, your little fairy J ”
So the mama read it loud to her family, the family who now saw their torment as an outreach by their little girl, knew that their little girl can now be free to move on once they let go, that their pain will only bring their fairy pain.
And so the funeral was held at the coast of Alstom not with tears in their eyes, but with smile on their faces, the photograph was taken, the father, the son, the mother were their embracing each other smiling at each other, but there was one more thing, a fading face with a heavenly shine and a smile, that can end wars, fading into oblivion. And so the family knew peace again, so they knew happiness again, and so did their daughter who, in the next life opened her eyes to a similar happy family just around the street.
