Soul Wipe by Tahira Iqbal

PRESENT DAY

Surrounded by familiar furniture, fabrics, possessions, in a house that she knew she had sold over 2 years ago, Cassidy sat. Curled up on her favourite chair in the living room, yet her hands over her ears. It had been talking to her throughout the night. Not pausing for breath, it spoke.

It told her stories about its arrival to Earth, its connection to her. It continued even when she had begged it to stop. But it carried on, leading, charging forwards with its tale, now it talked about Jaxon.

Jaxon had died, she thought, he had died. 2 years ago. She had organised his funeral, chosen the songs, even his outfit. Along with his devastated family, she had stood by the graveside, until earth covered the coffin. 2 years ago.

She had been injured terribly in the accident, and her recovery long. Broken bones, bruised and mentally effaced, Cassidy had endured months of therapy. But losing Jaxon had hurt more.

And here… She was sitting, in her house, with her husband. As if they had gone back in time. Something she knew wasn’t true. Copious checking of all the calendars she could find had told her that time hadn’t changed. She dare not question it, even if it was a dream, then she didn’t want it end. She was with him again.

But her heart pumped a warning. This wasn’t real. And it was responsible for it.

She got up, weary bones clicking with effort. She had been sitting there since midnight. It was now 3am. Jaxon was in bed, and with all the strength that she had in the body, she had left him sleeping.

Cassidy wrung her hands, exhausted and with no more tears to cry. She had endured hours of ramblings. She was perfectly sane, this thing inside her? Insane. And talking nonsense.

“Nonsense?” Said the voice, “I am the star, nonsense isn’t something that I’m familiar with,”

Stifling a sob, she wandered through to the kitchen, getting a glass of water. Drawn and oh so tired, she sat on the bar stool, the star still twittering away inside of her.

“I brought Jaxon home to you,”
She gripped the glass tight.
“I brought him home,” The star said, “For you,”
Cassidy forced herself to reply, feeling the star’s agitation,
“How can someone come back from the dead?”
Irrepressible butterflies in her stomach told her that the star was smiling.
“What makes you think he was dead?”

At that point, Cassidy put the glass down and ran all the way upstairs. Jumping into bed, she snuggled as close to Jaxon as she could. Pulling the covers over her head, she sang. And she sang to herself until the star’s voice disappeared.

* * *

Jaxon had taken some time off work to care for her, so together they sat eating breakfast in their sunny kitchen.

Staring off out the window, Cassidy gazed at some far off point. The star hadn’t spoken to her since dawn. It had informed her that it would only speak to her during the hours of night. Some respite she thought. She rubbed her temples, her insides throbbing. When the star got angry at her, her innards would beat at the sound of its voice.

“Honey?” Jaxon touched her hand, “More tea?”
She shook her head no, watching as he stood up and went to make another cup.

Unable to help herself, she followed him, and curled her arms around him as she stood. Closing her eyes, she just breathed him in.

He laughed gently,
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I am now,” And smiling a real smile, she parted from him and sat back down. The doorbell was ringing, so Jaxon went to answer it.

On his return, he was carrying a large bouquet of flowers.
“It’s for you,” He said, handing her the small envelope that was tacked onto the clear wrapping.

Opening it as Jaxon placed the flowers on the table, Cassidy felt suddenly warm and happy. And even more so when she read the card.
“Who are they from?” Jaxon said, “And note to self, get wife flowers!”
Cassidy laughed,
“They are from Joel, wishing me a speedy recovery,”
Jaxon’s smiled faded.
“What?”
“They are from Joel,” She said, mentally recalling that the last time she spoke to him had been at the hospital. He had told her all about the star, the landing, and the world going mad to find it. Suddenly she was worried… Would people be looking for her…?

The card was snatched from her hand, making her jump.
“Jaxon?”
“What is this…?” He stared at the card, then the flowers, “This is a sick joke!”
“It’s just Joel being thoughtful!”

Jaxon looked at her as if she was mad. And the stare caused her to break out into a cold sweat.
“Have you… Are you…” Jaxon managed.
He put the card down,
“Joel’s been dead 2 years, this is someone’s idea of a sick joke,”

* * *

As Jaxon called the florist, Cassidy used her mobile to call Joel. This was wrong. Joel wasn’t dead!

She had scrolled through her entire mobile phone directory… There wasn’t an entry listed for Joel. Forcing herself not panic, she went to her call directory. He had been her last call, that night. When the star had arrived on Earth.

Stopping dead in her tracks, she realised that there was no trace of Joel on her mobile phone.

Stunned, she sat, thinking, and for once, very very clearly.

Fingers moved through the commands of the phone. And she came across the number for Joel’s parents.

After an awkward conversation, where she was asked several times if she was okay… She learned from his father that Joel had indeed died 2 years ago.

The phone was flipped shut, and dropped to the coffee table. An urgent cramping of her stomach alerted her that she was feeling very sick. Utter grief pouring through her.

Jaxon came through from the hall.
“The florist couldn’t tell me anything,” The phone landed on the couch, Jaxon following it down with a heavy sigh.

Cassidy absorbed the situation as Jaxon chattered on about how cruel some people can be, especially since the trauma that she had just suffered.

Things clicked for her… What trauma? As far as she could remember, she had fallen into a coma on the night of the star’s landing. Luckily Jaxon was filling in the blanks automatically for her.

“You seemed to think that Joel was still here…” He smiled sadly, “I think you might have bumped your head harder than first thought…” He played with her hair gently. Cassidy urged him mentally to carry on, she had to know the truth.
“I’m getting those stairs carpeted as soon as possible honey,”

* * *

Sunset came and went, and the dread bloomed automatically for Cassidy. The star would start talking to her again. Watching as Jaxon prepared dinner for them, she tried hard to accept her situation. As awful as it was to say and how angry she was made to feel, Jaxon was here, but Joel wasn’t. She was happy, and devastated at the same time.

The doorbell rang, and walking through the hall, flipping lamps on, Cassidy answered the door.

A man, unfamiliar to her stood.
“Hi, my car has broken down, can I use your phone?” An apologetic smile on his lips.
Modern world savvy, Jaxon came up behind her,
“Don’t you have a mobile?” He said.
The man fished it out of his pocket,
“It died, the battery quit on me 10 minutes ago,”
Eyeing him up, Jaxon placed a protective hand on Cassidy’s waist.
“Give me the number of your breakdown people,” Jaxon said, stepping in front.

Jaxon was smart and Cassidy was secretly impressed at his non common sense of sense. Oh how she had missed him!

“It’s in the mobile and I don’t know it off by heart, so I was going to call my wife,”
“Friend,” Jaxon said, “I’m afraid I can’t let strangers into my house, but I can direct you to that pub two minutes down the road,”
The man turned back to look,
“I should have gone there first,” He said, smiling, “Thanks,”

Cassidy watched closely as the strangers gaze connected with hers.
“Hello Cassidy,”
His lips hadn’t moved.

Butterflies in her stomach. Familiar and real.

Cassidy slammed the door shut,
“Whoa,” Jaxon said, “What was that all about?”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to slam it…” She managed.

Jaxon shrugged and headed back to the kitchen, the cooking smells turning her stomach.

Gathering courage, she went to the hall window, watching the stranger leaving. The lights of the drive highlighting his tall stature and stride.

And right on cue, the stranger turned back to face her, and on his face, that familiar smile that she had felt from the star.
“I am the star,” He said, directly into her head, “And I’m so looking forward to seeing you again,”

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COPYRIGHT - TAHIRA IQBAL - 2006