We walked with quickened paces
His death lay heavily on our shoulders
Jon stopped at the fountain and gazed in at the glassy reflection
The bouquets of flowers seemed unattractive as they barely held of the gloom that hung off my fingertips
I led him through a small arch that led into the vast openness of a lifeless graveyard
Flowers surrounded us, yet their stench could not hold back the loneliness he and I felt
We sat down and I rested my head on his shoulder
A single tear slid down his cheek and plopped to the ground
The sky was bright and clear, yet it was gloomy and dark
I felt cold
An invisible wind seemed to wrap around us
I choked back a sob
All our memories of a distant friend were meaningless
I closed my eyes and dreamed of a land of no pain
Were old friends met and joked and laughed
I was a good place were streams flowed and kids played under the protection of a mighty oak
I saw him walking towards me
I gasped as he took my hands and embraced me
The tears flowed and he wiped them from my eyes
“Don’t cry, I have gone to a good place were we will wait for all of you until your time comes, you know of me there”
He faded away into a cloud of mist that enveloped me
Then Jon was shaking my shoulder
“Natalie, look!”
He pointed off in the distance
It looked like a white flame jutting out of the darkness
With all the mist swirling about, it was hard to tell
Then mist cleared and a burst of light cut through the darkness
It shown brightly
In the center stood a beautiful girl
My jaw dropped
Jon was oogling her beautiful face
She was slender tall and graceful
Her face was gentle with but a single kiss on her red lips
Her eyes were kind and knowing
But one could never tell the deep blue from the olive colors of her irises
She was a natural beauty
Gorgeous without trying
Her skin was pale and her figure was slim
Of all her defined looks her hair was the most stunning
It was long and wavy and as golden as a white summer’s sun
A thin silver circlet adorned her golden hair
Then I noticed her beautiful white dress
It was a sleeveless, floor-length dress with intricate silver designs wounding around her
The girl in the white dress, I muttered
She motioned for us to follow her then disappeared through a doorway of light
Unsure of what to do I grasped his hand and he and I ventured towards the illuminated doorway
As we stepped through I froze in amazement
Fireworks of all colors burst into streams of light that lit up the sky
She sat upon a white marble bench in the middle of a gorgeous garden with a beautiful fountain that was filled with color and light
Then the girl stood and walked past the wonderful flowers and straight towards us
Unsure of what to do we stod there watching waiting and wondering as she got closer and closer
Suddenly she stopped and outstretched her hand towards me
I felt drawn towards the girl in the white dress
I took slow careful steps towards her
She smiled and took my hand as Jon clung to my shoulder
In a flash we were flying through the air over the tops of trees and lovely gardens
Yet it felt as if we weren’t moving at all
We stopped at the archway to which we had first entered this beautiful realm of mystery and intrigue
Suddenly I gasped with recognition
I fell to my knees at her feet
She smiled and placed her gentle hands on my shoulders
She leaned over and whispered in my ear
A ray of sunlight shot from the sky
We were enveloped in light
Then I couldn’t see
The light was so dazzling and beautiful
I was blinded
Then I rose
The light was gone
The sky was gray and the clouds were stormy
Jon was next to me, frozen in shock
We stared to the distance
To the cold lifeless graveyard
Neither of us could ever explain what happened that day
The dirt on my dress or Jon’s missing coat
I never forgot the words she said to me
They were mine to treasure, until the end of my days
Sometimes I look at Jon
He’s staring off in the distance, searching the horizon with his shining eyes
I know he can’t forget that day
That cold and dreary day
She was the jewel, the belle of the ball
I treasured her in my mind
I still think of the marvelous mystery behind her
Her beauty and awe and flawless features
She was a grace
I think if her often
The girl in the white dress