On the other side

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In the enchanted forest, only the strong survive. In this magical place, mortals and souls collide, mortals on earth, souls in heaven, divided by a mirror-like dimension, with the mortals desperately attempting to bring the souls earth-side. When two mortals forge an alliance, they form a bond strong enough to pull the souls into their world. We call them soul-ties, the bonds these mortals form with the souls on the other side of the mirror, only to catch a glimpse of the souls sometimes.

The souls reflect all that is good, the mortals live in a world full of evil. Some debate the value of pulling souls into the sinful world, away from eternal happiness. But for most mortals, these souls are the only way they can experience a glimpse of what heaven looks like.

I am a mortal who entered into this magical enchanted forest without an invitation. My only qualification was the newly forged alliance with another mortal. Soul-ties are a product of love they say. And in our little universe, love is all that abides. Since the day we met, we have felt the need to make our love multiply. We have talked about the enchanted forest, and how magical entering that world would be. We have dreamt of a home on earth, just us and the three little souls from heaven – products of our love.

Not just yet, we have to build our home first, make it strong enough to survive – we would say. Every time the moon takes a turn around the earth, I bleed. Blood means death – closing of the door to the enchanted forest. A reminder that we are not ready yet, our soul-tie is not strong enough.

One full moon, when spring season began, I did not bleed. My mother beckoned to me – maybe there is a soul waiting for you on the other side of the mirror. I was shocked, scared, hopeful. With my mortal by my side, holding our hands tight, we entered the threshold of the enchanted forest.

A flood of dreams filled in our heads. Epiphanies of what the future could look like. We tugged on the invisible string, our heavenly soul waiting somewhere on the other side of the mirror. We walked the unknown roads, holding tightly to the soul tie, filling it with our love, calling out her name. We could hear her voice back, as faint as it was - an echo from the furthest depths of the enchanted forest.

With every step we took, we were being transformed, wings sprouting from our back, doors opening in our head, new knowledge, new wisdom, new hope. We did not hope to get a chance so soon. We thought we were too young to be called, our love wasn’t strong enough, and our home needed more time to prepare.

But when the souls call from heaven, mortals can only answer. Nobody prepares us for the journey through the enchanted forest. To each their own path they take, some following the footsteps of their ancestors, some forging their own ways.

We chose to keep those who walked these paths before us close to us, and gave them a glimpse of everything we saw along the way. They nurtured us with wisdom never shared before; we saw a shadow of the heavenly happiness in their eyes. At the end of the tunnel, a soul was waiting for us, someone to call our own, a reflection of the love we share on earth.

Walking through the enchanted forest is a wake-up call, an awakening within the mortal being, responsibility, regret, and growth. We were once souls on the other side, our parents’ love brought us home and now we were walking the same road, hopeful, wishing, willing.

We wondered how life would be, new identities, our crowning glory, the ultimate dream. Some try years to enter the enchanted forest, never to catch a glimpse of the heavenly souls that abide on the other side. We were the lucky ones, the blessed ones, the ones ready to take on this new challenge.

My body was flourishing - new emotions, new instincts, new desires. I was ready. And then, I was not. The moon turned another course, and I bled. My body raged within me – pain, unsurmountable pain, never-before-seen pain. Nobody knew what to do. In my heart I knew, our angel was gone.

She was as big as a poppy seed, or do we say as tiny. How could this happen to us? What did we do wrong? You are young they said. There will be more chances they beckoned. At least it was early they said. Maybe it never happened, they said. Maybe it was all a hoax.

We know it was not. We know she was there - a glimpse of a shadow in the mirror, deep within the depths of the enchanted forest.

How do you grieve someone who was never born? How do you get over something that never happened? God gave and God took. We hoped and we lost. We won’t ever be the same.

One day maybe we will get to see her again when the gates of heaven finally open for us. For now, all we can do is wait. All we know is that wherever she is – she is safe.

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