Soul Rift

Lee

Soul Rift - Chapter One - Lee

Nyla stood at the gate of the rift, watching the souls pour in from the human world.

She remembered when she was alive, from 1990 to 2010. She had only lived to her twentieth birthday, and been run over by a speeding driver.

Strangely, even though the accident was violent and traumatising, she'd died peacefully, and therefore was a Fairna, a good soul.

Most of the others were not. Most of the others were evil souls, the souls of people who'd died in pain. But Nyla didn't worry about it; the Scintil mostly just left her alone.

The Gatekeeper at the entrance to the rift was a Fairna, so Nyla often stuck close to him. Quillar his name had been when he'd been alive.

But for some time now, the gap between the world of the living and the world of the dead had been lessening. The Scintil had been becoming more active, as the living became almost close enough to touch.

The Fairna, of which there were not many, had been trying to keep the Scintil under control, but it was not easy.

And still the rift lessened.

As Quillar admitted three Scintil and a Fairna, who'd all come through at once, he glanced across at Nyla.

Nyla smiled, to show she was alright, and Quillar returned to his work.

The newly-admitted Fairna came across to her, and watched as other souls were admitted. He seemed confused, which was only to be expected since he'd only just died.

"What's it like?" he asked her after a while.

"What? This place?"

He nodded.

"It's...sometimes I wish I was still alive, but at other times I'm glad I left all the pain behind."

He looked at her for a moment.

"What's your name?" he asked at length.

"Nyla. What's yours?"

"I used to be called..." he paused. He could not remember. Nyla saw his pained expression.

"It's alright. No one remembers who they are at first. It takes a while to come back."

"Okay. Why are some of them...different from us? Why do some of them seem like..."

"Like they're evil?" she finished for him. He looked at her and said nothing.

"The Scintil. Those who die in pain lose their sense of...of goodness, I suppose. They just turn evil. Nobody knows why."

Nyla looked at him to see his reaction. He took a deep breath.

"How did you die?" he asked at last.

"Road accident. I was twenty. How about you?"

"I died when I was forty. My wife, daughter and me were at the seaside when my daughter fell into some dangerous rapids. I died saving her. She was only eight."

"Did you save her? Is she still alive?"

"Yes. I managed to get her out safely. I'm...I'm glad she's alive...so glad...I remember her name. It was Rebecca. My wife was Ruth. I feel like I can almost remember my name...but..."

He paused pensively.

"I remember now. My name was Lee..."