The Dream Of Death.

The funeral was long and sad, as everyone said goodbye to Samantha Grey. It was a typical Tuesday morning when the funeral had started. Greg thought people would have wanted to go home halfway through, so they could cry themselves to sleep.

While Greg stood infront of his friends grave, someone gently placed their hand on his shoulder. When he turned around he found his dad looking at him with sad eyes.

“Come on now Greg, we have to go home. We can come and see her tomorrow.” His dad started to steer him away from the grave, but he didn’t budge. His dad sighed before moving away towards his wife. Greg turned back to the grave reaching out with his hand to touch the stone. It was cold and rough under his fingertips.

“Why did you have to leave me Sam?” he asked mostly to himself, as he sank to his knees placing down the flowers he had brought. When he stood back up, tears streamed endlessly down his face, to drop onto the soil.

“Greg?” someone said from behind him. Greg turned to find Mrs. Grey looking down at him with red puffy eyes. Greg had noticed during the funeral that she had collapsed against her husband when saying her goodbyes.

“Are you alright Mrs. Grey? I saw you faint when you were saying goodbye.” Greg watched her carefully. She looked weak and nervous as she stood wiping at her eyes.

“I’m alright Greg. Thanks for asking.” She said in a frail tone. Greg nodded and turned back to Samantha’s burial place. We will meet again my friend. He thought as he moved in his parents direction. Until then I will stay strong.

The following day, Greg woke up to find his mum standing in the doorway wearing the black dress she wore at the funeral.

“Your dad and I have decided to see Samantha today and were hoping you could tag along?” She said. She was a tall woman with long blond hair running to her waist, with unnatural sea-blue eyes. Greg nodded scrambling out of bed. He put on the clothes from the funeral before dashing down the stairs where he found his mum and dad sat at the table.

“Hey, when are we leaving?” he asked as he sat down in one of the chairs. His parents looked up at him in grief. Confused, Greg stared down at the paper in his mum’s hand. He held his hand out, hoping his mum would understand what he wanted. She looked to her husband reluctantly before handing over the paper. Her hand was shaking.
The piece of paper was written to Greg, it said.

Dear Greg,

I know how you must feel knowing I’m dead. I was going to go to your house to ask you whether or not I should kill myself, but I had already made the decision. Then you came around to the house, and I just couldn’t stand to let you hold me while I died. You would never forgive me, this isn’t your fault either.
I had a terminal disease, and I would be in pain until my 45th birthday when I would die, but I killed myself because of the pain I was in. I’m sorry for doing this to you, your family and mine.
Goodbye Greg, stay strong for me until we meet again.
Love Sam.

Greg sat with the note in his hand. It was definitely from Sam because it was in her handwriting, but something didn’t feel right about it. Greg looked up at his parents and shook his head muttering unintelligibly.

“No, this is wrong. All wrong! She wouldn’t kill herself. Something was going on.” He said shaking his head continuously. When he stopped he narrowed his eyes at his parents in suspicion.

“Did you know that she had a terminal illness?” he asked accusation hinted in his voice. “Did you let her kill herself because of this?” he added at the expression on his parents faces’. They shook their heads as he carried on glaring at them.
Finally, bowing his head, he knew he was defeated. His parents knew nothing about this strange occurrence that seemed to fall upon Samantha.

Stay strong for me until we meet again. The words rang through Greg’s head all day. He remembered back the funeral, and how he mentally said the same words. As Greg lay in bed that day, he heard a tapping from the window. He sat up and looked to see nothing there. Tap, tap, tap. It went again. This time he was fast enough to see the shadow of a hand vanish from view. Weird. He thought as he got out of bed and moved to the window. He looked out to see a girl standing in his backyard.
From what he could see she was tall with pale skin glistening brightly against the dark night. She had long raven hair, with big black eyes like a sharks. Shivers ran all through Greg’s body as he wrapped his nightgown tight around him.

“Greg? Do you remember me still? Do you remember the fun times we had together?” asked a high-pitched girl voice that sounded just like…

“Samantha!” Greg said when he spun around, facing the girl in front of him. She cocked her head to the side and smiled, her big black eyes glistening ever so slightly.

“Yes, Greg it’s me. Are you going to answer my questions?” she asked. Greg nodded a silent yes as he took one step towards her. She put her hand out warding him off. “I wouldn’t if I were you Greg. I can be very dangerous you know.” She said as she paced the room. She picked up the picture of her and Greg from the shelf and started crying, or that was what Greg thought the horrible wailing sounds were anyway.

“Sam, Why did you leave me?” Greg asked taking a step forward, only to stop when she turned around. Blood was dripping down her face, so she had been crying. Greg was right. He took another step forward standing a few inches from Sam until she danced away when he reached towards her. “Are you even real?” He followed the girls movements as she moved around the room, twirling and spinning in her long white gown flowing to just above her ankles as she smiled happily.

“I had to. Did you not read the letter I sent?” she stopped halfway through a twirl to stare at him. “Did you not also listen when I said that all this is a dream? That none of this happened. I’m not the one who died Greg. You are the one that died.” She said before vanishing into the darkness that surrounded the room. Suddenly, Greg was spinning through an endless black void that seemed to lead to nowhere, as memories formed of him and his parents meeting Sam. Then it went to his funeral instead of his best friends.
I’m alone in this void forever. My family, my friends I’ve left it all behind but for what? Greg closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. This time he wasn’t falling through darkness. He was standing in the middle of a graveyard overlooking his funeral. Sam kneeling against a boy she knew her face in her hands. Her mum and dad were standing closer to the grave although Mrs. Smith had fainted in her dad’s arms.

“Lovely to have a lot of people care for you, isn’t it? I never had this many people come to mine but you and your parents young Gregory Smith.” Said a raspy voice from close by. Greg turned to see an old man standing there staring at him with eyes that never seemed to focus on anything properly. Greg watched the man before turning back to see Sam know lying on the floor limp. Greg started forwards only to be pulled back.

“There’s no point in going over there, you can’t help her. I’m sorry son, but you are gone from that life, you’re going to have to let them move on.” The old man said before he disappeared into thin air. Greg looked back at the crowd of people before he too vanished from the graveyard.
I hope we will meet again my friend, but until then I will stay strong for the love I had towards you.
Goodbye Greg.