"Dad," Matthew called. He was so happy, so undeniably happy. When he saw the house and the police and the firemen, he was worried, but now, now he was just happy. His dad was alive. "Dad!"
Matthew barely registered the faces of both Ania and Gregory (surprise?). Because his dad was in front of him, alive and well. He was worried for no good reason.
"Dad."
The third time he spoke, 'dad', it appeared to jolt his father. A dim smile crossed his face. When he first 'awoke' after being murdered and when the fire raged around his already dead family, it didn't take long to realize he was dead. When the firemen came to put out the fire they didn't see him. The fine, rigid line between the living and the dead.
"Matthew." his father choked, his son could see him?
"Dad, where's mom? Where's Sarah?" Matthew urged and he looked around past his father, there was so sign of them anywhere. "Dad?"
His father looked broken and sad. Matthew wanted to get out of the car, he wanted to hug his father, he wanted to shake him to have him tell the location of where mom and Sarah were. Just as he was opening the door, his father yelled, "Don't, don't get out of the car. It's not safe."
Matthew shook his head, tears streaming down his face, he didn't understand, "it doesn't matter, you are here!"
Matthew noticed his father look at Gregory, who shrugged his shoulders and then his eyes fell once upon his son. "It does, it is not safe. You should stay with these people, looks like they took good care of you."
"DAD!" Matthew said much louder than he intended, but he was hurting. "Dad, I want to be with you, mom, and Sarah."
His father paused looking down at the ground. "That isn't possible anymore."
"Anymore? Dad, you are really starting to scare me."
"I don't know how to say this, I guess, I will have to just rip the bandaid off, I'm dead, they're dead, we're dead..." he trailed off.
Something cracked with the boy. The tears started to fall, snot running down his face. "No, you're lying, you are right in front of me. Don't joke." Matthew hiccuped, his voice wavering.
His father ran his fingers through his hair, bringing his eyes back so that he could meet Matthew's gaze, "I'm sorry, Sarah and your mother, they have already left. Had we known that you would be able to see us, I'm sure they would have waited and said their goodbyes." the man was broken, the death of his family was terrible, but it was even worse to see his son in front of him, being torn apart by his words, destroyed. "We never wanted to leave you alone. I'm sorry."
"Dad?" Matthew whispered, "Where did they go?" Matthew mumbled maintaining his father's eye contact, his eyes begging for some relief, something good, anything to ease his breaking heart.
"They crossed beyond the veil, they have left this world and have gone to wherever the dead go." The man paused for a minute, "I will be going there shortly. I can't stay here. I see the silver light calling me. I am so sorry."
Matthew was a mess, physically and emotionally and there didn't seem to be an end in sight. Ania sat in the back seat and put her hand on the boys shoulder, this was more heartbreaking than anything she had previously witnessed. Matthew did not see his father turn to Gregory, "you'll take care of him? You'll keep him safe?"
Gregory nodded, "We will take care of him." Gregory who had previously felt ambivalence towards the boy and an obligation towards Emmeline changed; he wanted to protect this boy with everything he had.
The man nodded, "Thank you." The man turned and looked at his son being consoled by the small girl behind him, but he continued to speak with Gregory, "Somebody was after us, after him."
Gregory nodded, "Who was the fourth person in the home if not your son?"
The man shrugged his shoulders and turned to face Gregory, "I haven't a damn clue, the boy had long been dead. There wasn't even a spirit to speak with. He did in a way resemble Matthew, but other than that, I don't know."
Gregory nodded thinking about what he had just heard. He was interrupted by his thoughts when the man continued speaking, "Should I, should I stay and help you raise my boy?"
"You see the silver light, the door, the fog, or whatever you individually see?"
The man nodded.
"Then you should go, you don't know if it will disappear."
The father furrowed his brows, he didn't understand what the man was saying to him.
Gregory smiled. "Not all of us are gifted with the option to leave this world." He motioned to Ania, "We are hear and hopefully one day we too can join our loved ones and pass beyond the veil."
"Can you not see the silver light?"
Gregory shook his head. Solemnly and with great regret in his voice, "I wish I could, I wish she could, but that apparently that is not in our cards. One day..." he broke off.
The father turned back to his son, walking close and leaning through the window. Gregory and Ania were once again surprised, when Matthew was able to hug his father. Definitely strange!
'how could he see and touch the dead?' he asked himself. He would have to speak with Emmeline about it later, it was odd, truly odd he thought.
The father and son said their goodbyes, the later in a state of despair. His world was crumbling all around him. The father nodded his thanks to Gregory and Ania.
Matthew watched as his father disappeared beyond the veil. Matthew didn't see the silver light that welcomed his father, he didn't see his mother and sister that welcomed their husband and father to the afterlife. He just saw his dad disappear and he knew that he would not see him again in this lifetime.
Matthew did not see Gregory get back in the car and start it. He didn't realized they were heading back to the Octagon House. He didn't realize when the car pulled up in front of the home. All he wanted was to be with his family, but they were dead and gone. The tears kept coming and he was swallowed into a black hazy fog of despair.