A Life After Life

By Emily Blanco

After her parent’s recent announcement, the spirited princess Harriet receives harsh backlash.Now forced to make a life changing decision that could cost her very life. As the threats worse throughout time, a familiar dark and mystical stranger walks into her life.

Time after time, Harriet was still in the same mess as before. As the only daughter of King Edward, who refused another successor to the throne, she was deemed illegitimate by the public, only starting further riots in the town square. The sky coated with grey specks grew darker, the breeze picked up as the trees shivered subtly, shedding their orange leaves, the air thickly coated with the smell of freshly trimmed grass as thunder rained down on the kingdom of Vita.

‘Harriet dear, why won’t you trust us’, Queen Cecilia spoke softly with kind eyes. Harriet’s head remained down as she tightly grasped letters in her arms, out of sight from her parents, her lips quivered and her eyes teary and almost blank.Her fingers intertwining with the hourglass pendant her grandmother had given her when she was young.

‘I never asked for this, I don’t want to marry someone I don’t know’, her words caught me tripping over one another. King Edward reached over gently caressing her hair. ‘ I promise you will be fine, your mother and I have found a suitable husband for you’, the corners of his lips curled up as the crows feet on his face began to show.

Hours passed since the announcement of Harriet’s coronation to be queen. Her vanity draped with lilies, the petals falling onto the mahogany floor. Her desk flooded with empty threats, disapproving her future reign of Vita. The contents of the letter lying close to the princess’s grasp were bound to reignite an ancient fiery dispute if they were to ever get out.The rain had stopped as the rays of sun refracting through the glass windows of her balcony, lighting up the warm champagne colours of her walls, beaming through the frilly mesh material of the curtains on her canopy bed, creating uncertain patterns over the walls. As the princess lay there knowing her fate was already decided; she sat up awaiting for something to set her Free from the life she had to lead. Afraid of disappointing her parents, she had no choice but to follow in her late brother’s footsteps, wearing the shoes that she could never fit into. Harriet looks up towards her balcony where she sees a mystical figure exuding the miasma of death,wearing a loose black cloak, a white streak of hair slightly falling onto his deathly pale face. Harriet rushed over to open her balcony’s windows to see a familiar face. As a genuine smile began to appear on her face the mystical figure turned welcoming the princess with open arms, ‘Hey stranger’.

Running into his arms, her stress evaporated into the feeling of safety and comfort. Jack was like a vacation home for her; there were still many things Harriet didn’t know about him, for starters there was his real name and why he would always appear at her side when she needed him most. Harriet always knew there were things Jack never told her, but there was always something she was sure about, he would one day help her escape from the life she was given by her family.

Harriet’s flaming locks came to light as the rays from the sunrise hit her, growing brighter her complexion complimenting her naturally flushed cheeks. Her eyes were sparkling emeralds, hidden behind them was the look of someone asking for freedom. She looked up at Jack who gazed at her with a pitying expression. Jack raised an inviting hand, his palms smiled up at Harriet as she raised an eyebrow. Jack gave a comforting smile, ‘let me show you something’.Clasping his hand towards him Harriet reached for his hand, an orb of light surrounded both of their hands. The light grew brighter and brighter, until it all went black, the difference between blinks seemed impossible. Small glitter-like specks of light flourished the space creating the peaceful imagery of a garden. The air lightly scented with the aroma of cinnamon and vanilla, which paired nicely with the autumnal set of trees in the near corner just by the pond, where two swans took residence. One swan as white as snow swam gracefully and aimlessly on the outer skirts of the small pond. The other as dark as night seemed to follow the white swan wherever it seemed to go. Behind her, evergreen hedges perfectly trimmed, white roses sprouting into place the stars stood next to the fluorescent moon glowing in the distance.  

‘Welcome home’ Jack smiled nervously, waiting for the princess’s response to the gesture. Harriet brimmed with excitement and questioned him, ‘what is this place?’ Jack took a step back, ‘This is your safe space, it shows the environment you feel the most comfortable in.’ Harriet looked around as things would start to materialise in her space, ‘ How did we get here?’ ‘We’re transcending through your subconscious mind,’ he continues to hold her hand, speaking reassuring words. ‘I promised you a better life than this one when we were kids and that’s what I’ll do.’ Jack looked around, ‘This is a place where the trees never die and the sun doesn’t rise, you’ll always be at peace here.’ Harriet could see her face light up in the water, as she looked down at the pond. She hadn't smiled like this in a very long time, the reflection almost didn’t seem real, it still seemed like a crazy thought to want to run away from everything that she cared for most in return for her happiness.

Staring at her reflection Harriet’s smile seemed to fade, ‘Do I have to face what’s coming or do I run?’ Jack’s reflection appeared in the water as he stood beside her, ‘I don’t think it matters, you’ve already made your choice.’ Harriet pulled a face, ‘even if I do make the right choice, will I live to see another tomorrow?’ Harriet’s head remained down, her eyes swelled up with tears, slightly shivering to the idea of an unknown future ahead of her. In a dulcet tone, he assured her, ‘You’re going to be alright, I’ve been keeping you safe all these years,’ Jack felt wrong about trying to hide his secret from the princess, his face was an imitation of calm but Harriet was quick to notice. ‘Do you know something?’ Harriet tried to keep her composure as she waited for him to respond. ‘You’ve probably noticed but I’m not what or who I say I am.’ Jack’s soft expression grew dark and sincere, a melancholy tone in his voice, ‘I’m Grim, my job is to seek souls that have nowhere to go in life and confide in them and once their time comes, we walk side by side to the after life.’ His expression dropped, apologetically staring into the princess's emerald eyes, which seemed to lose their sparkle. Harriet froze in place, eyes wide in shock, a tear rolled down her cheek. She had a tight feeling in her chest, as if it had been crushed and then reality struck, she was taken aback. ‘You’ve been lying to me for years, what was going to happen when it was time for me to go?’ Jack couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, throughout his time he had seen many mortals plead and cry for their lives but never had he witnessed Harriet as upset, his heart broke a little as he said bluntly, ‘I was waiting until tomorrow, spending that last day with you was the least I could do.’ Harriet’s tears never stopped falling, everything she had known was all a lie, tripping over her words she muttered, ‘Take me back.’

Without hesitation or wanting to hurt her further he took her back to her balcony as he faded out to never be seen again.Scurrying Harriet packed a small bag with trinkets and money that could last her at least a year commuting. It felt like she had limited time and had to act fast. Her emotions were all over the place, she couldn’t keep a single thought at once. She wondered how a person she’d known for years could say something so cruel and then disappear like nothing had happened without any need to explain themselves. Before leaving she turned down a family picture, hesitating on bringing it with her, turning swiftly towards her balcony, knowing her decision wouldn’t allow her to ever go back to reign as queen of Vita. Harriet took a deep breath as she walked towards the balcony. ‘This is it, once I’m out of here I’ll be free from everything and everyone. The hand that seemed to have been tight grip on Harriet slowly began to relax, every step she took closer to the outside, pinky, then ring, middle, index and thumb, the muscles relaxed one by one.

The balcony was 2 stories high, she could climb down to the platforms and ledges to get closer to the ground, only a problem arose: the final jump between the ledge and the ground was still too high. Harriet thought about risking the fall but only caused her to flail around aimlessly, instead she sought the help of a nearby hedge that hadn’t been trimmed. She swung her whole body over to reach the hedge, only to find herself tangled in the branches, a light scratch, barely noticeable on her left cheek. Getting up without a problem she set off into the forest, where survival of the fittest was the hierarchy. Hours of trekking through the forest pass by, she finds herself at a small wooden den, situated next to a large maple tree. The den seemed to be abandoned, with its splintered walls and worn down wood; so Harriet took refuge in it. The sky grew darker as the clouds moved in closer together, little by little drops of rain would fall onto the ground, covering the once dry pavement of the trail that Harriet followed. Harriet seemed to sniffle at the humidity of the forest, as the rain crashed down further throughout the day. The princess closed her eyes, enjoying the peace that consumed her when listening to the rain, it was as if all her problems had been silenced for just a moment. The earthy smell of the forest and the breeze that picked her scent and flowed through her hair had left her to believe that she was finally able to achieve freedom. Hours had passed and the storm only got angrier, Harriet shivered as the thought of bringing a blanket had slipped her mind earlier that day. The cold seemed to consume her, as the storm got worse it became impossible to find wood for a campfire. Harriet’s eyes seemed heavy, coated with the dreaded sleep she hadn’t gotten in days, preparing for her duties as the new queen of Vita. Mere minutes later she had fallen asleep.

A withered old man sat by the campfire on a rocking chair, the flames lighting up his face, casting shadows beneath his wrinkles. Harriet approached the man sitting quietly in his chair, asking for help. ‘Excuse me sir could you help me with some food and shelter for the night?’ Harriet looked at the man who hadn’t opened his eyes, wondering if he was asleep. Harriet reached over to lightly tap him, ‘sir?’ The man sat up, opening his eyes. Harriet asked again but he didn’t seem to respond. The old man’s eyes filled with fear, he began to shout. His frail voice exclaimed, ‘You could never be queen of Vita!’ As these words echoed, Harriet’s next thoughts seemed to fade.

Eyes feeling heavy, hearing water drop after drop echoing,she lay in the den helplessly not knowing how long she had been sleeping for. Still not fully awake, her sight still slightly blurry, but she could feel someone by her side, she called out to them. They remained silent, Harriet was slowly waking up, shivering in the cold damp conditions. She could feel a large cloak being placed on her as her eyes slowly began to adjust, a cold hand grazing her left cheek. A melancholy voice mumbled, ‘I’m sorry Harri.’ He picked her up and carried her to the home she knew, transcending her soul through time and space so she could be where she was most comfortable, in her subconscious world, where the trees never die and the sun never rises. 

By Emily Blanco