The Impossible

Chapter 1

Chapter 1“Never thought I’d see the day when someone like you would be slumming it with the likes of me.”

Galen Lykaios halted in his tracks and turned around. He didn’t know the owner of that particular mocking tone of voice, but he certainly recognized what the man was.

“You’re one of the grim reapers.”

The grim reaper bowed at Galen while sneering at him at the same time. “Odon at your service, Your Majesty.”

Galen suppressed the temptation to get into a fight with Odon. Not that he was frightened of Odon. After all, they were both angels. While Odon was the angel of death who stayed in the underworld for the most part, Galen was the angel of love, better known as a cupid, who had to live on the mortal plane because he was tasked with uniting two or more souls. He wasn’t provided with a choice as to where he wanted to reside, though. Heaven would never welcome someone like him. All of the occupants in hell hated the ones in heaven, and the animosity, for some unfathomable reason, bled over onto him even though he had never stepped one foot into anywhere up there.

“Are you here to pick up a soul?” Galen inquired while pointing at the restaurant in front of them.

“No. I’m here on a holiday. Hell is getting too warm this time of the year.”

Odon’s facial expression was neutral, but there was no mistaking the sarcasm in the grim reaper’s tone of voice. Moreover, Galen knew hell was always burning hot anytime of the year. He scoffed at Odon in response.

“Whatever.”

After that, Galen ignored Odon, and he decided he should get as far away from the grim reaper as possible before he lost his temper. He was just about to make his escape when Odon cleared his throat loudly. Galen stopped and faced Odon once again, waiting expectantly for the grim reaper’s next snide remark.

“More than one soul.”

Galen immediately gaped at Odon. He wasn’t sure if he was more astonished by the fact that Odon was willing to share that particular information with him, or by the impending reality that many people were about to die soon enough. However, that wasn’t important. His angelic magic might not include the ability to predict the future, but he didn’t need it. Odon’s answer to his earlier question was clear enough. That was the moment Galen noticed all of the other angels of death that surrounded him. All of them, including Odon, were dressed in white from head to toe. Even the feathers on their wings were pure white everywhere. Galen stared at the restaurant for a second or two before he turned toward Odon.

“No survivor?”

Odon shook his head as he gestured at the buildings on both sides of the restaurant before glancing at some of the vehicles that were stuck on the road because of the traffic jam. He also darted his eyes toward some of the pedestrians who were close enough to the restaurant.

“They have to die,” Odon replied.

Galen was quiet for a short moment because he didn’t quite know how he was supposed to respond to that announcement. He had been a cupid for nearly four thousand and six hundred years now, and he had witnessed many deaths over the same time period. However, it didn’t make it any easier each and every time he happened to encounter such an event, especially when it occurred in a sudden and violent manner. Galen briefly wondered how the grim reapers could bear the pain and heartache of witnessing death after death over the years, and he clenched his fists as he attempted to ignore the terror that coursed through his entire being when he noticed some of the children inside the vehicles or running around in close proximity to the restaurant.

“Including the children?”

Odon nodded. “All of them.”

“Why—”

“Everything is written in the book of fate, and nobody has the right to question anything that is meant to be,” Odon interrupted with a shrug, and in the next instant, all of the grim reapers began to glow. “It’s time.”

Galen knew what that meant. He shut his eyes a second before he heard the blast. He could feel the debris, glass shards, fire, and many other things slamming against the protective cocoon of his angelic magic. He heard the screams. He could sense the excruciating agony that sliced through the victims’ souls. He knew the moment those people died because he was able to detect when their souls departed from their bodies. However, there was nothing he, or anyone else for that matter, could do to help any of them. He was a cupid. There was only one specific reason why he existed. Everything else was none of his business.

When he eventually opened both of his eyes, most of the grim reapers were already walking away with their respective charges. The powerful gas explosion didn’t leave much of the restaurant. Some of the surrounding buildings and the vehicles on the road were also on fire. There were bloody or charred bodies in several spots. This was a horrific and catastrophic incident. Galen stared at the victims’ souls for a minute or so before he turned around and started making his way toward his destination. He was supposed to unite two women who would be meeting for the first time at a department store nearby. He had been on his way there prior to being distracted by Odon’s appearance in front of the restaurant. Or whatever remained of it. There were plenty of deaths here, but life had to continue.

He ignored the stunned or crying passersby who had rushed toward the scene of destruction like a flock of vultures. Not that they could see, hear, or touch him anyway. He was invisible and intangible to them because that was the way he liked it. At least most of the time. At the moment, some of them were frantically trying to contact the police, the fire department, and the hospitals. Galen scoffed at the people who were openly sobbing. He also rolled his eyes in disgust as he headed toward the department store. The damn humans needed to learn that life was anything but a bed of roses, and the only certainty in the universe was death. The sooner they understood all that, the better it would be for them. This was one of those times when he was glad that he was a cupid instead of a grim reaper. He had experienced sadness many years ago, and he still remembered it vividly as if it had just occurred the previous day. That anguish was more than enough to scar him for all eternity because it had killed everything that he used to be long before he died for real.

* * * *

Dion Angelos whistled softly as he put on the finishing touches on the corpse of old Mrs. Gloria Donahue. He was the owner of Angelos Funeral Home, a small business that had been passed down for generations. It was started by his great, great grandfather many years ago. Currently, Dion hired a few people to assist him with the operational side of the business, such as dealing with the customers, taking care of the decorations, and several other tasks that were requested or deemed as necessary. However, Dion always dealt with the corpses himself. He enjoyed being around the dead bodies. They didn’t move around, and they certainly didn’t make any noise. Dion could work on the corpses inside the temperature-controlled room in peace. It was exactly the way he liked it.

He couldn’t stand the living, breathing humans for the most part. They were all stupid and annoying. Dion didn’t even interact with any of his employees if he could avoid them. Or at the very least, he would keep that to the barest minimum possible. Hence, he was taken aback when someone’s hand, rather opaque and in a similar color as the blue fire on a stove, appeared out of nowhere right above Mrs. Donahue’s head. He raised his head and sighed when he came face to face with a familiar spirit. He suppressed his irritation and arched his left eyebrow at the spirit.

“Mr. Jones, how many times do I need to remind you not to disturb me when I’m busy with someone’s dead body?”

Mr. Robert Jones had died a few years ago. He was a cheerful fellow. Well, as happy as a spirit could be anyway. However, Dion had yet to figure out why Mr. Jones had been adamant about his refusal to step into the light even though it always hovered nearby, ready to transport the spirit toward the other side. He was astonished when Mr. Jones appeared to be really heartbroken and miserable about something. That was quite a rare sight. Before Dion could utter another word, Mr. Jones turned toward the door that would lead into the main hall of the funeral home. Dion was even more surprised when Mr. Jones faced him once again a few seconds later. Mr. Jones seemed even more gloomy and wretched than he did earlier.

“I need your help.”

Dion gaped at Mr. Jones in confusion. Generally, spirits sought him out because they died with unfinished businesses in the mortal world, and they required his assistance in one form or another. Mr. Jones was the exception. He claimed he had passed away peacefully. That was the reason why Dion couldn’t comprehend why Mr. Jones had yet to cross over to the other side or why none of the grim reapers had yet to fetch the spirit to where he was supposed to be. Dion stared at Mr. Jones for a few seconds longer before nodding slowly.

“Absolutely. What is it?”

“It’s Alicia.”

It took Dion a moment to figure out who Alicia was. After all, Mr. Jones wasn’t the only spirit he had conversations with. He couldn’t remember every single detail that he was privy to, thanks to the thousands of spirits he came into contact with over the past thirty-four years on the planet.

“Your eight-year-old granddaughter?”

“Yes.”

“What about her?”

“She’s outside right now.”

“Okay,” Dion said, and he was at a loss now. He didn’t quite know how to let Mr. Jones down in the nicest manner possible. “Mr. Jones, I don’t think I can do that. You told me just last week that she’s only eight years old this year. She’s too young. Telling her about your existence will scare her to—”

“She died earlier this afternoon.”

Dion was instantly speechless upon hearing that. He might abhor the living, breathing humans for the most part, but he had a soft spot for children. However, he never enjoyed dealing with the spirits of dead children.

“H-how did she…” Dion trailed off because he didn’t quite know how to complete the question without sounding like an insensitive, nosy asshole.

“An explosion at a restaurant downtown,” Mr. Jones explained. “Gas leakage in the kitchen.”

Dion shut his eyes. He had watched the news on the television earlier this evening while eating his dinner so he was aware of that. He just didn’t expect he might have to deal with one of the casualties, and such a young child at that.

“Shouldn’t the grim reaper—”

“I’d met the grim reaper in charge of her,” Mr. Jones cut Dion off midsentence. “His name is Odon.”

“Okay, and?”

“He informed me Alicia had broken free from him, and she had been wandering around for hours. She has yet to accept the fact she’s no longer alive.”

Dion’s heart ached. That was one of the other reasons why he hated handling the spirits of dead children. It was a painful affair for him and the spirits themselves.

“I’ll try to talk to her. How did she get here, by the way?”

“Well, she felt the lingering pull toward her earthly body. Isabella, my youngest daughter, who’s still single, by the way—”

“Mr. Jones!” Dion exclaimed a bit louder than he intended to because he was worried that Mr. Jones would start rambling. Or he might begin ranting about Isabella and her obstinate insistence to remain single, which would be even worse in Dion’s opinion. After all, this wasn’t the right time for it. “Focus, please.”

Mr. Jones appeared rather embarrassed now. Dion rolled his eyes. He was positive Mr. Jones would be blushing profusely at this very moment if the spirit could actually do so.

“Right. Isabella was at the hospital to pick up Alicia’s body. Well, Alicia’s and her parents. Anyway, Isabella is in the office with one of your employees, discussing the final arrangements for Alicia and her parents. Alicia must have followed Isabella here all the way from the hospital.”

Dion gasped under his breath. This was so much worse and more heartbreaking than what he imagined.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Jones.”

“s**t happens,” Mr. Jones said with a smile, but Dion could see the hurt in the spirit’s eyes clearly. “Alex, my son, and Patricia, my daughter-in-law, had already left with their respective grim reapers. Alicia is still stuck here on the mortal plane, though. Can you please help me with her? I’d tried to talk to her, but she was wary of me. She doesn’t remember me, and I can’t blame her. I died when she was only two years old. I’m sure her soul has a spark of recognition for me, though. After all, I’m her grandfather.”

Dion nodded in a hurry as he walked toward the sink while pulling the gloves off his hands one at a time. “Let me wash my hands first. I’ve been handling Mrs. Donahue’s corpse for quite a while now.”

Mr. Jones chuckled loudly. “Gloria enjoyed that. You know that, right?”

Dion turned toward Mr. Jones and rolled his eyes. “Yes, I do.”

“Before she stepped into the light about thirty minutes ago, she looked ecstatic. I asked her what could possibly make her so happy. She told me it had been years since a man, especially a young and handsome man like you, last ran his hands all over her face and body. She even giggled at me before she disappeared into the light.”

Dion snorted. “I’m glad I can provide that extra service to her even though she’s already dead.”

Mr. Jones snickered. “You’re raking up plenty of good points with the power up above.”

Dion shook his head in amusement. “Funny! Now, shall we go outside and have a nice little chit chat with Alicia?”

Mr. Jones’s expression became serious immediately. “Yes, please.”

“Is this the real reason why you’ve been refusing to cross over, sir?”

“I believe so,” Mr. Jones replied with a shrug.

“You believe so?” Dion repeated curiously.

Mr. Jones beamed at Dion. “Listen to me, young man. Just because I’m dead, it doesn’t mean I know all of the secrets of the universe. Ever since I passed away all those years ago, the only thing I’m sure about is there’s something holding me back from moving on. I think I’m meant to linger here on earth so I can bring Alicia over to the other side.”

Dion teared up a little even as he grinned widely at Mr. Jones. “What are we waiting for then? Let’s get Alicia.”

Mr. Jones’s facial expression brightened up. “Okay.”

After that, he walked faster toward the connecting door that would lead him toward the main office. He was determined to help both Alicia and Mr. Jones. He really wanted them to find some semblance of peace at last, and he knew they could achieve that only if they went into the light. The mortal plane wasn’t the right place for the spirits. Dion had witnessed firsthand how some spirits turned into something evil because they had overstayed their welcome on the mortal plane.

Naturally, that didn’t occur overnight. Initially, the spirits would grow bitter for one reason or another, which soon transformed into anger. Gradually, the spirits would change into dark entities that were filled with hatred. When that happened, some angels would eventually swoop down from somewhere and annihilate the malevolent spirits once and for all. Their souls would be destroyed forever. No second chances. Dion didn’t want that to happen to Mr. Jones, and he definitely didn’t want the same outcome for Alicia’s spirit.

“Are you ready?” Dion asked Mr. Jones as he reached for the handle of the door.

“I am,” Mr. Jones answered.

“Great. Let’s go.”

Upon entering the main hall, which was really just a huge lobby with a reception desk, he saw Jenny having a rather soft conversation with a woman who he assumed had to be Isabella. A glowing golden spirit of a young girl seemed to be tugging at Isabella’s dress. Or she was trying to. However, Dion wasn’t surprised that she failed. After all, her spirit wasn’t strong enough to physically impact anything on the mortal plane. She looked increasingly frustrated with every passing second. As expected, she immediately turned to face Dion the moment he got in to the lobby. He acknowledged Jenny, who was waving at him, and then nodded at the other woman before gazing into the eyes of the young girl’s spirit. He remained calm as she drifted toward him. It was obvious to him the spirit had no clue what had happened to her or what she had just done.

“C-can you help me?”

Dion pointed toward a secluded corner at the lobby before walking toward it. He didn’t have to check if the young girl’s spirit was following him. He knew she was. He could sense her. He was also aware of Mr. Jones’s spirit somewhere behind him. Once he reached the corner he had indicated, he sat down on the floor and patted the empty spot next to him. The young girl’s spirit hesitated for a second or two before plopping down beside him.

“Is your name Alicia?”

“Yes.”

Dion bit back a sigh. “Do you understand what’s going on right now?”

Alicia shook her head. “I’m scared. I want my mommy and daddy.”

“Are their names Alex and Patricia?”

Alicia’s expression appeared to brighten up a little. “Yes. Where are they?”

Dion didn’t know how he was supposed to reply to that question. Instead, he pointed at Mr. Jones who was hovering a few inches away from him and Alicia.

“Do you know who this gentleman is?”

“No.”

Dion glanced up at Mr. Jones and attempted to come up with a solution. “Is there any way you can jolt her memory of you?”

“No—oh! I think there is.”

After that, Mr. Jones quickly got down on one knee and started humming a tune. Dion wasn’t familiar with it, and it was obvious by Alicia’s facial expression that she had no clue what it was either. However, after a minute or so, she abruptly smiled at Mr. Jones.

“I think I heard that before.”

Dion reached for Alicia’s hand. He couldn’t touch it, but that caught Alicia’s attention.

“This gentleman here is Mr. Robert Jones. He’s your grandfather.”

Dion could tell Alicia didn’t quite believe him, but she was certainly curious enough. Most importantly, she was no longer openly terrified and distrustful of Mr. Jones.

“Are you really my grandpa?”

Mr. Jones nodded. “I’m here to guide you to the other side.”

“What side?”

Mr. Jones sighed softly. “Do you want to meet up with your parents again?”

Alicia nodded vigorously. “Yes.”

Mr. Jones beamed widely at Alicia. “Hold my hand. I’ll take you there.”

“Is everything going to be okay?” Dion inquired of Mr. Jones as he got up on his feet.

Mr. Jones shrugged. “I don’t know, but I believe so. Besides, I’m beginning to feel the pull from the light even stronger now than before. It’s time.”

“All right.”

Mr. Jones grinned at Dion as he held Alicia’s hand. “Goodbye, Dion. Thank you for everything.”

Dion smiled. “You’re welcome. Have a safe trip.”

Then he observed as Mr. Jones and Alicia walked hand-in-hand toward the light. Seconds later, the light enveloped them, and they disappeared. In the next instant, Dion was slightly overwhelmed with a bittersweet sensation as he remained on the same spot. He always felt that every time one of the spirits crossed over to the other side. On one hand, he missed the spirits’ company. On the other hand, he was relieved that the spirits had moved on. He continued standing there for a few seconds longer before making his way back to the room where Mrs. Donahue’s body was. He had a job to do. This wasn’t his first farewell, and it wouldn’t be the last one. He was certain of it.