The Mangoes Season

Edward Cedric Eyoum
Nov 4 · 12 min read
credit: CGAxis

There is nothing colder than a hospital room.

Gerry has had this feeling for as long as long as he could remember. He hated entering hospitals and staying in them. Every time he had been sick before he had always pushed his family to move his treatment back to his home. To the only place in the world he felt completely, unrestrictedly safe. But tonight he could not help but stay in. tonight, despite all his uneasiness about hospital rooms, he just could not bring himself to life her side.

Kellie was in the bed across the room. She was plugged into all type of tubes and machinery Gerry could not understand and had stopped trying to. She has been in this condition for about a week now and every time anyone form the hospital was entering the room he had welcomed them with hopeful eyes only to be crushed again by the same exact words he had heard all week: “we don’t know if she will wake up. There is nothing much we can do right now except keeping her alive and hoping she will come to”.

And he was so tired of hearing it. So tired.

Kellie and Gerry had been friends for the longest time. He never remembered exactly when she entered his life but they had both gone through incredible efforts to keep each other in each other’s lives. It must have been more than 25 years now.

About 10 years ago, Kellie left the country for the US. And that had been a hard hit on both of them. But she had regularly come back so they were able to maintain their friendship throughout the years. He had always felt like she was the best part of his life. And she felt the same.

She had only been in the country for a couple of days when her accident happened. And since she had no family there anymore, Gerry was really all she had left.

And he felt the same.

As he was sitting across her, remembering all the warm memories of her they had shared for 25 years, a commotion in the corridor brought him back to reality. He stood up to peep through the door but could not see anything. He however could hear someone yelling. Well more like advertising.

- I can help you! I CAN HELP YOU! The strange voice repeated. There is nothing lost in this world. I can bring your loved ones back! I can give you the opportunity to say goodbye!

In his wake, the strange man had left a bunch of flyers on every inch of the corridor which explain why he was being chased out by nurses and security. He left the room for a moment to grab one of the flyers and saw that many people were doing the same. He grabbed the flyer and went back into the room to sit by Kellie again.

The flyer had an address boldly written on it with an obvious photoshop of two people holding hands one of them in a glowing light.

- An amateur job, he said to himself.

He had picked the flyer up more out of curiosity than anything else. He had never believed in such supernatural stories. Witchcraft, Christianity… to him they were not so different in the sense that he did not care much about either. But he could not erase he thought that he was desperate and that anything that could help him talk to Kellie again, no matter how outrageous and ridiculous it may have sound, was worth investigating. So as the nurse entered the room to tell him that visitation hours were over. He decided to go to the address on the flyer the following day.

The place was not hard to find. It was exactly where it said it was, which, if you know Douala, is a miracle in itself. The place could hardly be called a house, or a shop. It was much smaller than that. Like a glory hole of traditionalism in-between 2 modern building. Gerry thought on how perfectly random this looked. How it would look great if he was to take a picture of it. But his mind wasn’t really there. In fact, ever since the accident, he had not touched his camera. Kellie was the one who offered it to him so he could not use it while she was still unconscious.

He adventured himself into the hole and came face to face with the man. The very strange man indeed. He looked appropriately dirty yet, he had a certain charisma. As he saw him approaching, the man offered him a seat on the couch in front of me.

- You were at the hospital yesterday, the man declared.

- Yes, Gerry answered. How does it work?

- Hmm. I hear your question but I don’t see you believing anything I’m about to say in your heart. Are you sure you should not be some other places? Looking at the doctors to bring your love one back?

- I tried that before. And if I have to believe in the unbelievable just so I can talk to her again. I will. That’s why I’m here.

There was a pause. Mostly so the man could ascertain how determined Gerry was. After a few tense seconds. He opened up.

- Alright, I am going to tell you. It will be up to you to see if works or not. But first. I will need payment.

- How much? Gerry asked, pulling out his wallet.

- No, the man stopped him. I don’t need cash. I only need blood. A drop of blood that’s it.

Gerry leaned back in disgust.

- Why would I ever do that?

- You told me why a few moments ago. Do you really want to see her?

- Yes but…

- Young man, you are not the first person to come to me with those hopeful and determined eyes. Many have come before you, many will after you. But I deal with planes of existence you either can’t comprehend or have chosen to completely ignore. This is the payment!

The last sentence resonated in the small room like thunder although the man never raised his tone. The hair on Gerry’s back spiked. Then he thought about Kellie. And his determination came back. He offered his thumb to the man and this one pinched it with a needle. A drop of blood fell onto a small dial the man had prepared. After he put the dial away. The man brought out candles from behind him. And set them on the table that separated them.

- Pay attention to what I’m about to tell you. Like I told you earlier, you will be dealing with planes of existence you know nothing of.

- I understand.

- No, I don’t think you do. But anyway… I am giving you 3 candles but I recommend you only use two of them and never successively.

- Why not?

- Once you get into her room and you make sure you will not be disturbed, light the candle and focus your mind on a single memory you want to revisit. The smell of the candle will take you there.

- Okay and then?

- And then come the most important part. The candle will allow you to revisit that memory. You will retain the memory of the present and will be able to share that memory with the loved one. And they will too. So you will be able to converse in that memory with full knowledge of the present. Now remember. The memory is just that. A memory. Nothing you do or say will effectively change the future. Don’t try.

- Wait, what do you mean? Is it a dream? Am I actually talking to her or what? I need to understand.

- Hmmm. You young people and your obsession to understand and having explained every single thing. Okay let me try to say this in a way you might understand.

- Please do.

- The candle, bring your consciousness to that moment in the past. Or rather focuses it to that moment. Consciousness is not limited by time or space. But it can be directed at a single moment, for those who have the means to do so.

- And how is that different from travelling to the past?

- Because you aren’t. not really at least. Everything that has happened will happen anyway. So there is nothing that can be changed. Do you get it now? This is but an opportunity to say goodbye, not change history. And it only works when you and the person are sharing the memory.

Gerry looked disappointed.

- You said something about only using 3 candles?

- Yes! And this is the warning you must heed above all. Spend too long in that states and you will not be able to come back at all. Your body will lay lifeless in that room while your consciousness starts thinking your past is your present. That is not a situation you want to find yourself in.

- And that works the same if I light 2 of them successively?

- Yes.

They both sat in silence while Gerry was taking in the info. Creating scenario in his head on how he would proceed, a question popped in his head.

- So why give me 3?

- Why? Because you don’t have to use them all on the same person. You can keep one until you need it again, further down the line.

- Oh I see.

Again, they fell back into silence for a couple of minutes until the man got irritated.

- So do you have everything you need?

- I think so yes.

- Then can you leave?

- Sure, sure.

Gerry quickly grabbed the plastic bag with the candles.

- Let’s not meet again. But I really wish you the best.

And Gerry was immediately put out. He knew not if he believed everything he had heard but he was about to experience it himself.

In the taxi on his way to the hospital, he started thinking about which memory would be the best for him to talk to Kellie. And as his mind and heart were wandering, the taxi passed a mango tree. And he got it, he knew what memory he would choose.

The walk through the hospital and into the room happened in what felt like a second to Gerry. He had already set the first candle on fire and was waiting for its effects to start. Slowly, the room darkened then completely disappeared and in a blink of the eye, Gerry found himself in Bonaberi in front of the mango tree that used to be in front of his parents’ home. He looked with confusion at how little his hands were, at how accurately he remembered the most random details of this scene. And he gasped when he saw 15 year-old Kellie hanging from one of the branches.

She was as beautiful now as she was then. Or then as she was now. His mind was still fuzzy from the journey through the planes.

She climbed down the tree and approached him. That’s when he took the decision not o tell her about her future. Not yet. He still had 2 candles he could use so with this first one, he just wanted to spend a happy time with her. So they did.

He reenacted the memory as he remembered it, so that Kellie would not have any clue as to what was going. They ate mangoes, laughed and enjoyed their youth the only way they knew how to then. And then the memory came to its end. Or rather, the candle died out in the hospital room. He slowly waked up in the same position he had fallen asleep a few hours ago. Outside, the sky was dark and full of stars. On the table, there was no trace left of the candle. It had completely vanished. He looked at Kellie, still immobile on her bed and regretted already to have wasted his first candle just reenacting a scene that had already happened. He did not want to relive a memory, he wanted to create new ones with her.

So he thought about lighting the second candle but right before he could execute that task, a nurse walked him to tell him that visitation hours were over so he would have to try again the next day. As much as he was saddened to leave her, he knew he was probably for the best. The candles of the man where working, so he should heed the warnings that came with it.

Next day came and found Gerry in the room as soon as visitation hours started. This time he promised himself that no matter what, he was going to tell her what had happened and say goodbye properly. So he lit the second candle. And was immediately transported to the past. But it was a new memory. One from the night she came back from the US.

They were both sitting under the mango tree with a big pot of ice cream in front of them. Kellie had a wide smile and seemed to be taking in as much of the moment as she could. Gerry was giving her as wide as a smile as he could. There was the kind of silence that needed not to be filled. They were both content. So Gerry felt like it was a good time to break out the news.

- Hey Kells, there’s something I’ve got to say.

- Yea… I know. This isn’t a dream, is it?

Gerry was surprised. And it showed on his face.

- Yes… how do you know? He asked.

- I’m not sure to be honest. It’s just that, I remember things that happened a while ago as clearly as I remember things that I am sure haven’t happened yet. Like, I’m remembering the future… if that makes any sense.

- It does. It is exactly what’s happening.

She smiled a little. Tears started rolling down her cheeks.

- I’m dying, aren’t I?

Gerry could not bring himself to say yes, so he stayed silent. And she cried. Silently, like she had already accepted her fate. And Gerry’s heart broke. He had come here knowing it would be difficult to let go but at that moment, he felt he would never be able to.

After a few minutes of wetting his shirt with her tears, she regained her composure and started smiling again. Like nothing happened. And his heart sank even lower.

- I’m sorry you had to see me like that, she said.

- No, don’t apologize. You are the strongest person I know but even so, it’s okay to shed a tear here and there.

- I suppose, you’re right. So have you come to say goodbye?

He looked at her with teary eyes.

- How long do we have? She asked.

Now he was crying. His voice was all cracked up when he spoke.

- I don’t know. I’m not even sure how all this is working. It never feels like I’m spending a lot of time here but when I wake up it is always hours after.

- So whatever we need to tell each other we need to do it fast?

They both knew the answer to the question.

- Gerry, I don’t know why it took me long to say it. I guess I always thought I had the time to prepare myself but… I waited too long. I love you so, so much Gerry. You have no idea how much you mean to me. You are the best thing that ever happened to me and I wish we had a lifetime to live our love together. I wish…

She could not handle it anymore. She started crying again, and he soon joined her.

- Don’t say that now, please. Don’t tease me with what I have wanted to hear all my life just to never be able to have it. It’s so unfair. God, why is it so unfair.

- It’s okay Gerry. It’s okay. We have this. We were allowed to say goodbye to each other. Most people don’t even get that chance.

- I know but I don’t want to say goodbye. I’m not done loving you. Maybe we could… maybe we could, I don’t know… maybe we could go to see that man in this plane, so we get the candles for you, then you will be able to travel to the night of the accident and prevent it from happening…

- Gerry, GERRY! Please stop. Please, let it go. I don’t want our last moments together to be like this. Let’s just enjoy this. Let’s live in this moment. Please.

- But…

- Please.

- I have one more candle, this doesn’t have to be our last moment. I can come back.

- Please don’t. please Gerry. Let it go.

Her hands where now in his as she was imploring. Gerry did not have a chance to keep at it as the plane they were in started to fade away. Like ripples distorting the clear surface of the memory they were inhabiting.

- It’s happening. He said.

- That wasn’t enough time, she replied.

- I can always come back one last time.

- Don’t. please promise me you won’t.

- I promise.

He held her tight against himself.

- Before we lose this, kiss me. Kiss me so I can remember it beyond life, beyond death. So that we would always have this, no matter what else we lose.

So he kissed her. He kissed her like he had never kissed anyone before. He kissed like he had always wanted to kiss her, like it was the last thing he would ever do.

Then he woke up, as he felt the tears rolling down his cheeks, his heart sank to the deepest hell as the tone of death made its way to his ears.

On a Tuesday at 10:53 PM. The love of his life died in front of him.

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