Soul Searching

Seven Minutes

They arrived at the party only a few minutes late, but her make-up was perfectly on point. They both grinned at each other in the car and had to pull over once to make out like teenagers. She corrected the smeared lipstick in the vanity mirror of the car, and smoothed out her rumpled dress as she stepped out. Stepping onto the walkway, she was a portrait of macabre elegance. He was... more or less a cowboy. But this night would be about her.

They walked arm in arm towards the entrance of the city event center. But before they could even walk up the steps, there was a high pitched squeal from behind them. Issac winced, knowing instantly where that sound was coming from. Helena's childhood friend from Sunday school, Charlotte. Charlotte was harmless enough, but he found her annoying on a good day. Intolerable on a bad day. Her voice just grated him, and she was uncontrollably dramatic in all scenarios. Still, Helena was friends with her and seemed to enjoy her company, so Isaac did what he could to hide his grimaces.

Charlotte ran and embraced Helena at the bottom of the steps. Her flowing blue butterfly costume billowed around her. It was a stunning choice. She wore all black underneath and had an elegant hair band with curving antennae. Compared to Helena though? That costume could have been pulled from a junk heap. The two pulled away from their hug and began showering each other with compliments. Isaac found an interesting rock to pay attention to on the ground, waiting for either of them to remember he existed. After a few moments of chatter, Helena grabbed his hand and continued the walk up the stairs.

The party was fantastic. They danced, caught up with friends and had some spooky themed drinks. Best of all, Helena won the contest. She beamed under the spotlight, holding a bouquet of black roses. Isaac didn't know if they were painted, or fake, but the aesthetic was complete. The witch had won and the flowers matched her look precisely. The grand prize was a dinner for two at The Golden Swan. This was an elegant restaurant at the end of a small pier on Lake Lorgast, a tourist destination at the edge of town. They would never make a reservation though. There would not be enough time. There was hardly any time at all in fact.

Isaac smiled broadly at his wife as she stood, collecting her prize. He had never been more proud of her. The crowd hooted and hollered as the 2nd and 3rd place winners were announced and walked into their spotlight. He admitted that the competition was a bit more robust than he'd expected. The second place winner was a fairly magnificent handmade cardboard T-Rex costume. Third was an older man painted totally white, with black outlining his features - a fair image of what he imagined a ghost would look like. But Helena's dress and overall look was more striking and frankly alluring. She had made the witch's hat by hand. It was a smaller version with a slight point but overall finished the look perfectly.

He clapped and whistled at her, shouting her name with pride. The judge official presented her gift certificate and ribbon- black to match the roses. Though Isaac couldn't hear from his position in the crowd, he saw the judge motion for a picture and began gathering the group towards a corner. He watched her scoot in between the dinosaur and ghost. She was beautiful. But had he noticed her eyes had a slightly glazed look? He thought that her normally golden face was pale and that her smile had faltered. Actually, she almost matched the ghost next to her. Isaac watched her with caution, wondering what was wrong. She forced a smile during the photo but after the flash, her smile dropped immediately and her eyes darted to Isaac's. Her eyebrows knitted together with worry. Suddenly, as he began to move towards her, she dropped to the ground with a thud. Someone in the crowd screamed.

Isaac rushed to her, kneeling on the floor. He waved an arm around, clearing the crowd that was forming around them. He yelled in a hoarse and broken voice, to no one in particular, "Call an ambulance! Call 911!" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Charlotte run out of the room with her phone to her ear, already on the line with emergency services. He reached down to Helena's face and stroked it gently. She was still pale and felt clammy. She had fallen against the person in the T-Rex costume, so thankfully she hadn't hit her head. But she looked bad. He had never seen her faint before and wondered if maybe she had the flu or something? He wasn't sure what exactly made people faint, but it didn't seem good. "It's ok honey bee, I'm here. I'm here." Helena moaned slightly in response, eyes fluttering but remaining closed.

He stayed with her, holding her hand until the EMTs arrived. They loaded her carefully onto a gurney and began moving her to the ambulance. She only woke once before they got to the hospital. She cracked open her eyes and look at Isaac. The medics had placed an oxygen mask over her face so her words were faint and barely audible but he heard her. She whispered, "I'm sorry."

He couldn't stop the tears that came streaming down his face. This felt serious. This felt like she was saying goodbye. His inner thoughts were screaming, 'Why is this happening? WHAT is happening?' But he remained calm and tried his best to soothe her, "Oh honey bee, you have nothing to be sorry for. You just rest. Everything will be alright. I'll be here for you, always." She closed her eyes again and he held her limp hand. At the time, he thought that the 7 minute ambulance ride had felt like the longest moment of his life. Only later would he realize it was not long enough.

What he wouldn't give now to spend 7 more minutes with her.