Magic Man

Chapter 2: Magic Man

Lexy opened her eyes to find herself there in that emergency room. She gasped for air upon opening her eyes but then calmed down the minute she realized she was fine, and that Cody's mom was there. His dad was there too. Her mom was also there too. She couldn't feel more loved in that moment.

"...What are you guys doing here?" She asked softly. She could barely remember. Everything happened so fast.

"Oh, honey!" Her mom cried and went and hugged her tight.

"Sweetie-!" Cody's mom cried too,

"Thank heavens your okay, you had us all so worried!" Cody's dad exclaimed, his eyes were very watery, he was real concerned. "Whatever in this world could ever make you think that taking your life could be a way out of this misery--we need you here. We need you, you're all that we have left of Cody, and you're all that your mom's got, we all need you. The world needs you. It wouldn't be beautiful anymore if you weren't in it." His mom held her so tight and sobbed hard.

"She's right you know. You're like a daughter to us. You're the daughter I never had." His dad said.

"...The world isn't beautiful anymore without Cody in it!" Lexy sobbed hard.

"I know that it's hard, but you can't take your life just because he's dead! That will only make things worst!" His mom cried and held her tighter. She put in Lexy's arms a really large white fluffy teddy bear that she bought her in the hospital gift shop on the other side.

Lexy held it tight.

"Cody wouldn't ever want you to do that." Said his dad.

"Lexy, I was worried sick, don't ever do that to me, don't leave me! If you can't do it for you, then do it for me, live for me...I promise you I'm going to be here for you for as long a it takes, for as long as I live. I know it's never going to stop hurting. I came to care for Cody too, alot, he was going to be my son in law. Nothing will ever make us forget him, nothing will ever replace him, but one day after a long, long time, you're going to see that it's going to start to hurt a little bit less and less and everything, is going to somehow be okay, never the same, maybe not happy, but okay, because life goes on-"

"No mama, it doesn't, my life ended the day that his did!!" Lexy cried.

"Baby, I know that you feel dead on the inside, I know that it hurts too much, but dying isn't going to solve anything. In fact, it will only inflict more pain into all of us, into the people that most love you in this world. Baby life is not a book, you need to grow up. Think about Cody, think about what he wanted. Even you admitted to me that in his last moments he tried to protect you, he was worried that something bad could happen to you. How are you going to let Cody die in vain? He must have saved you after all, we could have lost you that day, but for some reason you lived. I don't know how, I wasn't there, maybe it was just the simple fact that he gave you a will to fight, and that pushed you to stay alive, against all odds. Cody helped you in lots of ways, he protected you!" Her mom cried, a spoke out of a broken and scratchy throat. Her voice sounded old even from how much she had suffered and cried. She almost lost her little girl right now. "He once told me that he knew it was love what he felt for my daughter because he realized that he would die if anything happened to you. So live for Cody too. Right now, focus on how much he loved you, not on the fact that he isn't here anymore with you. Remember the good memories and let them cause you happiness, laughter, joy, peace, tranquility, because your memories are the only place you'll ever have Cody, and he will always live there! Nobody can take that away from you, no one! Don't suffer, cry if you need to cry but don't relive the trauma of the accident, stay in the happy memories and...talk to me, I'm here." Her voice sounded even weak, drained, exhausted from sleepless night too and even old age.

"Okay mama, I don't want to live if Cody isn't here, but I don't want you to suffer in this way, to feel what I feel. I won't do it, because I don't desire this pain on anyone, even less you for my sake, especially you!!" Lexy sobbed now. She didn't want Cody's parents to suffer either for her death but the only thing that really made her stop herself from committing suicide was her love for her mother. She could not bear the thought of leave this huge load upon her.

Lexy kept crying and she fell into a depression for she had to live with this pain for the rest of her days, but they discharged her from the hospital with her family, her only family, them three. She went home with her mom and his parents came to check on her every day after that. A week passed and she stopped talking all together. She stopped getting up out of bed.

Her mom kept trying, so did his parents but she wouldn't come out.

One day, her mom was out of the house. Lexy hadn't even gone to work, by now she must have been let go.

She and Cody were young, they were both eighteen, both working at the same restaurant, both servers. They drove together, worked together, did everything together.

That day though, she got up, estranged to hear the house this quiet and she walked over to the countertop because she saw a note. It was her mom's, she'd gone out grocery shopping.

Lexy had her large white teddy bear in her arms, holding it tight. She went out to the yard and kept walking, she ended up leaving the block, crossing streets and things. She missed the motorcycle. They were paying it off between the both of them.

His dad signed off on it so he could get approved the loan from the bank and at least Cody had some money saved up for a down payment, he had been working a little bit longer than her. It was both of theirs though, their motorcycle.

.

Lexy ended up lost, and without a phone, in a random park, really far away from home. She sat down on one of the swings, everything was starting to get dark, there were no kids or people in the park. The sky was light blue but darkish. She could almost see the moon. Suddenly panic came into her, there were so many trees everywhere. See it was all light bright yellow skies but she fell asleep under a large oak tree and woke up to the dark.

Suddenly she heard a sound, "Ahhh!!" Lexy gasped and screamed in one.

She saw a shadow approaching, but suddenly the silouette cracked a few colorful dollar tree glow sticks into place, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He got close and kept a distance, "Do you want one?" He asked but he handed her three uncracked sticks.

"Sure," she smiled still taken abat and a bit startled but she somehow managed to remain courteous. "Gee, thanks."

She was a little bit scared but the essence of this person's calmness and distance calmed her. He seemed rather kind. Maybe she didn't have to feel so alone in the darkness of these woods. Maybe it didn't have to feel so scary anymore.

She cracked the sticks into colorful light and then chuckled softly and smiled, when she hadn't smiled in a long time. It happened so unconsciously. Then he flickered on a flashlight and shined the light into her eyes and saw them watery. Her smile had already faded so fast.

"You're blinding me." She said, looking rather sad.

"...Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Lexy wasn't about to get into detail with a perfect stranger.

"You're crying."

"Everyone's allowed to cry, aren't they, or is there a law against it?" She asked softly, "I was hoping for a little privacy.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Might I ask why a young girl like yourself would be out here in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, crying?" Something about that genuine question seemed to radiate a peace in her, it seemed to break down a wall, a barrier inside of her. It seemed so sincere, it seemed friendly and without ill or corrupt motives. It didn't seem like he was asking to ask, it sounded to her like he actually cared. It made something in her cave and she changed her answer, because no, not everything was fine. In fact, her whole world had just been destroyed.

So instead of avoiding the question, she responded to him in this way, very subtly, a little vaguely, yet very raw and down straight to the truth, because she didn't want to carry it alone anymore. "Maybe she's lost...or maybe her boyfriend just died a few days ago, and she really loved him...maybe she tried to kill herself but they managed to save her at the hospital, and then her mom begged her not to do it again, so she can't die. Maybe her neck is broken. Maybe she's forced to stay alive..." She said softly, and cried more, and for what's worst, she blamed herself for asking Cody to take her on a ride that night. It was her fault that he was dead. She believed that. "Maybe it's her life sentence..." She uttered out softly. She caved too easily because she craved to tell someone, she needed to confide in someone and she had not been able to muster up that kind of courage of being honest with herself, about what she needed, or about her need to talk about this. She couldn't even talk to her mom because that would only make her worry more and then she would also pity her, and the last thing that Lexy wanted was to be looked at with pity.

"...I know there's nothing I can say-" He felt really filled with sadness, moved to the point of mercy, or compassion. He didn't know what to call it.

"You don't...have to say anything. I know, thank you. And, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...said all that." She said to him.

"It's okay, I have time. I can listen." He said softly.

"I appreciate that, but I don't really want to talk about it. It's too painful. Sometimes I feel like...nevermind." She didn't know exactly what she wanted. That same moment, she closed herself off, like if saying it out loud had done her damage and she instantly regretted it.

"Like what?"

But she needed this vent: "Like I loved him too damn much but like maybe I didnt show it enough!" She cried, really overwhelmed by all of this.

"Trust me...he knew." The man suddenly became deeply serious.

"How can you be so sure?" She asked. softly.

"His name was Cody Rebel, wasn't it?"

Lexy gasped and backed away, her jaw dropped in fear. "...How do you know?" Her voice got real awfully low and her eyes got so huge.

"...I'm a magic man." He said softly and smiled with the most gentle smile that she had ever seen before. He was still and peaceful, then suddenly he chuckled, "I'm kidding, the tattoo on your collar bone kind of gave it away." He laughed softly, a short and sweet gentle chuckle, which transmitted her peace.

"...Oh," she looked down a bit embarrassed and she smiled, "that makes sense. So you're a magic man you say?" She asked, intrigued.

She thought he was lying obviously.

"Yes, very magical." He smiled. He turned on a lamp, she wasn't sure where he got it from, it was an oil lamp but maybe he had it all along, she wasn't sure, he just brought it from behind his back and showed it to her.

"What are you? Some sort of wizard?" She joked for the first time in about two weeks. She still felt sad and empty but this man with purple hair made her laugh. She wasn't asking even a serious question and it didn't make her miss Cody any less.

"Oh, you haven't seen any magic yet." He handed her the lamp and when she took it as he was walking away from her, he came up from behind her and then he vanished.

Lexy turned around scared and gasped, "Hey, where'd you go!?" Suddenly he appeared before her and his eyes glowed a light blue and then slowly but rather quickly at the same time, like a fade, changed color, and then normalized to his original black eyes.

"What the heck are you, a robot!?" She suddenly ran away from him.

"No," he grew sad and awfully quiet and turned around, "I'm not going to hurt you...I don't want to hurt anyone." He said softly.

She slowed down in compassion for his sorrow, and got closer, "I'm sorry...you promise you won't hurt me?" She asked softly.

"I promise you this, I will never hurt you." He turned and his eyes met with hers and they locked.

"...You really are a magic man." She gasped slowly. She was still frightened but he made her feel peaceful.

"No, I have glow in the dark eyes, I was a lab rat." He rolled his eyes and then smiled. He had a sense of humor and he was cynical. Then his smile faded and he grew serious and he he gave her that look: the look that says I mean what I'm saying when I say this to you, but what followed were these next words. "...I vow to you this day, I will protect you, from sorrow and from danger. I am Magic Man. Tell me, what can I do...to make you happy? I can take you to Magic Land. I can give you the deepest most difficult desires of your heart, all of your hopes and dreams can become true in one instant. Fairy tales can come to life, you just name the story book; cartoons, drawings will walk, teddy bears will talk to you. You can have a conversation with your own furniture or your car. Just tell me, what do you want. All I want is to take away your sadness. I am Magic Man."

"Woah," her eyes lit up astounded. "But, I don't want to go to Magic Land or talk to my drawings or have a car with a heart, all I want is one thing." Lexy said.

Magic Man was about to open his mouth to speak when Lexy interrupted him and asked softly, "What if I don't want to go to Magic Land?"

"You don't have to go anywhere that you don't want to go. Tell me, what is it that you want, with all of your heart, and I promise you, this day, I will grant it. I will take you to a place where forever is one day and time is detained, where there is no rush, no time, and you can bask into the desires of your heart. Do ask, your wish is my command. I will not rest, until you have rest in your heart." He replied her.

"I won't ask for many things, there is only one thing that I really want, more than anything in the whole wide world." She had calmed down a bit but now her eyes watered up again as she pronounced these words with her whole entire devastated heart in the palm of her hand, stretching out to him.

"I wish I could go back to thirteen days ago before I got on the motorcycle with Cody and got into that crash." She sobbed.

"I am very, very sorry, I forgot to mention I can grant you something that you don't have but I can't physically take you to the past or to the future. The present thing is the only timeframe that we will ever own. Magic Man is subjected to space and time like you mortals." He admitted.

"...You're immortal?" She asked.

Magic Man did not reply.

"Ask for something else." He said softly, looking over to the side, away from her, a slight bit awkward.

"I wish you could go to the graveyard and bring Cody back to life." Lexy said softly.

Magic Man grew awfully quiet. He never should have promised something that he could not give. He did not respond.

He grew deeply frustrated and taken abat by this.

"...I can't." He breathed out heavily, after one long minute of silence, overwhelmed. "I'm sorry. I can't bring people back from the dead. I can't do that. I just...I don't have that kind of power. I really am sorry." He was awfully flustered and sorrowful, awfully repetitive in his consistent apologies, for the guilt consumed him now far beyond imaginable.

She began sobbing now and dropped to the ground overwhelmed, devastated. Her heart turned to shreds, she took his lamp and smashed it into the ground, "Then I don't believe in you Magic Man!!" She screamed.

The lamp didn't burn, it powered off and he immediately transported her into a large bubble and the background became dark and in that bubble she saw everything that was in her brain, and he changed the slides from the memories of the accident and he too began to view what was inside her head, of her soul. He saw further back to their sweet memories together, Lexy and Cody's.

"What are you doing!? What are you doing to me!!?" She pounded hard at the bubble, she could not escape. "Those memories are private, those memories are beautiful, and they're mine!!" She sobbed, "Leave them alone,"

She couldn't be more confused.

Suddenly the slide changed to one really sweet one where she and Cody had been talking, whispering gently and they put their hands against each other and smiled, "It's you and me Lexy, just you and me, forever..." He said softly.

Lexy smiled. "...I love you, sometimes I wonder if you even know how much I love you. I love you too damn much."

"Don't worry so much, you prove it to me, every single day. I love you beyond words can even exist to describe, but I won't say it as much as you. I'm going to live to show you it with my life, everyday, because I want you to feel it. I'd die if something ever happened to you." He said and began to run his fingers through her hair. She climbed in closer and laid against his chest and he leaned forward and gave her one sweet kiss on the forehead. Lexy have him that look, that awestruck look. The one he couldn't resist, the look that shriveled his heart all up and had the power to manipulate him into doing anything she wanted whether that was a late night drive, a dare, a road trip, a foot massage, or indulging into a hole lot of ice cream with so, so much fudge and whip cream.

Lexy's attention was drawn by this screen. She suddenly began to cry. Magic man opened a portal inside of the bubble, "...You can come out now."

Lexy touched the screen gently, "I love you Cody..." She uttered out softly.

She didn't leave so Magic Man destroyed the portal.

"Let me see him one more time."

"He is always inside of your heart." He said, "Come here," He pulled her into his arms and hugged her and for the first time, Lexy felt a true peace, a safety that she could almost trust in. It was a melancholic kind of calmness mixed with a bittersweet sadness but yet she felt safe.

"...Thank you Magic Man, but if you can't bring Cody back, there is nothing else that I could ask for." She finally uttered softly. He caressed her hair gently.

"I want to show you something. Will you trust me?" He asked her. "Can I take you somewhere?"

He opened a portal in the middle of the air, beside them, it was dark and scary. It looked like a black hole with a galaxy of stars inside.

"Where will you take me if I say yes?"

"Somewhere marvelous..." He answered.

"... I'm scared." She replied.

"...Just, trust me." He extended out his hand, and she reached out to take it but she was hesitant.