The flow of the music was divine.

  Her mother played every day for as long as she could remember, and whenever she was there, Lisa danced to the rhythm.

  Twirling with her eyes closed, she listened carefully to the flow—the subtle highs and the careful lows flowing from a practiced hand that came from endless hours of pulling the bow to make it sing.

  One more, Mom! Play more!

  Despite her desire for more, the music stopped. Lisa frowned as she watched her mother stare at her music sheet with annoyance.

  “I keep messing up the D flat…” her mom said, her voice low and tense.

  “I think it sounds fine, Mom,” Lisa said, trying to ease her fears.

  It was the night of a big recital—her mom’s chance to prove her skills—and Lisa found her mother’s anxiety funny. She kept trying to ease her mind.

  “It’s not the first time you’ve done this. You always do fine.”

  “You say that, Leese, but it’s your mother who has to deal with the failure.”

  “You’re not going to fail…”

  “What time is it?” her mom interrupted, before Lisa could call her out for being overdramatic.

  Lisa tried to roll her eyes at her mom’s drama, but her mom refused to look, seeming more concerned with fixing mistakes in her music—mistakes that didn’t exist.

  “Crap, we’re going to be late, aren’t we? What time is it…?”

  Lisa watched her mom stumble over her words, trying to put away her instrument while also searching for a clock.

  Lisa checked her phone. “10:34. It’s still early. It starts around 2.”

  “I still need to set up, get checked in, and refocus when I’m there. You know this. I wanted to leave at 10.”

  They were already dressed and ready in formal wear, so she wasn’t sure why her mother was panicking…

  “DAAAD! MOM WON’T QUIT WORRYING!”

  A distant voice shouted back, “YOU TELL HER WE STILL GOT TIME?”

  “YUP!”

  “STOP YELLING, YOU TWO, AND GET IN THE CAR…” her mom interjected between their shouts.

  Guess she won’t calm down till we’re there. Whatever. Maybe someone I know will be there…

  Dad was the rock of the bunch. Even with Mom panicking, he never lost his calm, double-checking and making sure nothing was forgotten as they left for the car.

  Lisa scrolled her phone, checking for texts to see if any of her friends could make it. A few did say they’d try but would let her know closer to time if they got there.

  The ride there was filled with bickering, and while Lisa texted on her phone, she could not help but shake her head, smiling.

  She missed this.

  The world seemed to stop, and all sound with it, at those words.

  Miss… this…? But why?

  Because they’re dead.

  Lisa looked up, throwing her phone to the side, desperate to see her parents still fighting, to deny the thought that flowed in. But even as she looked up, trying to see them one last time—

  SLAM.

  And with that, all there was was darkness.

  A swirl of madness and disorienting feelings consumed her. She wasn’t sure what was happening. She tried to focus, to push beyond, to defy everything—to see her family again.

  The darkness was not so easily broken. It reminded her of its eternal nature.

  Pain. So much pain. She could not move, could not see. The sound of sirens blared among the pounding in her head.

  This. This is the real world. They’re dead. And I’m dying.

  Nothing was real, so what did it matter what she dreamed?

  Unknown time passed. So much crying and…

  No sight.

  Yet somewhere in that drifting, she knew the gentle touch of her aunt crying with her, teaching her braille.

  She pulled away; that could not be; it was a lie. There was only the wreck.

  Yet new memories drifted along as if mocking her for what was real versus the endless night that took her sight and her will to fight.

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  A gentle melody, pulled from the bow by her own hand.

  Playing her own song? Learning to live again?

  No… Even that’s a lie.

  This was just fragments of a dream she wanted, and even that was broken. Yet new memories drifted along.

  Lisa knew her aunt cared, wept with her over their shared loss, till they fought because they both refused to change, to understand…

  Maybe? It… was… real?

  Not that it mattered whether it was real or just a dream. She was still here, dying.

  She did wish she had tried harder to make better moments, since they would be her last memories. Why did she let it end in tragedy and not something new?

  Whatever. It is what it is.

  The pain never faded. It remained the same, digging and clawing through her flesh. She wasn’t sure why it wanted her to suffer, but it did.

  It wasn’t enough to take her life, her family, or her music.

  Oh, no…. A cold truth swept through the dark to whisper what she now knew.

  It wanted everything, it seemed. Even the final scraps of her will to live.

  Was that why it always chased her? Needing her approval? The moment she agreed, it would end?

  A cruel final consent to finish destroying her will before it ended her life?

  Fine, you evil bastard. You win. I give—

  I’m sorry.

  What?

  Since when did the darkness care that it hurt me? What a weird final stab…

  Please hold on. I will figure out something.

  You’re not very bright, darkness…. You already won. I give up. You win…

  Do you trust me?

  No? But what does that matter…

  Be my pet. I can keep you safe. Help you live.

  Why would I let darkness rule me as its pet?!

  Yet through the sea of pain, somewhere a fragment of a memory surfaced of a dumb kid playing a game.

  It seems that dumb fantasy followed me even here. What the hell…

  Okay, sure… What was that kid’s name I made up? … Aha. Liri.

  Okay, Liri. I agree.

  Maybe now the dream and nightmare will fade, since she made peace with her lies.

  Just to be safe…. Sorry, Auntie. You tried. I was lost. And sorry, Mom and Dad. I’ll be joining you soon. Sorry, music. I love you, and thank you for the sounds you gave me to be free and drift away.

  Lisa wasn’t sure if it was accepting her fate or the abyss pitying her, but the pain lessened and seemed to fade to a numbness.

  She could not move and felt nothing really. Everything was muddled, like being submerged deep in water—no, tar. Holding her in its embrace.

  Yet despite being bound to the nothing and strangely feeling no pain, a new image appeared: a young fairy girl, tiny and delicate, hugging herself. It was hard to tell as the image shifted between clarity and a grey blob before fading back to nothingness.

  The blob that shifted from nothing to fairy was watching her with concern and fear before looking away, seeming to speak into the void.

  No…

  To someone else. Before looking back at her, the fairy voice—clearly Liri—spoke toward her.

  Dad says this can save you, but you won’t be free. He won’t trust you if you don’t stay my pet.

  Okay?

  This is the longest afterlife event ever…

  I thought you were getting this over with, Darkness…

  Yet now you’re making a poor vision of my fairy dream, offering me more…

  If you drink this, you really will be indebted to the fairies. I know you can’t speak normally, but I can feel your intent in our current bond.

  Okay, Lisa?

  This felt too real, a truth. Maybe… maybe some of it was real? And something did happen since the accident?

  Okay, save me, please. I agree to stay bonded with you.

  The grayish fairy image held something glowing in her hands. It shone with a light so bright it should have hurt her eyes in the sea of darkness, but instead, looking upon it was hope and warmth. It felt like something good to wash away her fear.

  A gentle pouring entered her lips. She could not feel it, not really, even as she watched the fairy do it. But the liquid changed what she felt as it flowed down her throat.

  Colors. So many colors. She had forgotten what it meant to see color, so used to the darkness that was her life.

  Yet now she was swimming in them. And the music!

  It flowed in her body and sang in her veins. Where numbness greeted her before, now feeling existed. So much power swelling within, pools dancing, swishing around.

  She seemed to glide along into the depths of space, into cosmic clouds.

  The image of Liri the fairy followed her, dancing and laughing with her, chasing her along the sea.

  Liri’s form was now full of life, so bright and pure, the same colors of the cosmos flowing through her as she danced with Lisa in the endless sea.

  Time meant nothing here as she felt eons could pass in seconds, but this time it was a gift, not a curse. To be free from all that was binding her soul.

  Everywhere she went was free. Nothing was barred from her. She felt she could even find a new world in this celestial state, maybe new creatures and things beyond wonder.

  So as a test, since the dream was so pleasant and she felt things were limitless, why not try and recreate her favorite thing?

  Music.

  She mimed holding her violin and a bow to place upon the strings and pulled, and with it the cosmos sang to her command.

  As the rhythm sang, she danced along with her hands. No longer feeling the need to pretend an instrument existed, she was the song. It responded to her desire for it to sing, and so it was.

  A sense of touch came with the wonder of the world she now existed in. Anything was possible. Everything was bliss.

  Even Liri joined in, making her own song, mimicking Lisa’s flowing form, creating a chorus as they both played, their music intertwining to create songs beyond what she knew.

  Yet a shift happened and dampened her joy when she could not summon her parents to dance and be free with her.

  Everything else was so easy and within her grasp, yet no matter how much she willed it, they would not join her.

  It was the only other thing she wanted. And if this was her afterlife, why couldn’t they be here?

  So, is this not heaven? Is everything not free?

  No. Even with all this power, she still did not have her family…. Not even her aunt, it seemed.

  It all lost its luster and felt hollow.

  The power meant nothing. And she did not care to see Liri looking confused, unsure what changed, as even she faded from Lisa’s eyes.

  The world turned dark once more, back to the blackness, an old comfort she knew well.

  This is better. Now I can’t see the lies.

  She did not mind the sound of music in this world that existed. It was a bit of peace she would allow. But everything else felt like a lie.

  A pain she did not want.

  So she denied it—especially the ability to see…

  Slowly, the world spiraled back downwards, back into the sea of life, far beyond that cosmic world of endless magic, and she was pulled towards her body, now seeming renewed in some form, healed save for her eyes.

  Everything else felt renewed, healed, and whole in a way she did not know was lacking.

  The first thing she felt was cold stone beneath her cheek. She was on her back.

  Then her own breath came into focus—slow and steady—as she tasted the cool air. Someone was nearby. Breathing. Waiting.

  Lying on her chest? The form was light to the touch and so small…

  She wasn’t sure how much of this new life she would believe. But for now, something had changed. Two truths she could not deny.

  Her parents were dead. She still lived.

  Magic was real. She had some of it now.

  And somewhere nearby—close enough to hear breathing upon her chest—the fairy who had followed her into the dark abyss and brought her back was resting and waiting.