They see a "clump of cells." What we see is the potential of life. It’s so much more than a clump of cells. It's a heartbeat, a cuddly infant, a playful child, a moody teen, an adult discovering purpose. A life lived.
My inspiration for Mystical Intercession:
The room was biting cold. Even though the seats were plush and soft, the cream-colored walls decorated in calm, happy art, even the entrance door handle was warm bronze, pretty, welcoming. You would think they would raise the temperature, help everyone inside to feel better… warmer about what they were about to do.
An unwelcome shiver racked through me, then through Cindy sitting next to me. It was as if the room, the building itself, knew what went on within and rebelled against it. The smell was something else, something I could not describe, something that filled me with dread and despondency. A scent that I would never forget for as long as I lived. A heavy perfume, like a strong-smelling vanilla candle, filled the air as if to mask the dreadful scent beneath.
Not everyone was there for the same reason. No. But the ones there for the same reason as Cindy were easy to spot. They all worked to avoid eye contact with each other or anyone else in the room, exactly as Cindy was doing. The only indicator that told me she was still feeling, that she was still thinking, was her fingers twined with mine. With every passing moment, they gripped mine tighter and tighter.
Moments.
We only had moments.
Five minutes.
They would call her back, talk to her for maybe a minute, have her take the pill, and send her on her way with her “care package”. They guaranteed the process would only take five minutes, as if that were comforting to their patients. In all truth, it was because they had a process; they wanted people in and out and move onto the next. It was a cold process, as cold as the building it happened within.
While Cindy and the others in the room were secluded to their thoughts and nothing beyond, I was free to look about. The petite girl sitting across from us had short, black hair, her skin light and speckled with freckles. She stared at her hands in her lap while she picked at her nails.
A little boy, fair, freckled, black hair, filled my mind. He was on a sidewalk, sitting on the ground with a scratched-up knee held in the air. Tears rolled down his red cheeks. He was three, maybe four. Then the girl sitting across from us was a part of the vision, squatting next to the boy, cradling him in her arms. His crying instantly halted when he glanced up at her, pure love and comfort filling his eyes.
I shook my head in an attempt to shake off the image, the despair it enticed within me. That sickly sweet scent clogged everything up, making it impossible for me to clear my head, to think straight. To our right sat a couple, both of them dirty blond, the guy holding the girl’s hand, both of them staring straight forward at nothing. Or maybe something I couldn’t see or fathom.
A little girl sitting at a large wooden table. A colorful, glittering party hat sat atop her dirty blonde, curly bob. The couple sitting to our right stood behind her, smiles in their eyes, hands on her shoulders, as she leaned forward to blow out the pink, number-2 candle. Instead of only air coming out of her puckered lips, saliva sprayed all over the small, purple cake, causing her parents to toss their heads back and laugh.
I flinched from this picture, then continued scanning the room. Sitting along the wall to our left was one other girl, red hair, older, maybe in her late twenties. Tear tracks painted her cheeks, but she did not move, did not shake with sobs. Silent tears trailed down her face. I couldn’t help her, couldn’t help them, couldn’t help Cindy. I could only sit and wait and bear this burden.
A couple stands, the older man with his arms wrapped around the woman, both looking down at the baby enveloped in her arms. The redheaded woman sitting to our left watches them with tears still trailing down her cheeks, but these tears are not sad. The light in her eyes showed relief, certainty, peace.
These phantasmagorias flashed before my eyes in swift succession. A scream bubbled up my throat. I wanted to rant and rave, throw furniture around, bust the pretty pictures on the walls. These urges were suppressed, the scream swallowed. Cindy was the reason I was there. I would not condemn her, judge her, shun her, for the choice she was making. I would love her, hold her, support her, through every second of it. Even if it killed me. Even if it broke her. I would remain, an unwavering stronghold for my closest friend.
One final image—the image I didn’t want to see—filled my vision.
It was Cindy...
@redheadtwit I feel this so much. Where are you located (sorry I can’t remember)? I don’t want to date, I’m such a mess, but I miss my person and having someone who really really knew me to talk to.
1-Minute Eye Exercise to Sharpen Your Vision 👁️✨
An ancient technique—simple, natural, powerful.
Just 60 seconds a day to relax & restore your eyes.
👀 Your vision deserves this.
👉 Try it today, thank yourself tomorrow.