Daniela Krebs

 

So here I find myself, lying here, in the arms of a woman I have never met before. I feel more dead than alive, as memories run through my head. I can see a bright light. Is this heaven? I did not think my life would end so quickly or at least not this way.

I was really looking forward to watching my child grow up. But now everything seems empty. All the joy is gone. The only hope is that light. I cannot tell you what is happening around me, I have never felt so alone.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a group of blurry figures. Is my family standing next to my death bed? Has a priest arrived to give me my last rights? Or is God already waiting for me to come? All the pictures seem so blurry. Is it my baby on the other side of the room? How can life and death be so close?

And then there is the light again. It is getting smaller. Hopefully my baby is healthy and someone can care for it. Aw… My eyes feel heavy. I feel like I am in a dream – a bad dream… a living nightmare!

I wish I could go back to my home town to watch the men dancing again. They were always dancing on a balcony high upon a house and in the background I could see the mosque where I spent my childhood. One man was dancing around a circle of other men. It was like a never ending dance. Their expressions and energy radiate so much joy and happiness. I loved watching them, so much so that my entire art gallery was full of their paintings.

Despite my best efforts, I was never able to capture the rhythm and infectious movement of their spinning and dancing into a single painting. Now I seem so far away from those happy days. It feels like my days have nearly come to an end.

A strange sound just appeared. What is it? The light is still at the horizon, but I hardly see it.

There are so many beautiful memories running through my head. But I am also scared of the bright light and this sound. Please, let me see my child one more time and the happy dancers… I feel faint…

The dramatic light at the end of the tunnel is getting smaller. I can hear a sharp thudding noise getting faster. The tempo is increasing. Is it my pulse? All the memories are rushing past my eyes.

A flash. Silence.