The Last Month

A tale about living while you’re dying

Photo by Anton Luzhkovsky on Unsplash

“Josie?” her co-worker Caroline whispered beside her.

Josie rubbed her eye as she stared at the screen of the computer. She looked back at Caroline. “Sorry, I spaced out.”

“The meeting is about to start.”

“On my way.”

Josie finished sending the email to the insurance company. She couldn’t believe they were denying cover for Mr. Clarkson’s knee replacement after everything the poor man went through. What a bunch of greedy crooks.

Josie entered the meeting room of the Spring Valley Orthopedics and took a seat in the back. She already knew what they were going to discuss. It was all about productivity, time-management, customer support, blah blah blah.

Not that it didn’t matter to her — it had always mattered. But after last night’s “visit,” it was getting harder and harder to keep the focus.

Josie had an interesting “encounter” in her bedroom. She simply didn’t know what to call that anyway. She’d just left the bathroom after brushing her teeth when she saw the silhouette of a person by her daughter’s empty bed. At first, she was taken back at the sight but then drew a little closer. A beautiful and luminous woman — yes, that is the best word to describe her — was standing and staring at her. Josie’s heart skipped a beat.

The woman exuded beauty and kindness. She had big brown eyes and curly faded brown curls that felt all the way to her waistline. She was dressed in some sort of white robe that reminded Josie of old nightgowns. It seemed that she had been bathed in moonlight, and she was kind of shining.

“Josie,” the woman said softly. “It’s so good to know that you can see me.”

Josie’s mouth was wide open. “Who are — ”

“I have an important message for you,” the lady cut her off.

And that’s how Josie’s new “life” began.

In some sort of hypnotic state, Josie noticed she wasn’t afraid of the woman anymore and was drawn to her presence. She listened to her words. They were supposed to be very painful, but instead of suffering, she felt peace. And after what Josie considered a few minutes later, the woman…