Vision of Vigilance

83-year-old Helen Bradley was sitting at her kitchen table, staring down at what seemed like a massive amount of pills. As happened every day, confusion overcome the portly woman as she tried to decipher which ones she had taken and which she hadn’t.

Despite her perplexion, Helen’s medications were arranged neatly and perfectly in order, thanks to her day/night pill cases. She had a good routine going, one that was ensured to stay that way because her nephew George checked in on her every day without fail.

Just that very morning, George had assisted her. Helen had noticed that he was wearing the hat she’d crocheted for him when he was just a toddler. Oh Dear! How’d you get that old thing to fit you now? She had asked her 68-year-old nephew in astonishment.

She remembered the odd look George had given her, almost as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. Helen clarified, Your hat. The one I crocheted you as a wee tike. Oh, you were so precious!

The look of confusion turned to concern when George told her he wasn’t wearing a hat and that it was 70 degrees outside.

After making a call to his aunt’s ophthalmologist to schedule an appointment, he’d promised to come back that afternoon to check on her.

George’s reaction had puzzled Helen, but she’d decided to dismiss it. Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me. That cataract surgery was some time ago; maybe I need it again. And at least George didn’t mention hallucinations again. Maybe he finally believes me that I don’t see things that aren’t there!

With that hopeful thought, Helen closed the medicine cases. She figured she’d worry about it later when her nephew returned. She’d noticed that George didn’t seem to think her newest prescription was agreeing with her. Since they all made her feel the same, Helen wasn’t quite sure why he might feel that way.

Suddenly, the elderly woman was shaken from her reverie. Carol, the neighbor was knocking on the door. Helen loved visitors and rushed to answer it. “Hello, Carol!” she exclaimed happily.

Carol smiled as she greeted her sweet older neighbor. “How are you today, Helen? Will you be doing your gardening this morning?”

Gardening was Helen Bradley’s favorite activity to do in all the world. She loved it so and the whole neighborhood knew it. Now and then, local residents even joined her in the activity. She invited Carol to participate, but her young, redheaded neighbor said she had errands to run.

“Oh. Well, before you go, don’t forget to say hello to Morris!”

“Who?” Carol looked around as if trying to figure out who Morris was.

“Morris, silly!” Helen pointed to her yellow cat but her friend didn’t seem to see him. So she knelt down to pet him and said, “See? He’s waiting for you to acknowledge him.”

Carol seemed to make a decision of some kind. She smiled and nodded, “Of course,” she also crouched to floor level and started petting the air. Helen seemed satisfied and picked up a ball of lint from her dryer, snuggling it against her wrinkled face. “He’s purring now,” she smiled.

Upon the exit of her neighbor, Helen went to get her gardening tools. Then she headed outside to plant some impatiens and azaleas.

As she started to dig, Helen soaked in the morning sunshine. She loved the way it seemed to perk her up, along with her flowers. She started to dig and was lost in thought when suddenly she saw something glinting in the sunlight. It glittered like gold! How pretty! Helen thought now. I wonder what it could be?

The more the determined woman dug, the more awestruck she became. A few minutes later, to her utter astonishment, the object swirled and rose from the ground. As the spinning slowed to a stop, a vision of loveliness formed before Helen’s amazed eyes.

It was the image of a girl, like a golden hologram, dressed from head to toe in Victorian era clothing. To her surprise, Helen recognized the beautiful, glowing girl. Sure, she’d never seen her in person at this age, but Helen had seen a childhood photograph of Grandmother Josephine looking rather stoic. Now Josephine was smiling and certainly not one-dimensional. She was standing before Helen, a young girl from another time.

“Grandmother?” Helen almost didn’t dare whisper it despite her certainty that it was she.

“Yes, Helen. It’s me.” Josephine reached out her ethereal hand to touch her granddaughter’s physical one and looked kindly upon her.

“Why do you come to me so young, Grandmother? Why have you waited so long to visit me?” Helen had tears of both joy and sadness in her eyes.

“I come to you now because we will soon meet again. When I crossed over to the other side, I was able to choose the age I wanted to forever remain. So, while I carry more wisdom than I ever had in my 95 earthly years, I appear forever seven years old. I was so happy then. And I am so happy now, dearest Helen.”

Helen tried to hug the child, but her arms wrapped around her own body. “Are you real?” Helen asked Josephine in confusion. “They say - some people say - that I get confused now. That I sometimes see things that aren’t there. That isn’t true, is it?” The desperate look from elderly granddaughter to youthful grandmother was heartbreaking.

“I’m real, Helen. You can’t hug me from this realm, but I’m here. And I have a message for you.”

“A message for me? Can I make you some tea and we can talk?”

“I cannot stay long, Dearest Helen,” Grandmother Josephine’s sweet voice tinkled in the air. “I haven’t much time. But I come with a warning.” Josephine’s face grew as serious as it had been in the old Victorian photograph. “You will see me again,” she said gently. “And I long for that day; but it isn’t your time yet. Don’t let anyone shorten your earthly stay. Have confidence in me,” Josephine paused and looked directly into her aged granddaughter’s eyes. “But don’t let your other visions fool you.”

Before Helen could ask Grandmother Josephine what her curious words meant, she swirled even faster than before and disappeared into the sky. Helen knew she couldn’t tell anyone about this encounter. Imagine what people would say about her if she did!

George would be coming over soon. Helen wanted to catch a quick nap before his arrival. She hated that her nephew felt she was so dependent on him. She was more independent than people seemed to realize. It saddened her to understand that she was seen as feeble and maybe even worse.

Helen started awake when she heard a knocking on the door. She’d been dreaming about her grandmother and didn’t want it to end yet. But when she heard, “Auntie! Are you up?” she knew that she had to get up to let George inside.

To Helen’s surprise, her nephew was already standing in her kitchen. “You left the door unlocked again - you can’t do that, Aunt Helen! It’s not 1955 anymore!”

And then she knew. Knew exactly what her Grandmother Josephine was trying to tell her. The vision. The dream. The unlocked door. The hallucinations.

* * * * * * * *

One Fortnight Later

Midnight and she heard it. She knew it was coming. The creaking of the main door. The tiptoeing steps across the kitchen floor. The capsules in the pillboxes being ever-so-carefully pulled apart. The other didn’t hear or see the face that peeked out from behind the bedroom door.

Helen had known about Carol and George. George was the only recipient in her will. There was only one person who would want her to seem senile. One person who would want her dementia diagnosis. One person who believed her premature death would be attributed to natural causes. A death that wouldn’t occur. Not before her time.

Helen had spoken to the one living human she trusted. They’d formed a plan. She stopped taking her pills and started faking hallucinations.

Helen’s ally had started an insincere relationship in order to help Helen catch a would-be murderer. Which was how she knew about the relationship with her nephew and neighbor - she’d planned it herself.

Helen watched as the villain filled the capsules with poison. But Helen wasn’t the only one watching. George had alerted the police beforehand. The kitchen door burst open and lights flooded the room. Carol had been caught red-handed poisoning Helen’s pills. George came into the room and Helen came out of her bedroom and both watched as Carol got cuffed and put into a squad car, never to bother them again.

“Auntie, I can’t believe we did it!” George heaved a sigh of relief now that they were both out of harm’s way. “And I’m also shocked that Carol would have thought I’d ever want to be with her four months after Denise passed from cancer. Or at all, for that matter. She must be delusional.”

Helen chuckled and said wisely, “Carol thinks that the privilege of youth gets one anything. And, honestly, how many 68-year-old men would turn down a 30-year-old woman!”

“I know one that would,” answered her nephew in disgust. Then he turned to his aunt with a more serious note in his voice. “Auntie,” he began, “ I…I don’t know how to tell you how sorry I am for believing you were hallucinating. I should have known something else was going on.”

Helen hugged her nephew tightly. Unlike Grandmother Josephine, Helen could feel this hug and it felt so nice. Then she let go, looked George squarely in the face and said, “There’s no way you could have known that Carol was unlocking my door after her every visit. And sneaking back in when I was out in the garden or sleeping. You helped me figure that out, believe it or not. Well…you and Grandmother Josephine…”

“Me? I helped? And Great Grandmother Josephine? How in the world could either of us have helped you find out the truth?”

Helen smiled and put on a kettle of tea. “I can tell you how you helped me. And I will.” She sat him down at the kitchen table before adding, “But I probably shouldn’t explain how Grandmother Josephine helped or you might draw some conclusions about me again!”