ABOUT CLAIRE

This is a short story about an engineer working in the Netherlands who finally had time off to meet his wife and daughter in Kuala Lumpur. But when he woke up from his flight he was lost, couldn’t find anyone or anywhere he could recognise, and kept wandering through fog and mist, which always led to a huge building he thought was a hospital.

ABOUT CLAIRE

Karl paused as the huge white building loomed before him, appearing almost mysteriously out of the thick fog and sitting behind two tall iron gates – almost like the entrance to Buckingham Palace or the White House.

Drawn to the “Waiting Room” sign sitting above the main door, he wondered whether it was a general hospital, or even a psychiatric or mental health refuge.

He’d been having weird, unsettling visions – although he called them “The Terrors” - so he thought he’d just call in and try to get an appointment. What did he have to lose?

He soon had second thoughts. It might not have been a very good medical practice after all, he mused, as he made his way inside. While it was beautifully, almost lavishly decked out, as he looked down the corridors all the waiting rooms were chock-a-block full, with people spilling out into the hallways.

A tall, silver-haired man of Middle Eastern appearance came through large double doors, his bushy but neatly-cropped silver beard, warm embracing smile and upright, open stance all added to his distinguished appearance. He looked much older than Karl – who was in his early 50s – and exuded an aura of confidence, experience and self-belief.

He wore a white name badge with the name ‘SHIMON BAR YONAH’ emblazoned in gold capital letters.

“You look troubled young man. Come through and talk with me.”

As Karl walked into the plush office, he thought he was in another world. The whole area was decked out in white and he quickly sank into the soft, thick and most amazingly comfortable chair. He immediately felt more relaxed than he’d been in ages.

“Hi Dr Yonah,” he began tentatively, then almost gushed because he was worried he wouldn’t make sense.

“My name is Karl and I have an amazing wife, Elizabeth, and a beautiful 22-year-old daughter Amy. I’ve been working in the Netherlands for a month and flew out to meet them in Kuala Lumpur, where we were going to celebrate our 25^th wedding anniversary as well as Amy’s graduation from college.

“I must have dozed on the plane – in fact I don’t even remember disembarking – but when I got there, I couldn’t find them anywhere.”

Dr Yonah opened his mouth, but Karl anxiously jumped in before he could speak.

“It’s like a dream. I’ve been wandering around in this fog ever since. I just came across the hospital in the fog. I even saw a vision of our house, but it had a ‘For Sale’ sign on it. I don’t understand.

“It’s like they’ve both ghosted me for some reason, and I can’t figure out why.”

Karl wiped his sleeve across his brow, and fumbled for a handkerchief, catching a tear that slowly tumbled down his cheek.

Before Dr Yonah could speak again, Karl stood and angrily paced across the room.

“It’s really strange. I can’t see them, but it’s like I’m having visions or something,” he continued.

“I see and hear them talking with some woman name Claire. She must be a lawyer or something, as I saw her name on a door.”

He gulped as he recalled seeing Elizabeth and Amy with Claire. They were crying and Elizabeth kept calling out: “Why did you leave us?”

“But I didn’t leave them,” Karl sobbed. “They left me!”

“What is it, Doc? Am I going crazy or something?”

Dr Yonah stood up and walked over to Karl. When he put both hands on Karl’s shoulders, it was like a weight had been lifted from him.

“Karl,” he said quietly, “I’ve been trying to tell you, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

He stood fully erect, opened his arms wide, and his voice suddenly echoed across the pure silence.

“Elizabeth and Amy love you, and have been trying to contact you through a Clairvoyant.

“I’m not a doctor, and this is not a hospital.

“You were among the 298 passengers and crew who were on Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine on 17 July, 2014.”

He paused, and the silence was deafening.

“While Shimon Bar Yonah is my birth name, most people know me a Saint Peter, Keeper of the Pearly Gates.”

© Paul Hughes