Jonah had lost the love of his life, Allison, to cancer. Was it possible for their love to last beyond the grave? The shadow that followed him throughout his life made him believe that it could.

This is my entry for the Paranormal lovers, and paranormal community contest.

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I wandered into a hazy room aglow with candle light. My eyes scanned the environment, looking for something familiar, but found nothing. Nothing at all, not a wall or a window, not a table or lamp. The candle light wasn't even from candles that I could see. My senses were strong, feeling quite alive and full of anticipation, the type of anticipation one has before a momentous occasion. But which occasion was the question.

I looked ahead of me to see a figure approaching, and as it drew near I began to recognize her.

Allison.

My heart soared as her face closed in toward mine. I reached up to touch her cheek.

"I've missed you," I said in a breath. Oh how I had missed her, but seeing her now was as if she had never left. My eyes locked with hers and I was almost knocked over by the powerful emotions running through me. I felt her love for me and mine for her connect and intertwine within us.

That's when I realized she was in a wedding gown. This was our wedding, the one that never happened because the cancer had claimed her. It was all I had ever wanted, to be her husband. Here in this dream-like place where there was just the two of us, I would finally make that desire a reality.

Was this a dream? It felt something like one, and yet I was more coherent than I would normally be. Every image and thought made sense. I felt completely aware, in an almost hyper-aware state of mind.

I decided not to overthink the situation, but instead allow it to unfold naturally and not ruin it.

Our eyes still locked, we both began to speak our vows simultaneously.

"I will love you forever."

"I will love you for eternity."

"Until death brings us together..."

Death had to bring us together. I was counting on that.

Allison had never looked as beautiful as she did in that moment, the moment she became my wife. Her dress seemed to sparkle around her face, blond curls cascading down her back. Her blue eyes flowed with joy. Her petite frame seemed to have gained the healthy sheen that it had lost while she was sick. To see her looking this way was a dream come true.

Without moving, I sensed that our souls were connecting, embracing and expressing all of the love for one another that we had. It was more emotionally and physically satisfying than anything I had ever experienced. I desperately wanted it to continue and felt myself try to grab on to whatever the link binding us together was.

My attempts were utterly futile, because as quickly as the dream had started, it was over...

I woke up and searched my room, looking everywhere for Allison. It had been two years since her death, and although I had dreamt of her in that time, it had never felt so real, so crystal clear.

Reality hit me with a force so strong I felt physically sick. She was gone, I couldn't hold her. I sat hunched over the edge of my bed with my head in my hands. It was equally as heartbreaking as the day she died. I felt alone all over again, with the same level of pain and anguish one would expect when a loved one leaves.

I thought I had worked passed the pain. It certainly wasn't gone, and time hadn't made things better. But I had been functioning in life, smiling, working, interacting with friends. Even I had to admit I was just going through the motions, but at least I was trying. Allison wanted me to move on.

How could I? After that dream, it would take a lot longer to get her out of my heart.

Waking up had been more like a nightmare. Leaving the dream of my only love to wake up to the reality of my loneliness was beyond tragic. But after two years, no one wanted to comfort the lonely lunatic. So I kept it all to myself and wallowed in self-pity. I was just biding my time until I could be done with this life.

Every night for months I hoped to be back in that dream, to no avail. I tried to conjure up the feelings and images I remembered so strongly, only to wake up each morning disappointed.

Part of me was ready to give up, end my life early to escape the misery of missing Allison so much. Knowing how death affected loved ones, however, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Finally, one day things changed. I found myself looking at pictures of her, going to her favorite places and trying to have that sense of her presence again. As I sat on a bench at her favorite park, silently telling her how much I missed her and how alone I was, I finally felt her again.

Like the voice of someone sitting right next to me, I clearly heard her.

"I love you. I'm with you, you are not alone. I'll wait until you're with me again."

My heart soared and my worries calmed. Her voice was as beautiful as I remembered in that dream. I was comforted by her words, but I also felt her presence with me, which continued for the rest of the day wherever I went. Suddenly I was joyful, peaceful and even optimistic about life. I wasn't alone, and I could still love Allison.

As I went to bed that night, I worried that the next day would take me back to life before. Perhaps it was a temporary mind trick I had played on myself and waking up would end the charade.

However, during the night I felt Allison's presence with me as strong as I had during our dream wedding. And I could see her as well. The night continued to improve as we were also able to talk. We had conversations about my life, what I was doing and where I was going. She never spoke about herself. It seemed to be an unspoken understanding that she came to me in my dreams as a comfort, but she was unable to share about her afterlife.

I didn't mind. Anything I could have, I would take.

***

A year after she first came to me in our wedding dream, I was spending time with a friend who had known both of us. Damian expressed some concerns about my lack of a dating life.

"Jonah, I gotta say it, man. It's time. You need to get out there and meet someone. It's not good to give up like this." Damian put his hand on my shoulder.

"I hear ya. But don't worry, I'm good. I don't think I need a relationship in my life, at least not right now." I tried to say it without giving too much away about Allison. I didn't need him thinking I was crazy.

He shook his head and looked away from me. "I really think Allison would want you to move on. How do you think she would feel knowing that you are all alone?" Damian had a pleading look on his face.

It was my turn to shake my head. "It's really not like that." I wanted to tell him so bad in that moment. If he could just understand that I still had Allison, that she was just as real to me now as she had been when she was alive.

That, however, would be a terrible idea. Telling him could ruin everything, if people knew they may take drastic measures. Therapy, medication, on-line dating...

Sympathy would be a better approach. "Look, losing Allison changed me, in ways that you can't possibly imagine," that was an understatement, "and honestly I don't think I'd be any good for anyone, for a very long time."

Damian still held on to his concern, but thankfully he left it alone. It was soon after, during one of our nightly conversations, that Allison mentioned something similar to me, and I found myself reassuring her, too.

"I don't need anyone, love. My nights with you are enough." I tried to deflect her worry.

"It's alright for you to move on in life, Jonah. We are matched, you and I. Our connection will last for eternity, so if you find love within your lifetime to fulfill you, don't worry about later. I will be waiting."

Allison's voice sounded like a symphony. Other than that first day her shadow found me on the park bench, I only heard her voice at night. It was soothing, like a lullaby. But the words I heard within that music distressed me.

"How could I possibly find love on Earth when you aren't there? Please, stop worrying about me. You are the only one for me." I attempted to persuade her to drop the discussion.

"Jonah, I insist that you try. Date a few women and just see if that is something that will bring you joy. Please. For me."

How could I refuse her? "Fine. But I'm already sure, so this is pointless."

"Thank you. And if nothing works out, I will be here waiting for you."

"Wait! Do you mean you won't be with me anymore?" I didn't want to lose this time with her.

"It won't help you to move on if I am always here. You won't really try. Just get out there, meet someone and try."

I woke up again, feeling the panic of knowing that Allison was gone. I realized, however, that she was right. If I knew that she would be with me, shadowing my life, I wouldn't put true effort into dating. And that's what she wanted me to do.

***

Many years were spent without nightly contact with Allison. I dated occasionally, never really finding someone I was willing to share my whole heart with. On days when I was discouraged or sad, her presence would find me and help me get through it. And then, once again, she would leave.

I was getting older, most of my friends and family had given up on me ever having another relationship. So had I. Now I just needed to convince Allison that our little experiment had run its course.

Remembering that I had been able to make contact with her after visiting her favorite spots, I decided to try that tactic this time as well. I went to museums, quaint coffee shops, theaters and parks. However, she hadn't returned. It was frustrating that I was unable to just call to her and have her return, but she had promised that she would be waiting so I held to that like a lifeline.

After months and months of waiting, I started to get angry with her. I found myself on that same park bench, the one I returned to weekly, waiting to have her near me. I sat alone, looking around at the people enjoying their lives and couldn't hold back any longer.

Allison, I yelled in my thoughts, I can't do this anymore. You said you'd be waiting when I was done with this, and I am. It's time for you to come back. Don't make me wait anymore!

It seemed to take forever, but I did sense her shadow eventually while waiting on that bench. It wasn't as strong as it had been which confused me. I decided to throw out one more thought her way.

I expect to speak with you tonight. That's not negotiable.

Then I got up, rather defiantly, and walked home.

Going to sleep that night was more difficult than I thought it would be. After my declaration, I was so worked up it created insomnia. This of course created more frustration which then became a vicious cycle.

I decided to surround myself with her voice, putting on a complication of home videos we had taken together. I watched them over and over until the sun came up. Sleep finally took hold and I found myself dreaming of Allison once again.

"Are you there, love?" I called to her, searching through the candle light.

"Allison? Please come back to me!" I called louder than before.

"Jonah...are you sure?" I heard her voice but was unable to see her yet.

"Yes, it hasn't been the same without you. I need you still," I replied.

Slowly, she came into view, blurry at first and then her form was more defined. Seeing her brought such a relief, of course I had missed her.

"I can't be without you anymore, love."

"You won't have to."

As she said that, I felt myself moving through the atmosphere, somehow changing and becoming thicker. The candle light began to dim and my body felt lighter but also as if it was becoming part of the atmosphere.

And then I understood, this wasn't a dream. I had died in my sleep and was finally returning to my love.

Her soul was open to mine as she became even closer to me than she had been before. We would embrace for eternity, never having to leave each other's side again.

Death had parted us before. This time, death had brought us together.
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Thanks for reading!! If you liked it, don't forget to vote!

This is Jonah's account of his love story with Allison, my main character in Shadow Bride, which I wrote for Romance Sparks Haunted romance contest. I thought this was a good compliment.