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Ghost Songs
When the dark wood fell before me
And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say there is no other way
I tilled the sorrows of stone.
I did not believe because I could not see
Though you came to me in the night
When the dawn seemed forever lost
You showed me your love in the light of the stars.
Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me.
It was a clear,
beautiful night. That wasn't right, Jefferson Smith reflected. It should
be dark, stormy. The clouds should be gathering, obscuring the moon. Instead
the stars were brilliant, and only a hint of wind gusted along the beach,
whipping the water into a froth. It shouldn't be this way, Jeff thought,
as he sat on the sand. How could the world be so calm and clear when his
best friend was dead?
A few feet away
from Jeff, another man stood watching in the darkness. Despite making no
particular attempt to remain hidden, he went completely unnoticed by the
other occupant of the beach. This was not particularly surprising, considering
that he also left no footprints in the sand, and the wind was blowing through
him without obstruction. His name was Jim McGrath, and he was dead.
"Jeff," Jim
sighed, knowing his friend couldn't hear him. "Don't do this to yourself.
It doesn't solve anything. You told me that, remember? Four years ago,
you found me crying on the beach by myself... after I lost Molly. I was
trying to keep it all inside... McGraths can't show weakness, after all.
And then you came and kicked my butt into letting it all out. You know,
I don't know if I ever thanked you, buddy... for that, and for everything.
For helping me raise Josh these past few years, for helping me get through
college-- I would have failed every course if it weren't for you, you know."
Seeing Jeff's
head bend a little, Jim moved a little closer. In this half-asleep state,
his friend could hear him, though he likely wouldn't consciously remember
it. "Josh is going to need you, Jeff... He's going to need you a lot. You're
strong, you'll get through this. And if you ever need me... you know you
can always find me here."
Then the mountain rose before me
By the deep well of desire
From the fountain of forgiveness
Beyond the ice and the fire.
Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me.
Viciously, Jim
lobbed a rock at the blue ocean before him. What right did it have to look
so calm? How could it be so clear and undisturbed, when it had taken his
wife away? At the stab of pain that thought brought, he shut his eyes,
trying to block out the image of Molly, slowly sliding beneath the waves
as he and Josh could only watch helplessly.
"Some secret
agent," he growled to himself. "Couldn't even save your wife, hero."
"It wasn't your
fault, Jim," a soft voice answered him, though he couldn't hear it. Molly
McGrath stood less than a foot behind her husband, close enough to reach
out and touch him... had she been alive.
"I know you
can't hear me... I'm not sure you'd listen even if you could. You always
were stubborn. Jim, please don't do this to yourself." Tears of frustration
welled in her eyes.
"All those times
we fought about your absences; why you never came home, why you were always
late. We always made up again, but... Oh, Jim. I'm so sorry. I never knew,
I never understood. I wish I could tell you now how sorry I am, but I can't.
"Don't cry,
love. It won't be that long until we're together again. You were always
there for me, no matter what, Jim, and I'm always there for you. I'll always
be here... don't forget me. Please."
Though we share this humble path, alone
How fragile is the heart
Oh give these clay feet wings to fly
To touch the face of the stars.
Breathe life into this feeble heart
Lift this mortal veil of fear
Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears
We'll rise above these earthly cares.
Cast your eyes on the ocean
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me
Please remember me.
It was a cold,
gray, foreboding day, a perfect counterpoint to Josh McGrath's mood. The
young secret agent sat on the beach behind his house, staring out at the
slate-colored ocean, chin propped on his knees.
"Let's make
a list of all the ways my life has gone into the toilet recently," he announced,
his words directed to the sea before him. His biolink was shut down, and
for once, he was truly alone.
Or he thought
he was. A few feet away, two spirits watched him with worry, but even his
enhanced senses couldn't detect them.
"Rachel has
a promotion. Normally, that would make me happy, but it means she's not
going to be working with me anymore. And I can't shake the feeling that
that's exactly why she took it. I don't know what I could have done...
but God, I miss her.
"And then there's
Laura. A year at sea on a research ship? She might as well have just tacked
a 'Dear John' letter to my door... which, to be fair, is probably the only
way she could have gotten it to me. She deserves better than me, I know,
but I still love her; and now she's gone."
Josh made a
face. "And let's not forget the fact that Dredd decided he was going to
kidnap my best friend to get at me. He may be behind bars, but Psycho's
still loose. This is why I BECAME Max Steel, so my friends wouldn't be
in danger. So it looks like I'm a personal AND professional failure. What
am I even doing this for?" He buried his head in his knees.
"Josh." Jim
McGrath knelt beside his son, calling him softly. "You know why you're
doing this. Because no one else can. I know it's hard, Josh, but you have
to keep going."
On Josh's other
side, his mother knelt as well, reaching out to him helplessly. "You give
them hope, Josh, something that's in short supply. When you were born,
you were everything your father and I could have possibly dreamed, and
though I only had a short time with you, I loved you more than I could
ever have said."
"We're both
so proud of you, son," Jim continued. "More than you can ever know. It's
hard, but you have to be strong. You can handle it."
Even though
he couldn't hear them, Josh seemed to absorb his parents' words. Lifting
a tear-stained face from his knees, he stared out at the calming ocean,
where a hint of blue was beginning to peek through.
"Josh?" Though
quiet, the voice seemed to catch Josh's attention. Turning, the teenager
looked over his shoulder to see Jefferson Smith coming down the dunes.
"I thought I'd
find you here," the older man continued, sitting next to the boy he had
raised as his son. "Seems like this beach is the place to go when you want
to think."
The blond gave
him a sideways look. "Dad, I really don't want to talk right now..."
Smith nodded.
"You don't have to. Did you know your parents got married on this beach?
And after your mother died, your father came here a lot, just to think
and throw rocks at the tide. I used to come here often, too. I guess I
just feel... a little closer to them here."
"You know what?"
Josh said, slowly. "Me too."
Unseen by either
of the living, Jim and Molly McGrath exchanged a smile. "I think our work
here is done," Jim said softly, putting an arm around his wife's waist.
"Mmm... I think
you're right." Molly smiled. "Come on, Jim. Let's go home."
In the space
between two breaths, they were gone, leaving Josh and Jeff to their thoughts...
and each other.