Tim frowned, not sure if he understood. "You going to heal me because of Paul?" Realisation dawned in his eyes. "You're in love with him?"
Esha nodded mutely. Tim was amazed. "You love him enough to take your own life to make him happy?" Again Esha just nodded.
Tim didn't know what to say. He wondered if he was strong enough to make that decision. He was thankful that he wasn't in a position ever to find out.
Esha's sigh brought him out of his thoughts. She climbed wearily to her feet, brushing away her tears.
"What are you going to do?" he asked hesitantly. Esha turned and looked at him. "I'm going to make Paul happy," she whispered. Tim watched her apprehensively as she approached the bed. He couldn't help but wonder if it would hurt. Would you care? He asked himself. Not if it meant I could be with Paul again�

Esha pulled the tiny pouch that the old woman had given her out of her pocket and put it on the chair she had been sitting in before. When the time came, she wanted to be able to get to it quickly.
That done, she raised her arms ready to begin.
Esha closed her eyes, focusing all her power on Tim. He slowly began to rise out of the bed, floating gently. Tim looked around, his eyes slightly wild. It was one thing to talk about magic, but an entirely different thing to have it done to you.
Esha began to chant. She hadn't ever needed to chant before, but she had never healed a terminally ill person before either. First time for everything, she thought with a slight smile.
An incredibly bright light grew around her, swirling through her and pulsing slightly. Esha's chanting grew louder and the light turned a pale blue.
Suddenly her eyes flung open, purple irises flashing, and she screamed the final command. The light flashed, then sucked itself inside Tim. Tim's mouth opened in a silent scream as his sickness was literally torn from his body. The room seemed to draw inwards, so strong was the power. Just when the pressure was so unbearable Esha thought she was going to pop, there was another giant flash.
She cried out as all of Tim's pain and suffering of the past few months flooded into her, all at once. She collapsed on the floor, unable to stand. Tim, no longer being held up, fell back onto the bed, unconscious.
Esha's eyes fluttered open. She tried to move her arm, but her body refused to work. Pain laced through her very being. She wasn't going to live much longer.
A single tear slipped down the side of her face and onto the floor. It wasn't meant to be this way. She didn't want to die. Through her tears she thought she could see�She blinked and tried to raise her head of the floor. It was Ben! He was here, with her. And he was smiling.
A small smile crept across her face as her eyes fluttered shut and she let herself sink into the peaceful blackness�

Esha wandered through a magnificent garden. Everywhere she turned she saw nothing but beauty.
"Esha!" she turned at the sound of her name. Her face lit up as she saw Ben walking towards her. With a happy little cry she ran to greet him, pulling him into a tight hug. Ben hugged her back, a huge grin on his face.
Slowly they pulled apart. Esha glanced around at her surroundings.
"Am I in heaven?" she asked, awed by the peaceful tranquility of the place. Ben burst out laughing. "Ah no," he said, wiping away a tear of mirth. "Not quite."
"There is no such thing as heaven," he explained, seeing her confused look. "This is just what you believe life after death to be." Esha frowned, not quite understanding.
"What happens after you die changes from person to person," Ben explained. "If you believe there is nothing but blackness, then that is where you end up. Whatever you believe, you make a reality."
Esha regarded the garden, and couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness.
"So I am dead then," she said quietly. It wasn't really a question.
"Actually, that's why I'm here," Ben replied. Esha looked at him, startled. He smiled. "You're not dead Esha."
"I'm not?"
"No. You're just here so you can borrow something."
Esha stared at him, still confused.
"What am I borrowing?" she asked. Ben reached out and took her hand.
"Me," he whispered.

Esha's eyes fluttered open again. Weren't they already open? The thought was gone as quickly as it came as the pain in her body brought her back to reality. A small groan escaped her lips. She tried to move, but once again her body refused to cooperate.
She had to reach the pouch. She could see it from where she lay, but it might as well have been on the other side of the world. She couldn't reach it.
Suddenly she felt something besides pain and frustration. She glanced up�and smiled. It was Ben. He smiled back at her, then bent down and picked up her hand. She felt something slid into it. It was the pouch. She hadn't even seen him get it. He gave her another smile, and vanished.
It took all of Esha's remaining strength to open the pouch and pull out the tiny seed from within. She closed her eyes as it sank beneath her skin, and she waited patiently for it to take effect.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Paul wandered through the park opposite the hospital where Tim had stayed when he was sick, thinking about all that had happened.
He still couldn't believe that Tim had recovered, and had divorced his wife. Paul smiled slightly. He had everything he wanted. So why was there this feeling of unease plaguing him? Was it because of Esha? Paul sighed miserably. He missed her. He wished they could have stayed friends, even after all they had been through. He wished she had stayed.
He hadn't seen her since she had sent him home, the night before Tim got well again. Paul stopped walking, and turned to stare up at the hospital across the road. He was happy. He just wished Esha was here to share it with him.
Paul suddenly had the feeling he was being watched. He slowly turned around, scanning the surrounding are to see if he could see who it was. Finally his eyes fell upon a tabby cat sitting about ten feet away. It had deep purple eyes.