Accident

It was past 5 p.m. Andrzej felt the strain of working all day, but right now, the most important thing was the awareness of the weekend approaching. Friday afternoons always seemed like the eighth wonder of the world. The approaching first weekend of May was supposed to be especially special.

He quickly put together the unfinished loan application forms. They would have to wait until Monday.

Andrzej had booked a small cottage in the mountains two months ago and hoped to spend his tenth wedding anniversary with Magda romantically. Candles and Leonard Cohen music. And then a passionate night.

It had been a long time since they had had the opportunity to spend their free time like this. Andrzej was busy at the office, often working overtime. Despite earning a decent living, he was still paying off car and house payments.

Unfortunately, his parents had passed away, and financial support from them was out of the question. Magda didn't work, and they still had two daughters to support. Just thinking about them made Andrzej smile. He loved his little girls more than anything in the world. This time, however, the two youngest children would be left in the care of Andrzej's aunt, whom he'd asked to watch the children. It took Andrzej a dozen or

so

minutes to reach the company's underground parking lot. In the elevator, he met Director Jankowski.

He exchanged a few casual comments with him about the upcoming weekend and the weather. These were safe topics.

Jankowski was known at the bank as a complete pig, so it was best to avoid him. Rumors circulated around the office that he even audited his employees' private correspondence.

"Anything you say can be used against you," Andrzej thought with a smile.

As he exited the elevator, he said a rather cordial farewell to the director. The awareness of the approaching weekend had a positive effect on his well-being and his attitude toward people. Even people like Jankowski.

The

city streets were jammed, as they were every week at this time. However, Andrzej reached the city limits without any major problems. Here he could move much faster. The knowledge that he would be home in ten minutes gave him wings. Besides, his home was his pride. Built in a small town, it allowed for a haven from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The radio DJ played the greatest hits. Andrzej hummed the more familiar tunes under his breath.

Life was beautiful.

***

"I told you, Little One, to pass the ball to me, not shoot," ten-year-old Piotrek shouted at his three-year-old friend. They were already losing by seven goals, and instead of passing, this brat squandered a perfect opportunity and shot without hesitation.

"You're shooting like a chump, so now go get the ball," Marcin supported his friend. No one dared question Marcin's words. He was the unofficial leader of the entire group. Besides, he was the biggest and strongest.

Maciek, known as "Little" by his older friends, had to run for the ball whether he wanted to or not. It did take him a while to get the ball. But he mentally promised himself that he'd do better next time. And he'd finally score a goal. And then all the older guys would finally leave him alone.

Preoccupied with thoughts of his future successes, he jumped over the ditch surrounding the meadow where they were playing. The ball was nowhere to be found. It had probably flown onto the road again, or worse, across the street.

"Come on, Little One," came Marcin's voice. He had to hurry. Without hesitation, he ran into the street.

***

The cheerful rhythm of the music practically forced his fingers to tap rhythmically on the steering wheel. Andrzej was singing "Sunshine Reggae" and was in an excellent mood. He was about two kilometers from home.

And then something happened that ruined his weekend plans.

A little boy appeared on the road as if from nowhere. The yellow of his T-shirt was like a warning sign that appeared too late. The boy's wide eyes and half-open mouth, where a terrified scream died, were signs that he had already perceived the danger.

Andrzej tried to save the situation. He swerved the steering wheel to the left. The maneuver might have been successful, and the whole situation wouldn't have ended so badly if not for the terrible condition of the road.

At that speed and the attempted sudden turn, the car was carried off toward the shoulder.

The screech of tires, the sound of crushing metal, and shattering windows—that was all Andrzej could remember from the entire incident.

The scream that finally escaped the little boy's throat, amplified, was never heard again.

***

Two days had passed since the accident. The intensive care unit where Andrzej was staying was one of the best-equipped and most valued in the entire city. For Magda, this was her only solace at the moment. Her husband was still in a coma.

Doctors hadn't yet been able to assess the extent of the damage to his body, but the first test results and the two surgeries performed so far clearly indicated that the patient's condition was very serious.

Magda sat in the hospital corridor. She had spent the entire time since learning of the accident here.

She was exhausted, both mentally and physically. She also knew she had to go home today. To her children, who were being cared for alternately by a neighbor and an aunt. Evening was approaching. Magda was afraid the children might be frightened by their mother's continued absence.

She headed for the exit, even though she desperately wanted to stay with her husband.

After leaving the hospital, she headed to the parking lot.

As she passed the hospital driveway, a man sitting on a bench caught her attention. He was watching her intently, his gaze unwavering when she realized he was looking at her.

In the setting sun, Magda managed to see that the stranger had unusually blue eyes. Confused, she lowered her gaze and quickly walked away toward the car. When she finally reached it and turned around, the man was gone.

Strangely reassured by this fact, she started the engine and drove away. Andrzej was paralyzed. This fact began to sink in more and more clearly. He couldn't move any part of his body.

He was being fed intravenously. He had no control over his bowel movements. He was paralyzed—the thought haunted him. He was terrified. He was afraid of being trapped in his own body. He was afraid of never being able to walk, run, or touch again. He was afraid of being mummified while still alive. He felt like a small, frightened dog with nowhere left to run from his pursuers. He tried in vain to move his muscles, but hours of effort were in vain. In moments of breakdown, he wanted to cry, scream. He couldn't. He was paralyzed, after all. *** After being discharged from the hospital, Magda decided to place him in a facility for the bedridden. At first, Andrzej mentally called it "the death ward" and was incredibly resentful. However, he couldn't protest. After a while, he decided it might be for the best, as his wife, due to his condition, couldn't provide him with adequate care on her own. The paralysis was essentially irreversible. For the past few months, Andrzej, despite countless attempts, had been unable to force his body to obey. He thought. He felt. And essentially, he could do nothing more. He was a mere vegetable. Magda and the children were everything to him. They visited him often. Through half-closed eyes, he watched their blurred silhouettes. Only now did he realize how much the girls resembled him. They both had raven-black hair, pretty noses, and beautiful green eyes. They'd inherited these traits from their mother. Andrzej knew he had to do everything he could to regain at least some of his former strength. He wanted to hug his children and wife again someday. Tell them something. Especially how much he loved them. *** The stranger first appeared in the isolation ward after about six months of being in the facility. At first, Andrzej thought it was someone from the staff, but too many of the stranger's features suggested that he was mistaken. The man was probably around twenty-five. He was considerably younger than Andrzej, who was soon to turn forty.

He was overweight and dressed quite simply—in jeans and a worn black sweater. He inspired confidence at first sight. The whole picture was marred only by his incredibly blue eyes. They looked so unnatural that Andrzej began to suspect the stranger was wearing some kind of special contact lenses.

The strangest thing was that the man stood against the opposite wall and, without saying a word, simply stared at Andrzej with his gaze. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

When the nurse entered the room, she hadn't paid any attention to the stranger standing against the wall. It was as if she hadn't noticed him at all.

When she turned the patient's limp body over to massage him to prevent bedsores, Andrzej subconsciously felt that the stranger had vanished. This feeling was even stranger because he hadn't heard the sound of the door opening.

***

Magda stood by her husband's bedside. Andrzej was sleeping. As usual, motionless, hooked up to an IV drip.

His wife found it hard to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. The doctors were making increasingly dire diagnoses. They claimed Andrzej would die soon. Neither of them could give a specific date, but it was a matter of weeks, not months. This period could, of course, be extended with expensive treatments, but... Magda no longer had the means. After the accident, she had to take up work. She continued to pay the mortgage. And she had two small daughters to support. Andrzej's stay in this facility wasn't cheap either.

***

The stranger visited Andrzej regularly. No one seemed to notice the strange man. Not the facility staff, nor his visiting wife and children. At first, the patient thought he was crazy. That, in addition to his failing body, his mind was also beginning to fail. And he was convinced of this until the stranger spoke.

"Hello, Andrzej. My name is Gabriel. I am an angel." The stranger's voice was cheerful and friendly. However, the rest of the speech made Andrzej feel truly terrified for the first time in his life.

"You're dying, Andrzej. Your body is becoming increasingly weaker." It's a miracle you survived this long anyway." Gabriel smiled faintly. Or was it just a twist at the corners of his mouth? Andrzej wasn't sure. "However, I'm offering you a deal. I can make you live for one year. I can sustain your life force. In return, I only want one thing. A conversation. Not just one. Many. Lots of conversations, during which I'll discuss various topics with you. And that's the only condition."

Andrzej felt like he was going crazy. For a long moment, he couldn't believe what he heard. He wasn't even sure he'd heard anything at all. He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the angel's figure was still against the wall of the room. Gabriel smiled faintly and approached the bed, then sat down at the patient's feet. He was definitely not a mirage. Andrzej could clearly see the sheets and bed sagging under the weight of the man sitting up.

"I know you doubt, Andrzej. I know, because you're not the first person to meet me. And I know how you people react to the sight of me," Gabriel said. "I know you think I'm just a dream. A bad hallucination. But I assure you, I'm as real as you are. And, as I mentioned, you're dying. You still have a few days to live.

" Andrzej knew this was true. He himself felt very weak, and then there were all those stares from Magda when she visited him. Lately, she had been looking at him as if it were the last sight of her life.

Now the hushed conversations of the doctors consulting with each other also became clear. And the behavior of the nurses, who had recently done everything to make the patient's life more pleasant. Or rather, his final moments...

"Listen, Andrzej. This won't cost you anything. I promise – these will be just ordinary conversations. Since you're paralyzed, all you have to do is think a thought, and I'll hear it. In return, you'll be able to enjoy your life, Magda, and your two beautiful daughters for another year. It's a really good offer."

The sick man still wasn't sure if this wasn't a dream. If this wasn't a fucking nightmare that wouldn't end.

But if it were true, if he really had the chance to hear Magda's voice for a year, to be with her and the children for another 365 days, then he had nothing to lose. His answer could only be one.

"Good. I agree, angel," Andrzej mentally accepted the offer.

"So let it be so." Gabriel closed his eyes and froze. For a moment, his figure looked as if carved in marble. "Remember then. According to our agreement, until December 7th of next year, I undertake to keep you alive. Until that date, you undertake only to talk to me."

***

The angel lied to Andrzej. These weren't conversations. They were rather long interrogations, during which Gabriel asked about every detail of Andrzej's life. About his childhood, his first love, Magda, and his children. He touched on practically every possible topic. He wanted to know how Andrzej felt during his wedding, the death of his parents, the birth of his children, and many, many other ordinary events.

For reasons unknown to Andrzej, all these facts, even the most insignificant ones, deeply interested the angel.

But Andrzej loved these conversations. For the first time in his life, he had the opportunity to fully open up and talk about literally anything.

He was also constantly grateful to the angel for the opportunity he had been given. Offered because Andrew knew the price he had paid was insignificant compared to the true value of the gift.

One day, however, he dared to ask Gabriel an important question:

"Listen. You ask me about all sorts of things. Important and utterly trivial. But why do you need all this?"

The angel remained silent for a while, and just when Andrew began to think he wouldn't get an answer, Gabriel replied:

"For certain reasons, I found myself here. On Earth. And the only way to return is to get to know you – people. I don't know what that means exactly, but I know I must explore your feelings, your desires, and your aspirations. This is where the key to my release lies, Andrew..."

The angel ended his answer. And he never allowed the subject to be raised again.

***

Over time, the visits from Magda and the children became less and less frequent. His extended family had probably long forgotten him.

Andrzej didn't complain. Not only because he couldn't. With so much time to think, he understood that his wife now had a multitude of new responsibilities. That it was difficult for her. That he had two beautiful daughters to raise.

And with this awareness, he forced his still body to move. He longed above all else to return to a normal life. Although he knew it might be downright impossible, he was certain he would find the strength to fight. Day after day, hour after hour.

And one day, a miracle happened.

***

The miracle took place on April 12th. That's when Andrzej felt a slight tingling in his hand. FELT IT! For the first time in over a year, he felt something. It was an incredible feeling.

Andrzej tried to force his muscles to move the little finger of his right hand. And for the first time, he succeeded! It wasn't a large movement—the finger probably twitched a few millimeters, but it did move.

Tears began to well up in his eyes.

This was the day of his rebirth. The day hope was restored. The day he began to believe again that he could recover.

***

Gabriel's visits were becoming less frequent. Andrzej felt it was because the angel had already learned what was important to him. He last visited Andrzej on the day of the school year's end.

It was a truly wonderful day. The little ones brought him their report cards. The older one, Monika, had graduated from kindergarten, and the younger one from preschool. However, she had received a beautiful certificate from her teachers and a large teddy bear, so she felt at least as proud today as if she had just graduated from high school.

The girls shouted over each other and told their father about school and vacation, so much so that Magda could barely keep up with them. She was so proud of them. And for the first time, she didn't openly hide her emotion in front of her daughters.

Andrzej saw the figure of an angel sitting in the corner of the room. Gabriel watched the little ones and Magda play. But he didn't say a word.

When his wife and the girls left the room, Andrzej realized that the winged one had also left his isolation ward.

***

For the first time in several months, Magda was happy. Andrzej was still alive, despite the fact that all previous diagnoses had ruled out such a possibility. What's more, his body was visibly regenerating. Andrzej could already move his arm and leg almost three centimeters. Three! And with a few months of intense exercise, maybe thirty.

Magda firmly believed in this. She knew that her husband's full recovery was impossible. However, she dreamed that one day he would be able to embrace her, kiss her, or hug her again.

The most important thing now was the rehabilitation process. Andrzej was cared for by the best rehabilitation specialists she could get for the money she'd received for selling the car.

And the rehabilitation began to bear fruit. At the end of September, Andrzej began to articulate his first words.

***

The angel appeared in Andrzej's room, unnoticed as usual. It took a moment before the sick man realized he wasn't alone in the room.

"Hello, Andrzej," he heard a soft voice

. "Hello, angel," he replied. This time not in his thoughts, but in his own words.

"Today is December seventh," the angel said, but it was difficult to tell from the intonation whether it was a question or a statement.

Andrzej went numb. He kept remembering the date from the contract, but busy fighting with his decrepit body, busy fighting to return to his family, he didn't realize how quickly the last year had passed. He knew, however, that today was the day when he had to fulfill the contract in its entirety.

"Gabriel... I'm healing. You see. I don't want to die." I'm doing quite well," he could barely utter the words. "Please give me a chance, no... I'm begging you for it. Please don't take this away from me. Soon I'm supposed to leave this cursed facility. I'll be able to go home. To my children... to Magda..."

Gabriel looked at the man lying there, whose barely coordinated movements and unstoppable sobs resembled those of a small child. Andrzej, through a veil of tears, saw that look. And then he lost all hope. Steel-blue eyes looked at him with helplessness and regret.

"Please..." Andrzej's sobs barely allowed the words to be understood properly. "You're an angel... you're something, someone good. I'm begging you, don't take all this away from me. Magda, my daughters, my life... I'm begging you..."

"A deal's a deal, Andrzej..." whispered Gabriel

. At that moment, Andrzej understood everything. He understood what he was to the angel. A guinea pig. A fucking lab mouse. The sick man began to laugh, a quiet, hysterical laugh.

First, Gabriel had given him an opportunity. He had given him a chance to regain mobility and be with his family. At the same time, he had learned about all of Andrzej's memories, feelings, and the entire story of his life. And now, at the moment when hope had awakened in Andrzej, when regaining at least some of his health had become a reality, that son of a bitch decided to find out what someone who suddenly loses everything looks like.

Andrzej laughed right in the face of the collector of human emotions. Even as Gabriel tightened his grip on his neck.