The Puppet Master

Ashley held her hand. She was so small yet she gripped him like a vice. She didn't cry, or wail, or sob, or beg him to change it and ask God, Allah, Brahman or whoever they believed in to just give them a teeny bit longer- none of them really understood that this was all he could do for them.
No, Kaelani simply sat, clinging to him like he was a rock in a storm. Her heart hammered like a bird's wings against his own chest.
"Everyone's heart is a bird, Kae, and our ribs are cages." He whispered, brushing her long blond tangles comfortingly. Ashley was good with kids, and he'd always secretly wished for his own, he just hadn't found the right mother. Adoption did sometimes cross his mind, but that life wouldn't be fair on a kid because he was always away with BVB related stuff.
"Will it hurt?" her voice shook. They always asked this. He usually told the truth, that he didn't know, but there was something in how she gazed at him, a little white lie couldn't hurt here.
"No. No, not at all."
"You don't know do you?" she whispered. How could she see through him?
"No, I don't know, but I think it's just like going to sleep." his voice cracked.

Then the fluttering bird stopped against his chest.
She hadn't noticed.
This was the hard part.
The brain lives for 6 minutes after the heart stops.
She had 18 minutes left in dream time.
18 minutes with no heartbeat.
18 minutes of being terrified.
"Kae," he whispered.
"Yeah, Ash?"
"Kae, your heart just stopped."
He felt her try to gasp, but she couldn't. Her lungs gave out just after her heart.
"Oh My God, I can't breathe." She shook.
"Shhhh......" he whispered trying not to let her see him cry "It's okay, it's over fast, I promise."
"Okay." She murmured and settled back against him. He could feel her heat ebbing away through his t-shirt. She was so calm and brave.
10 minutes passed.
"How long?" she asked, her sentence ending in a slight whimper.
"8 minutes." he tried and failed to keep his voice even.

"Can you sing?" she looked at him, her large eyes filled with innocence and a light that had been extinguished all to fast.
"Uh-huh, what should I sing?"
"Something by your band."
He frowned. "I never told you I was in a band."
"A girl, called Emilie, had a top on with your face on it. It said "Ashley Purdy, Singer, Stolen Hearts" underneath it. I guessed. Emilie told me you helped her make the cuts on her wrist go away- she says thanks."
"Well, I used to be the singer for Stolen Hearts, but I met my best-friend Andy, and he had a very successful band called Black Veil Brides. At first I just wanted to take their drummer for my band, but they needed a bassist, and I said yes." He told her the story in a nut-shell.
"Oh, well then sing something by either."
"Okay, I open my lungs dear, I sing this song at funerals no rush. These lyrics hear a thousand times, just plush.
A baby boy you've held so tightly, a pain it visits almost nightly, Missing hotel beds, I feel your touch." Ashley chose the Mortician's daughter, though perhaps it wasn't the best song for the situation, it had a certain lullaby quality.

"But I promised you and now I'm home again, again, again, I'm home again, again, again. I'm home again."
He let the final note fade into oblivion. The beach slowly dimmed.
"Is this it?" she asked.
"I'm afraid so. You have one minute."
"You have a beautiful voice. It's gentle and soft." a singular tear rolled down her cheek. Such a brave little girl.
"Ashley!" she snapped in panic. "Why is there so much light!? It's so beautiful, why does it burn?"
"I can't see the light, Kae. Only you see it. Bye." He kissed her on the forehead and vanished just as the dream collapsed.

He collapsed to the floor in a large, church like building. There were high vaulted ceilings which his voice ricocheted off as he screamed.
"WHY!? WHY HER!? WHY HER, GOD, WHOEVER YOU ARE, IF THAT IS YOU EVEN EXIST!? WHAT COULD A INNOCENT CHILD HAVE POSSIBLY DONE TO DESERVE THAT DEATH!? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS PURGATORY!?"
He dropped to his knees in front of where the alter would be, if there were one. Rays of coloured light from the stained glass window that was simply shards of glass instead of a story bounced off his high cheekbones, lighting up his deep and trustworthy eyes in a rainbow glow.
"Why can't you just answer me? Just once?" he whispered as he calmed. He stood in one fluid movement and looked about the room. It was truly beautiful, more beautiful than most women in Ashley's eyes, making it beautiful indeed.
The ceilings were high vaulted and supported by stone pillars which formed dark little alcoves with benches. The area where the pews should have been was entirely empty, so dust danced in shafts of rainbow light from the arching stained glass windows. The only religious item there was the font by the door. It had a simple bowl design and somehow remained full of clear water, no matter how much was used or dirtied.
He turned to his left and found the arched oak door that led off to a side room. This room contained mostly old oak furniture. The only modern thing was a TV/PlayStation that CC had conjured.
He moved on to the dining area. It had long oak tables and an oak floor. There was a hatch for sending food through from the kitchens.
All told, the Home Dimension as they'd dubbed it had over 100 bedrooms (each with a full en-suite), a pool, tennis court, observatory/ bell tower, conservatory, 8 living-rooms, and a full billiards/indoor gaming room.
Someone made that place for a reason, to cater to hundreds of people, but why?
It was also the only dimension that could be accessed immediately. Most of the time, there are a few moments of darkness as your mind latches on to the dimension, but somehow this place didn't have a waiting period.
Something mad this place special. And only Flitters, as they'd called the gift, could get there.
Why?

Ashley caught the sound of footsteps in the Church. He couldn't let them see him looking like that, with tear tracks down his face - besides, he had someone left to see in Scotland.

Notes

-TheBunnyRegimeQueen
So, who else is Ash going to see in Scotland?
It may not be as obvious as you think...... ^.^
Sorry it's been so long between updates.
Comments???