A Breath From Beyond

By Christopher C. Harris

A Breath From Beyond is a dark fantasy. A love story and a ghost story. It weaves through the soul-stirring passion of true and eternal love story. But plunges to the abyss as a dark and penetrating horror story. This existence of extremes is a constant theme, as every character seeks to find the balance in between.
A Breath From Beyond follows Diamond Dinah Diana as she traverses a multidimensional landscape of open secrets and closeted desire. Having reached the status of international icon through her unique approach and appearance as a recording artist, Dinah seeks to rectify a life unfulfilled under ever observant eyes. She must accurately decipher the intentions of each, before she loses her last source of faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716577321

Book preview

HARRIS

Copyright © 2020 Christopher C. Harris.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or

transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or

electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case

of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized

reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,

organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously

ISBN: 978-1-7165-7733-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7165-7732-1 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 09/22/2020

Dedicated to the spirit and the memory of Phyllis Hyman.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

For Sydney,

Your initial response to the first two chapters of this book was my greatest inspiration to see it through. The first copy is yours. Love ya!

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CHAPTER

1

Hey, great show, Dinah! Dinah! They love you, Dinah! Dinah! We all love you, Dinah! Dinah! Amid the chorus of adoration, she throws herself through the backstage dorm door standing slightly ajar, with a stiff-arm for her P.A./Number One Ace Sophie Seraphim. Sophie frowns, knowing her best friend is in one of those moods. She turns and proceeds accordingly, Okay, folks, you already know what it is. I am truly sorry, but this is one of those nights. Show & go. No photos, hoes, friends or evil trolls. You know who you are, you don’t need to guess.

Staring into the eyes of deceit belonging to Dinah’s birth mother, Diana Monroe. Diana can do nothing more than turn and make her way through the corridor of disappointed patrons and hangers-on . Sophie’s expression switches from stern to sorrowful as she turns and softly places her hand, then forehead on the door. After a deep sigh, she walks away to give her girl the space she requested.

Deep inside Diamond Dinah Diana dissolves into thoughts.

"Wow! What the hell have I done now? Damn. The press gone pounce on this one and that’s for sure. This life. I’m sick of this life. Who cares about me? Who cares about the Dinah that cries? Where are the ones that care about this woman who’s lonely?

Family? Extortion. Friends? Fly by for a good time. Nobody stays. Nobody ever stays with me. What else is there? Huh! She engages any entity aware. I know life. I been absorbent of this shit for twenty-nine long years. From the cosmos to the microbes and all the dark matter in between. It has to be more to this than us. And that energy is alive. And it has realms. And I just need…I need to go somewhere else. Somewhere different. I wanna see more. Her scattershot reasoning process pauses for a dark moan, then concludes with, Destiny…tell me what’s left for me."

Seraphim admires the cuts in her frosty timepiece. Alright, my baby girl, hope you sobbed enough, we got to hit this lonely highway. She rises from the cozy couch to take slow-motion strides closer to the locked door of her girl’s nightmare. She pounds the door. Dinah, it’s time, baby. You had a few hours. They trying to close this whole arena, girl. Let’s go. She kicks the bottom of the door two good times. Dinah! Let’s go! Shit! Hey, excuse me, janitor or clean-up dude or whoever you are, don’t you have the key to this damn door. My girl got to be in there knocked out on pills or something!

She takes no care in disrespecting the head custodian, positioned in his pacing not more than ten feet from the dressing room. The last man left to flick the big switch glares her up then down, but moves efficiently as a working man trying to return to his comforts. He goes directly to the right key out of the hundred on his ring. Opening the door for Sophie Seraphim’s horrific screams, Nooooooooooooo! DINAAAHHH! Diamond Dinah Diana swings from the neck. Wrapped tight by a designer belt and her favorite black choker. Her face frozen with eyes wide open, wearing a creepy smirk.

News reels breaking all about. This channel, Shocking news coming in from L.A. One of the most popular artists of our time… Switch.

Diamond Dinah Diana has committed suicide! Her fans must be shaken by this disturbing news! Switch.

The twenty-nine-year-old, five-time artist of the year award winner, released five multi-platinum gems in ten years. Including the uncharted status of diamond, selling ten million copies of her classic album, Lonely Highway, giving her the epithet.

Switch. A young lady with a camera shoved into her face cries more than she speaks. Dinah. Dinah was my hero. She was my hero…I looked up to her. I loved her. Switch.

A grown man with tears in his eyes talks with the run-of-the- mill host, on this one reed in a bundle of entertainment news programs. Dinah was a jewel. She knew this. I just don’t think she appreciated it the way she…[bleep] that [bleep]. I know she didn’t appreciate her brilliance cuz she went and did this stupid [bleep]. Switch.

A stage chock-full of big-time celebrity personalities holds each other close, standing in a straight line. All with tears in their eyes. Some genuinely painful, others trophy worthy. As they face a crowd of melancholy mourners, the sound of wind chimes coincides with the rising curtain behind them. Revealing an orchestra playing Dinah’s most popular song, When It Grows Dark. Switch.

A suit on the opposite side of society’s divide produces the snooty position she’s paid to present. Encouraging her like-minded audience to not be surprised about the suicide of celebrity-singer Dinah Diana. "This young woman was disturbed and everyone knew it. I mean, why don’t you all take a listen to these snippets from the lyrics of one of her top selling singles, ‘When It Grows Dark.’

"‘I see through you people/While you praise only a face/ When I snatch it from your place/Will you finally love the days/ I gave all that am/ All that I amount to inside/Tonight I will close my eyes/For the last time.’

Then in the chorus she sings something like, ‘Don’t weep when I decay/When it all grows dark/ Its when I’ll fly away.’ People, if that’s not an ode to suicide. I mean, this song resembles a suicide note!" Switch.

A young man lies with his face buried into his pillow. From his eyes stream tears of hurt. Tears of disappointment. Tears to the death of hope. Resting by his soaked face a stainless steel .357 magnum. Within its chamber, only one bullet. His mouth hasn’t opened since he first received the heart-crushing news. His mind never stops.

Oh, Dinah. Damn, Dinah! Why did it have to be this, Diana? It could’ve been me. I could have done it. For you I would have. I would have given my life for you. You can take my breath if you would live again.

Crying was completely beyond RayQuan Kamari Talbert. That’s how he always felt, for he hadn’t shed a tear since infancy. Of all the news wires carrying the story from satellites to TV screens. From every internet rumor turned unsettling reality. To every text message and phone call handing the news to each individual involved in the mainstream world that the lovely mega-star Dinah Diana had killed herself. RayQuan receives the news via bulletin on Dinah’s website, the homepage on his old PC. His body went limp and he fell to the floor, tearing up before he hit the ground.

In his subconscious mind he regrets spending all yesterday and night outside, away from current events communications. Choosing for a brief moment to drown his obsession with new news about the realms of life with a binge-drinking session. Winding down for a change, he ended up passed out drunk on his boy Abram’s floor. Completely unaware that the masses had begun to mourn his star. Until now.

Ray Ratio, as he was known back in the day for his ability to drastically change the male-to-female ratio at any of his crews’ notorious house parties. From a home of hard legs to an event full of soft thighs, on account of all the females he knew. Everyone who knows Ray now understands that he has changed. Abstaining from more than sex, he keeps to himself. Accepting only the company of his mother and his small crew of real-life hoods grown to struggling, unemployed men. None of them knew what caused this effect. But Ray was grown, and everybody has to grow up, sometime. How would his people feel to see this man crying his eyes out for a celebrity that he never met? What would they say if they knew the two loved each other with all their hearts?

She always said she was gone hang herself with that choker. Sophie Seraphim shakes her head hanging low, lamenting to her lifetime grief counselor, her mother Malena. Mama, I always wanted to believe she was joking. But you know how I know Dinah. I always felt stronger that she would do it! That’s why I would cuss her every single time she said it! Once more Sophie begins to bawl as she wraps herself around her mother’s waist.

Malena always stayed honest with her only child. Seraphim, there is nothing I can do or say to help heal you from this. So I’ll just hold onto you, and I’m going listen.

Through all of these life-altered journeys, Dinah still travels. What remains of her soul gathers in some quiet corner of an elliptical galaxy, to reflect. I guess I went all the way this time. She trembles out a chuckle that echoes.