Soft wisps of white splendor fall gently all around her. Specks of white appear upon her dark, wavy auburn hair, land so softly on her slightly curled lashes, and melt to droplets of water on her warm skin. She walks steadily upwards on a sloping hillside, her head down. Her eyes are half-shut. She needn't trust her vision to get her to her destination. She goes where she has gone many a time before. She reaches the top of the hill. She kneels. Her dark maroon velvet gown settles around her. She holds a single red rose in her hand. She looks down at the rose, her almond eyes blurred with tears, but she can see, through the blur, the small beads of crimson forming on the flesh of her hand where she held the rose too tightly. This physical pain is non-existent to her. Her breath sweeps towards the heavens in wisps of gray fog. She finally draws her eyes up towards what she kneels in front of. The tears start coursing their way down her soft cheeks, for beyond her delicate form, is a tall granite angel. Carved upon the base lay the words, "Beloved Husband and Father." Such simple words to describe so wonderful a man. She manages to tear her eyes away from this angel and looks to the side, where another, smaller statue stands. Only two words grace this stone. "My son." It�s been exactly one year now. He was so young. Five months is too short a time for anyone to live . . . why did he have to leave her so soon? She lays the rose between the two, before breaking down into tears. Her tears mix with the snow below her, which freeze instantly on the ground.
The two brothers hiding behind a nearby hedge look at her, as her body is wracked with sobs. Anguished, pained cries escape her chapped lips. The younger one whispers to the other, "Hey, should we go help that lady? She looks so sad." The elder of the two looks over at her and sighs, replying, "No . . . she's here every day. I think it is some sort of comfort to her... somehow." The boys quietly creep away, leaving her to her pain.
Copyright �2002: Megan E. Dickerson
October 14, 2002
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