Stay With Me
Chapter Eleven - A Year Later.
The leaves on the ground reminded me of fire. Reds and golds swirled through the air and all around me. It was a beautiful day to visit a cemetary.
We walked a little farther, ahead I could see a little plot, secluded from all the rest.
Two aids from Valley Line escorted me, along with my mother. I carried peonies. They were her favorite flowers.
We reached the grave and stopped.
I knelt down beside the headstone and set the flowers at the base. I ran my fingers along the name carved into the granite.
Finn Markus.
8.12.96-10.10.13
A beloved daughter, and friend.
A small smile formed on my lips.
Sometime later I tried to speak.
"Hi Finn." I began, but I stopped there. I couldn't say another word. I couldn't do it.
So instead I pulled a piece of paper out from my pocket and set it with the flowers.
My mother touched my shoulder gently. It was time to go.
I stood to follow them back to the white van that would take me back to the hospital. Back to where I belonged now. I shook my head. No, that wasn't true. I would get better.
They told my I hallucinated because of survivors guilt. I saw Finn because I lived and she didn't.
But I don't know if that's what I believe. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I saw Finn because of a promise she made right before she passed on. An impossible task that only Finn could do.
Before I got in the van, I turned to look back at the headstone. Back at my love, and the peonies.
Back at the note hidden beneath. A note that read "My heart will stay with you forever."
As I turned back, I saw something dance in the corner of my eye.
I could almost have sworn it was a hazel eyed girl with honey colored hair.
A smile played at my lips and I whispered. "Always."
We walked a little farther, ahead I could see a little plot, secluded from all the rest.
Two aids from Valley Line escorted me, along with my mother. I carried peonies. They were her favorite flowers.
We reached the grave and stopped.
I knelt down beside the headstone and set the flowers at the base. I ran my fingers along the name carved into the granite.
Finn Markus.
8.12.96-10.10.13
A beloved daughter, and friend.
A small smile formed on my lips.
Sometime later I tried to speak.
"Hi Finn." I began, but I stopped there. I couldn't say another word. I couldn't do it.
So instead I pulled a piece of paper out from my pocket and set it with the flowers.
My mother touched my shoulder gently. It was time to go.
I stood to follow them back to the white van that would take me back to the hospital. Back to where I belonged now. I shook my head. No, that wasn't true. I would get better.
They told my I hallucinated because of survivors guilt. I saw Finn because I lived and she didn't.
But I don't know if that's what I believe. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I saw Finn because of a promise she made right before she passed on. An impossible task that only Finn could do.
Before I got in the van, I turned to look back at the headstone. Back at my love, and the peonies.
Back at the note hidden beneath. A note that read "My heart will stay with you forever."
As I turned back, I saw something dance in the corner of my eye.
I could almost have sworn it was a hazel eyed girl with honey colored hair.
A smile played at my lips and I whispered. "Always."