OMA77's One Shots - Remembrance (08/04/15)
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 8:56 am
Well, its been awhile since I wrote something, and Ive been itching to get something more sad on paper. Combine that with thinking about Lilly again and you've got a very sad stew going. Im sure its been done before and will be done many times after I'm gone, but there is my take on a well worn idea.
EDIT: Somehow I managed to forget to credit the ever helpful friends I have for editing my work. Big thanks to brythain, bubeez and PaperAirship for their wonderful insight.
...
Remembrance
The clouds gathered ominously around the cemetery, broken by the fading shafts of daylight. The granite vestiges of memories long gone stood resolute, grey against the vibrant green rolling hills. A blonde haired child walked astride the sullen tombstones, plucking petals from a daisy and tossing them into the wind. The white petals danced and played in the wind before falling back to earth, amusing the child with their erratic performance. Sadly, the mane of petals was quickly spent, and the little girl stopped in her tracks.
“Hmmmm, what to do, what to do?” Ran muttered to herself. “I bet Mama is almost done! Maybe we can go home soon, it’s getting dark again.”
As if decided on a course of action, Ran started to skip towards the general direction of her mother. Following the gravel path lining the hillside, Ran stopped in front of one of the better decorated grey husks. Ignoring the words on the stone, she plucked a couple of the roses from the bouquet to gift to her mother, making sure to keep her favorite for herself.
After traipsing the verdant hillside, Ran finally located her blonde haired mother. Mom was sitting quietly in front of one of the grave markers, running one of her hands over the stony grey façade. Ran quickly bounded over towards the woman and wrapped her thin arms around her from behind.
“Mama, mama, guess what! I saw a green caterpillar and picked him up. He tickled me with his little legs, so I put him down. I found some flowers for you too!” Ran proffered the bundle of flowers, hanging them in front of her mother’s face
Mom quietly picked herself off the ground and turned to hug Ran, lifting her feet off of the ground. Ran squirmed in the embrace and managed to wriggle free and was rewarded with a view of her mother’s face. There were tears dripping from the corner of mom’s sapphire blue eyes, and it was making Ran upset.
“Mommy, why are you crying?” Ran asked, apparently sensitive to the break in her mother’s normal demeanor.
Mom sat back down on the grassy knoll again and gestured for Ran to sit in her lap, who happily obliged.
“I’m just happy to hear from an old friend again.” Mom glanced at the flowers in Ran’s hand. “Where did you get those, Ran? Surely there aren’t any rose bushes around here.”
Ran beamed up at her mother. “No, someone left them in front of one of the grey thingies, so I took a couple. These are for you, Mama!”
Mom gave a light chuckle. “Ran, those are for other people’s family; you can’t just take them like that.” Ran frowned, obviously disappointed that her gift was met with such a negative reception. Mom pursed her lips before plucking one of the roses out from her clutch. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled the light perfume of the flower; Ran’s face lit up in response.
“I’ll keep this one, but you have to return the rest, ok?”
Ran nodded enthusiastically. Ran quickly got up and was about to run off, but turned to face her mom again. “Wait, mama, let me help you with the tears!”
Ran closed the distance, bringing her face inches away from her mother’s. Ran reached out with her tiny hands and placed them over her mom’s eyes, carefully wiping her eyes clear of her tears. Ran noticed her hands were a lot wetter than she thought they would be, but paid the discrepancy no mind. Taking a couple steps back, Ran turned away towards the gravel path again.
“I’ll go and bring back the flowers now, see you in a little bit Mama!” Ran called over her shoulder,
…
Lilly waited until Ran was out of earshot before sobbing into her stately black dress sleeve. It took several minutes before she could bring herself back to composure. Ran would be back in a few minutes after all, so she had to wrap it up soon. Besides, Lilly had been there for several hours already, and the sun was starting to set.
“Hisao, I wish you could see how Ran has grown. She has my hair, but your eyes.” So do I, Lilly thought with a tinge of irony.
“I haven’t been able to tell Ran much about you yet, but it’s only because I don’t know if I can handle the conversation by myself.” The warm summer wind whistled through Lilly’s hair, rustling the soft blades of grass. “I’ll have to tell her eventually, but she’s only 6…”
Lilly turned over her shoulder and could pick out Ran amongst the grey sigils. “I don’t want to burden her with that until I’m ready to part with it myself.”
She probably had a couple more minutes at most. “…Sorry for being so selfish.”
“I hope you know you make giving presents extremely hard for me. I brought you a pot of French vanilla, but I’m afraid it’s gone cold. I hope you don’t mind.” Lilly carefully poured two cups from the clay teapot. She brought her cup to her face, taking in the aroma before draining the cup. She kissed the other cup of tea as if to christen it before replacing the tea set in front of the granite slab. She thought for a moment before adding Ran’s rose next to it. A pattering of tears followed soon after.
“We wish you were here Hisao,” Lilly whispered as she was wracked by quiet sobs. “I wish you were here.”
Ran walked over to Lilly and, understanding her mom’s attention was focused on the slab, realized that she too recognized most of the words.
“H-Here lies a son, a h-husband and a father,” Ran squeaked out with some difficulty. “Can you see what I saw? H-Hisao N-Nakai, rest in peace” Ran finished, apparently satisfied with herself. She looked towards her mom for reassurance, but Mom was hiding her face again. “Who’s Hisao Nakai, Mama?”
Lilly waited for her voice to return before responding. “A wonderful man, Ran. I will have to tell you about him sometime soon.”
Ran was getting impatient. “Mommy, can we go now? It’s getting late and I’m hungry.”
Lilly nodded, making sure to obscure her face. “Why don’t you start walking slowly Ran, I’ll be along in just a minute.” Ran shrugged before skipping towards the gravel path.
Lilly turned back towards the gravestone and lowered her head, a silent stream of tears matting the dark stone. “I love you Hisao,” she whispered as the wind whisked her words to another plane, “forever and always.”
“Happy birthday.”
EDIT: Somehow I managed to forget to credit the ever helpful friends I have for editing my work. Big thanks to brythain, bubeez and PaperAirship for their wonderful insight.
...
Remembrance
The clouds gathered ominously around the cemetery, broken by the fading shafts of daylight. The granite vestiges of memories long gone stood resolute, grey against the vibrant green rolling hills. A blonde haired child walked astride the sullen tombstones, plucking petals from a daisy and tossing them into the wind. The white petals danced and played in the wind before falling back to earth, amusing the child with their erratic performance. Sadly, the mane of petals was quickly spent, and the little girl stopped in her tracks.
“Hmmmm, what to do, what to do?” Ran muttered to herself. “I bet Mama is almost done! Maybe we can go home soon, it’s getting dark again.”
As if decided on a course of action, Ran started to skip towards the general direction of her mother. Following the gravel path lining the hillside, Ran stopped in front of one of the better decorated grey husks. Ignoring the words on the stone, she plucked a couple of the roses from the bouquet to gift to her mother, making sure to keep her favorite for herself.
After traipsing the verdant hillside, Ran finally located her blonde haired mother. Mom was sitting quietly in front of one of the grave markers, running one of her hands over the stony grey façade. Ran quickly bounded over towards the woman and wrapped her thin arms around her from behind.
“Mama, mama, guess what! I saw a green caterpillar and picked him up. He tickled me with his little legs, so I put him down. I found some flowers for you too!” Ran proffered the bundle of flowers, hanging them in front of her mother’s face
Mom quietly picked herself off the ground and turned to hug Ran, lifting her feet off of the ground. Ran squirmed in the embrace and managed to wriggle free and was rewarded with a view of her mother’s face. There were tears dripping from the corner of mom’s sapphire blue eyes, and it was making Ran upset.
“Mommy, why are you crying?” Ran asked, apparently sensitive to the break in her mother’s normal demeanor.
Mom sat back down on the grassy knoll again and gestured for Ran to sit in her lap, who happily obliged.
“I’m just happy to hear from an old friend again.” Mom glanced at the flowers in Ran’s hand. “Where did you get those, Ran? Surely there aren’t any rose bushes around here.”
Ran beamed up at her mother. “No, someone left them in front of one of the grey thingies, so I took a couple. These are for you, Mama!”
Mom gave a light chuckle. “Ran, those are for other people’s family; you can’t just take them like that.” Ran frowned, obviously disappointed that her gift was met with such a negative reception. Mom pursed her lips before plucking one of the roses out from her clutch. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled the light perfume of the flower; Ran’s face lit up in response.
“I’ll keep this one, but you have to return the rest, ok?”
Ran nodded enthusiastically. Ran quickly got up and was about to run off, but turned to face her mom again. “Wait, mama, let me help you with the tears!”
Ran closed the distance, bringing her face inches away from her mother’s. Ran reached out with her tiny hands and placed them over her mom’s eyes, carefully wiping her eyes clear of her tears. Ran noticed her hands were a lot wetter than she thought they would be, but paid the discrepancy no mind. Taking a couple steps back, Ran turned away towards the gravel path again.
“I’ll go and bring back the flowers now, see you in a little bit Mama!” Ran called over her shoulder,
…
Lilly waited until Ran was out of earshot before sobbing into her stately black dress sleeve. It took several minutes before she could bring herself back to composure. Ran would be back in a few minutes after all, so she had to wrap it up soon. Besides, Lilly had been there for several hours already, and the sun was starting to set.
“Hisao, I wish you could see how Ran has grown. She has my hair, but your eyes.” So do I, Lilly thought with a tinge of irony.
“I haven’t been able to tell Ran much about you yet, but it’s only because I don’t know if I can handle the conversation by myself.” The warm summer wind whistled through Lilly’s hair, rustling the soft blades of grass. “I’ll have to tell her eventually, but she’s only 6…”
Lilly turned over her shoulder and could pick out Ran amongst the grey sigils. “I don’t want to burden her with that until I’m ready to part with it myself.”
She probably had a couple more minutes at most. “…Sorry for being so selfish.”
“I hope you know you make giving presents extremely hard for me. I brought you a pot of French vanilla, but I’m afraid it’s gone cold. I hope you don’t mind.” Lilly carefully poured two cups from the clay teapot. She brought her cup to her face, taking in the aroma before draining the cup. She kissed the other cup of tea as if to christen it before replacing the tea set in front of the granite slab. She thought for a moment before adding Ran’s rose next to it. A pattering of tears followed soon after.
“We wish you were here Hisao,” Lilly whispered as she was wracked by quiet sobs. “I wish you were here.”
Ran walked over to Lilly and, understanding her mom’s attention was focused on the slab, realized that she too recognized most of the words.
“H-Here lies a son, a h-husband and a father,” Ran squeaked out with some difficulty. “Can you see what I saw? H-Hisao N-Nakai, rest in peace” Ran finished, apparently satisfied with herself. She looked towards her mom for reassurance, but Mom was hiding her face again. “Who’s Hisao Nakai, Mama?”
Lilly waited for her voice to return before responding. “A wonderful man, Ran. I will have to tell you about him sometime soon.”
Ran was getting impatient. “Mommy, can we go now? It’s getting late and I’m hungry.”
Lilly nodded, making sure to obscure her face. “Why don’t you start walking slowly Ran, I’ll be along in just a minute.” Ran shrugged before skipping towards the gravel path.
Lilly turned back towards the gravestone and lowered her head, a silent stream of tears matting the dark stone. “I love you Hisao,” she whispered as the wind whisked her words to another plane, “forever and always.”
“Happy birthday.”
