Elena ~~~

Cool air lapped the tight weave of wool. Chapped cheeks, not from wind but countless tears, foretold of torment. He was gone. Before her eyes, she watched his body twitch one last time. A scream of pain filled her mind, never stopping . . . always just below the surface . . . crying out its torture to her memories and thoughts. Her rock, once a strong foundation, pulverized into dust. Her life once more thrust into the emptiness of reality. He gave to her centuries of love in time so short. In his voice she rediscovered hope. His arms carried comfort. Now death brutally returned her to the path she must journey alone.

Yet solitary she was not. To her side sat their son. Young and so full of life. Once he attacked newness with furver, consuming it, chipping away at its boundaries. So like his father. Eyes filled with heart. Soul flying with smiles. But now, so much he didn’t understand. No Pa’Pa to comfort him, to hold him, to chase the night demons away. No grand-père to bounce him on his knee. In a moment, half of this young one’s soul was shredded by the sound of a gun. With that shot came desolation and abandonment. How to explain to a child the agony of Death?

So stiff and starched he sat in cotton shirt and pressed suit. Pulling at his collar with tender hands, his child eyes drained of heat… of life. Bleakness so heartbreaking slowly worked its way in. So minute was the progression even she, his mother, stood helpless against the assault. In his arms his Babou, ratty from time. Fur and stuffing battered from use but beloved by son and father alike. Countless hours they spent curled around each other, sharing secrets and dreams. And laughter… oh the laughter and smiles. They melted her heart with each upturned lip. Each ring of joy transformed home to castle.

Now with the sound of a gun… castle became dungeon…

Nikita ~~~

Bleak day with winter wind assaulted the restless of heart. Eerie creaking of rusty wheel straining from weight echoed among the mourners. Slowly the casket did lower. To the ground once more an empty tomb descended. The words mumbled on as holy father accepted back the offering of life. To ashes from ashes, he is given to dust. From dust to dust, the rock once more falls.

Fall he did. From impenetrable granite, he liquefied before her eyes. Heart and pain and countless times of torment sank in. To her side sat his legacy, his heart. Now with cruel twist, he was ripped brutally from the fold. In the wind's song she could almost hear the echo of laughter, from the master puppeteer. No not the being whom most call God, but the entity who made a living at second births into hell.

Although separated by fate, they were truly parted by death as well. Not only in their eyes was he gone, but the brutal removal killed the hidden spark so deep within. A light that focused him. A soul worth protecting. A love surpassing countless treasure. Now gone from proximity was he, never to rejoin. Once more the walking dead returned.

Silent sobbing drew her thoughts as drops slid slowly down. Ache so deep and helpless still pulled her towards the bereft. Tiny hand grabbed hold of hers and squeezed, with eyes filled up with tears. Tumbling they went, silently cleansing the plump cheek of future’s heir.

Standing as one family in grief, slowly they moved forward. Rose petals dropped down littering mahogany grain with its blood red beauty. A handful of dirt rained from above mingling with the fallen tears.

Goodbye… how to say goodbye… Not to the life she secretly knew lived on, but to the soul that may never recover… the family she had grown to love as her own… the son without a father.

Such a sad Goodbye...

Adam ~~~

So few of words, this little one stood. Locked within the agony of loss. Tiny fingers flexed and grabbed, holding onto the momento of comfort giving by his father. Flanked by mother and aunt so dear, he looked at faces shinning from sorrow. Lower, his eyes trailed down until into the hole he peered.

He didn’t understand this all. Or why his Pa’Pa was away. He only knew he’d miss him still. And for him he’d cry this dreary day.

"Pa’Pa don’t leave. Pa’Pa don’t go. Can’t you stay and play?
One more story… or hug… or smile… s'il vous plaît
Pa’Pa you said you’d never go away…"

Michael ~~~

From the shadows, behind the trees, he sits and watches on. The loves he made, the hearts he cherished, the child… Adam… most of all. Together they stood in agony still, silently tearfully partaking in the dawn of mourning. Breaking with each breath his heart slowed its beat, almost not even existing. Blinking back the tears that hurled unabated down his face, he gathered his strength to leave. To leave behind his wife… his son… to never see them again.

A movement stopped him short, and took from him his heart. Control once more was lost. Falling from his child’s hands, the treasured toy simply fell.

In the echo of four hearts, lives where ripped asunder. But in the mind of a child, the words hurt most of all.

"Take care of Pa’Pa my Babou,
he needs you more than I.

I tried and tried dear Pa’Pa,
But why oh why must you die?"

The End

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