Though there is a lot of work to be done, this weekend I spent time letting my heart create. What I will post next will be a new series for a future date. I don’t even have character names yet! But I felt compelled to write this. And I’m feeling equally as compelled to share this raw moment with you, my friends.
If you have names or suggestions to build upon this, feel free to share. I’d love to see where you take this.
Selina

A young man walked alone through the quiet graveyard. In his hands was a single white lily. The peace here was almost unsettling. But it was the one place in his life where, though he felt sad, he also felt safe. He moved past many unmarked graves. Their grave markers were simple, unadorned, and forgotten. He stopped at one in particular. The little weathered cross was beginning to lean. Gentle hands did what they could to set it right.

Legs folded as he sat down next to the grave. The lily’s petals kissed the cross. His hand moved slowly over the sparce lawn, “sorry I missed your birthday. I couldn’t get time off work. My boss is an asshole.”

With a hand still upon the ground, he let his eyes wander about. Across the pathway, the lawn looked lush and vibrant. Was that a trick? Or was it simply the truth and the grass was greener on the other side? That side of the cemetery was for families who could afford a plot. Caretakers looked after the fallen family members when no one was around.

But on this side, nameless souls continued to feel the neglect. He looked back at the cross. His fingers churned up a thin layer of dirt, “what’s it like on that side? Are you getting to rest? Is it fun?”

He stared at the ground, knowing he wasn’t going to get an answer. He simply wanted to say the words out loud.

“Maybe it won’t be much longer for me,” the words were more choked than he meant them to be. “When I see you again, I’ll tell you how great it’s been. How life got better and was what you’d always hoped my life would turn out to be like.”

The tears falling made a liar out of him. But he’d pretend because that’s what she needed from him. It’s what she’d always done for him.

A future series to come, by Selina Elliot.