Her New Beginning, My Final Ending Chapter 07

Her New Beginning, My Final Ending Chapter 07

My spirit followed Grandma home, and she buried my urn beside the swing in the backyard.

That swing had been built by Grandpa with his own hands before he passed. It was sturdy and solid, and when I was

little. my favorite thing in the world had been to sit there with the picture books Grandma bought me while eating the

strawberries Grandpa grew himself.

Looking back now, those years in the country had been the happiest time of my life.

Later, when I went back to live with my parents in the city. I had still been happy just to be with Claire. My parents took

care of me too, but even when they did, they always seemed to lean a little more toward her.

“Natalie, Claire had a hard time when she was with us. She was always getting sick. Help us look after her, okay?”

“Natalie, when Claire was little, she hardly ever even got birthday cake. Let her have a little more, okay?”

One thing after another, little moment after little moment, it had all looked like love. But the love they gave Claire had

always been several times greater than what they gave me.

Even so, I had still been content. I had always thought that as long as I could stay beside my parents and Claire, that

would be enough.

Then that damned prophecy appeared.

But I did not blame them.

If my life could buy Claire a second chance, then even dying ten thousand times would have been worth it.

My only regret was that I never got to introduce Adrian to Grandma, never got to let her see me in a wedding dress, and

never got the chance to leave her a grandchild to hold.

As I looked at Grandma’s lined, weathered face, I realized my spirit had grown a little fainter again. I knew I did not have

much time left.

Grandma hung my picture beside Grandpa’s, then set out my favorite snacks and fruit one by one on the table.

“Natalie.”

Her old voice rose softly through the room.

“Did it hurt, sweetheart?”

Tears flooded my eyes at once.

Yes, Grandma. It had hurt so much.

I had wanted Mom and Dad to open the door and let me out. My phone had been lying right there beside me, and it was

not as if I had never thought of calling for help. I simply had not had the strength that day.

Grandma wiped her tears away, lit the paper offerings, and fed them into the little fire she had made in an old metal

basin.

“I remember you used to love blue, so I got you a blue sweater.”

“And I brought you a little cash too. Just in case you need anything where you are.”

“I even picked out a few comforts for you. Things to keep you company.”

As she fed one note after another into the fire, she kept talking to me in that rambling, tender way she always had

when I was small.

“You never really got to enjoy those things when you were little, so I brought all of it for you today.”

“Wherever you are, keep it close. Don’t let anybody take it from you.”

Her voice grew thicker and shakier until she finally crumpled in on herself and started to sob.

“For days, I had a bad feeling. My eye kept twitching, and I wanted to come see you, but I stayed behind waiting for that

black hen from the market…”

That woman’s always there. Except those few days, she wasn’t.”

“I only waited a few days, and I still missed you. My Natalie. I was only a few days too late…”

Yes. Only a little too late.

My spirit faded more with each passing day, and Grandma kept those candles burning for me for six nights straight.

I knew it was almost time for me to go.

A week after I died, just as Grandma was getting ready to light one last candle for me, my parents and Claire arrived.

It had only been a few days, but all of them looked worn down. Claire especially looked terrible. Her lips were pale, and

the color had drained from her face.

“Mom, we came to see Natalie.”

Grandma ignored them. She only stood there quietly and watched as Claire stepped up to my picture and lit a candle

Mom tried to step forward, but Grandma moved first and blocked her path.

“What are you here for? What good could any of this possibly do now?”

Mom’s face was white, and her voice trembled.

“Mom, it’s been a week. What if she comes back to us tonight?”

“Mom, please. Just let me light a candle for her. Let me do this much.”

Grandma looked at her coldly.

“When you shoved Natalie into that basement, did any of you stop to ask whether she was hurting?”

“When Claire was worried and wanted to let Natalie out, did any of you stop to think whether Natalie was hurting?”

“I’ll say this one last time. You don’t deserve to call yourselves Natalie’s parents, and you certainly don’t deserve to stand here mourning her.”

Grandma drove my parents out and left only Claire standing alone in the garden.

She stared blankly at the place where my urn had been buried. A small flower had bloomed there a few days earlier.

“Natalie, will you come see me tonight?”

“Please come back tonight, okay?”

Curled in the corner, I gave a weak little smile.

Claire, I heard you. Tonight, I’ll come see you.