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charisstomaWhy we are born and why do we die
Title: The Family Tree
Mythology
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 458
Wrapped in sorrow, Charlie sat at his grandfather’s bedside waiting.
A rusty rattle of words came from the hospital bed, “Don’t you mourn me. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Granddad, have you made your peace with God yet? Please do it. We can pray together, you and I,” Charlie pleaded.
“Charlie, Charlie. Stop fussing. God and I are like this,” the age darkened hand rose, the middle finger laboriously crossing over the pointer. “The tree sheds its leaves in the fall. This is just my fall into winter.” His voice rattled. “Spring will come again for me and my leaves will grow flush with new life.”
“Last I looked Granddad, you never had any leaves.”
The word came out in two distinct syllables “Meta-phor. Charlie.” He took a breath exhaling the sentence, “My tree is in you and your cousins.” Another breath, “One of you will have kids and I’ll be back in one of them, maybe or one of their kids or their kids’ kids.” His cackled, “You just wait,” ended with a hard coughing and the heart monitor shrilled calling in the nurses.
“I love you Granddad,” was the last a teary Charlie said as he leaned over to kiss his Grandfather one last time on the forehead as his grandfather had done for him when he put him to bed growing up. An echo of memory of another time appeared like a ghost. He was lying in a bed and a young man, a younger man, who looked a bit like his Granddad was kissing him a teary goodbye. The hair was a red instead of the deep brown Charlie remembered his Granddad having growing up and the nose were slightly different but the look in the eyes was the same and the mouth was pure Granddad. Stunned, he didn’t even notice being shepherded out of the room.
Many years later, Charlie still hadn’t found the one he wanted to make his wife. In fact he wasn't of a bent to find a woman to his taste at all. It was a man’s strong arms he wanted around him at night in his bed.
“We could adopt you know,” Alex said. “Or maybe use a surrogate.” He wrapped Charlie in his arms. “There’s always a way.”
“Only if you have one too,” Charlie had smiled.
“So it’s settled, three kids at least,” Alex grinned back, “One for each of us and one or more just to spread the love around.”
And so it happened and Charlie’s death bed was surrounded by his children but one especially gazed at him and as he kissed him goodbye one last time whispered, “I love you Granddad. You did really well with our tree this time around.”
Title: The Family Tree
Mythology
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 458
Wrapped in sorrow, Charlie sat at his grandfather’s bedside waiting.
A rusty rattle of words came from the hospital bed, “Don’t you mourn me. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Granddad, have you made your peace with God yet? Please do it. We can pray together, you and I,” Charlie pleaded.
“Charlie, Charlie. Stop fussing. God and I are like this,” the age darkened hand rose, the middle finger laboriously crossing over the pointer. “The tree sheds its leaves in the fall. This is just my fall into winter.” His voice rattled. “Spring will come again for me and my leaves will grow flush with new life.”
“Last I looked Granddad, you never had any leaves.”
The word came out in two distinct syllables “Meta-phor. Charlie.” He took a breath exhaling the sentence, “My tree is in you and your cousins.” Another breath, “One of you will have kids and I’ll be back in one of them, maybe or one of their kids or their kids’ kids.” His cackled, “You just wait,” ended with a hard coughing and the heart monitor shrilled calling in the nurses.
“I love you Granddad,” was the last a teary Charlie said as he leaned over to kiss his Grandfather one last time on the forehead as his grandfather had done for him when he put him to bed growing up. An echo of memory of another time appeared like a ghost. He was lying in a bed and a young man, a younger man, who looked a bit like his Granddad was kissing him a teary goodbye. The hair was a red instead of the deep brown Charlie remembered his Granddad having growing up and the nose were slightly different but the look in the eyes was the same and the mouth was pure Granddad. Stunned, he didn’t even notice being shepherded out of the room.
Many years later, Charlie still hadn’t found the one he wanted to make his wife. In fact he wasn't of a bent to find a woman to his taste at all. It was a man’s strong arms he wanted around him at night in his bed.
“We could adopt you know,” Alex said. “Or maybe use a surrogate.” He wrapped Charlie in his arms. “There’s always a way.”
“Only if you have one too,” Charlie had smiled.
“So it’s settled, three kids at least,” Alex grinned back, “One for each of us and one or more just to spread the love around.”
And so it happened and Charlie’s death bed was surrounded by his children but one especially gazed at him and as he kissed him goodbye one last time whispered, “I love you Granddad. You did really well with our tree this time around.”
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no subject
Date: 2016-03-31 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-31 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-01 01:05 am (UTC)T___________________________T
You just had to do that. Now I miss my father. I was with him when he had his last breath in the ICU.
T___________________________T
It's really good. Thank you. *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2016-04-01 09:14 pm (UTC)The end kind of redeems it from total sorrow.
no subject
Date: 2016-04-03 04:04 am (UTC)Anyway, when I heard it first thing in the morning (about 5am Sunday) upon waking up, I listened carefully to the music since it sounded familiar and realized that it was the original version of the song! It played again the following weekend and the next. It was eerie but I almost burst into my parent's room to tell Papa only to stop myself since he was no longer with us. *sniff*
Back to the story, yes, I love how the drabble ended. It is complete as it is and I love how it all comes back into a neverending circle. Thank you for this. :)
*hugs*