Topic: World's Bestest Mom, ever.

Trouble Comes Tiny

Date: 2007-12-20 10:24 EST
In the wake of several disturbances; grave diggers and cemetery workers scuttled about in the cold to make sense of things. Headstones were already being righted or fixed and those families with money replaced the memory markers of loved ones relatively fast.

Row upon row, grey, black, marble or ornate sepultures with golden vines?"Meria always thought that graveyards lacked color and now that it was winter, she thought this was more evident.

The ground was frozen, she could feel it in her knees as she'd settled down in the dirt long moments ago and forgotten about it. Twisting, turning something in her hands the entire time until finally she looked up. "Meria made her eyes focus on what was before her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her words made little puffs of mist in the frigid air.

"I should have watched you more carefully. I knew the signs, but I wanted to pretend they weren't there. You were getting restless, weren't you? You wanted to wander."

When "Meria smiled, she could feel it stretch her face out all wrong. It was a sad smile"one that she never knew she had.

"But I made you stay inside because I said you were too old for wandering about. I made a fuss, didn't I"

"You always said that I worried too much over everything. That I thought too much. That if I didn't stop wasting my time thinking and start wandering, I'd miss out on everything.

"I guess that's why you went to visit the market. It's very beautiful when it isn't broken. There are so many people and so many colors that when everyone moves it's like a big school of tropical fish...

"There's so much I never told you and I never will be able to." Small breaths now, little gasps between the tightening of her own throat. "I wanted to tell you that I was as proud of you as you were of me. I wanted to show you that I always knew you were there watching over me as I grew, in your own way. I wanted to say to you, "I understand now. " You wanted me to see the world as you did, without worry or prejudice or fear. And I did.

"I just did it much later than you did, I didn't realize it until now.

"And now you're gone?" "Meria's voice turned a touch warbly, climbing up then down through the octaves as it broke. "I'm sorry I never told you before you went that I loved you.

"I know you're wandering wherever the wind takes you now. I know that you're probably with Da, finding all the things in his pockets.

"Maybe you'll hear what I have to say. Maybe the wind will take them to you. But maybe's and should haves aren't as good as actually doing them."

"Merias small hand reached up and across to lay her palm on the cold stone that belonged to a small slab without decoration, no carvings, no gilded words or poems, nothing but a piece of granite with two lines of text which she traced with chilled fingertips. The small woman then rocked her weight forward on knees to place a kiss upon the rock.

"I love you," she told it quietly. "You were the world's bestest Mom a girl could ever have." Her knees snapped faintly as she arose from the dirt and snow, wrapping something around the gravestone on her way past it.

It was a large collection of leather pouches, filled with the most mundane, silly things. Baubles as well as glass, foil and dust, though if one shifted them aside a little they could read the words they were draped over:

Furzzle Whizzbang Beloved Mother