A fairytale without name (Rose and Marco)

Chapter 53

Rose

"What are you doing here? I thought you were gone." The light surrounding them almost blinded me but I knew it was them. We were in a garden, her garden with the colorful roses and the many plants with the difficult names. The sound of the water flowing down the river was the only thing I could hear besides my own voice. I asked them again but there was no answer. They seemed happy. They kept walking towards me, smiling as always.

"We're here because you need us. We promised you that we would never leave you. Do you remember that? We never really left sweetie. You kept us in your heart and that's why we can never really leave." her words made me smile too. It was true. I thought about my grandparents a lot and their absence was always hurting me.

"Is this a dream? Am I imagining this? You know what I did, don't you? I swear I didn't want to kill that man. I don't know how to go on with my life after this." My grandmother hugged me first and caressing my hair she started humming my favorite lullaby, the one she used to sing at me whenever I was scared as a child. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe in her scent. How had I missed this. I always found refugee in her warm embrace. She knew how to make me feel safe.

"What's done is done. You did what you thought was right and saved another person's life." my grandfather's voice made me open my eyes and break free from her embrace. "You know, your grandmother saved my life once too during the war." Turning to her, I saw her nodding. I didn't know that. They both shared stories from that time, especially him, but he had never told me about this. "She was afraid to even hold a gun at first and only helped with the food, the chores around the camp and taking care of the wounded. But there came a time when many comrades were lost in battle. We needed every able person who could carry a gun. I remember the first time I taught her how to shoot. She was trembling but found the target nonetheless. I tried to make sure she didn't have to shoot anybody but the day came when we were caught in an ambush. She was a little further behind with other women and that was the only time I got scared. I wasn't afraid of dying but of not being able to tell her goodbye and I love you for one last time."

He kept telling the story of how my grandmother along with the other women had seen the men getting caught by the soldiers. She formed a plan to follow them and since it was dusk, she knew they would have to camp somewhere on the way. Without thinking about the danger of getting caught herself, she managed to lead the women and free the prisoners. That was the first time she had killed someone. I found comfort in his words. It was like he was justifying my horrible action, like he was there to remind me that I was just a good person who had done something wrong.

"God will forgive you Rose. Your heart is pure and He knows you did this to save the man you love." Hugging me again, I started crying, telling her how scared I got when I saw the man pointing at Marco and that I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to lose him.

"How many times have I told you Stella that God doesn't exist?" my grandfather commented earning a scowl from her. I had missed their little arguments, their endless talks about politics, the world and the past. I had simply missed being around them.

"Remember who you are Rose. You are smart and strong. You can do anything you want in your life and don't let anyone or anything get in your way. You were born a fighter and that's what you'll do again. Fight sweetheart, get your life back. Spread your wings and fly free." She had told me those words before. I remembered now. They came to my dream the night before I left Boston. These were the exact words that made me leave and make the decision to start anew. Just as I was about to ask her something, they started to fade. Waving at me, they promised to watch over me. "We're so proud of you. Remember to smile and really live sweetheart." I tried to run but my feet weren't moving, I asked them when I would see them again but it was too late, they had already disappeared in a cloud that blanketed the previous light.