From the Ashes

36

"'To a poet the broken
Flowers
Bloom the brightest.'"

- Atticus

_____

Walking out the gates of Camp Jaha wasn't unusual for the girl. The rotating guard unit knew her well, the lonesome soldier, now a caretaker for her dead sisters daughter.

Pulling on the strap slightly that hung around her back, Bear felt little Eliza tighten her grasp around her aunts neck. The little girls legs swinging from side to side, barefoot.

In Bears clutches was a gun clicked onto safety mode. Walking across the field, out in the open, every precaution had to be taken seriously. Besides, Kane said if she didn't take a gun with her outside the fence, he wouldn't let her leave his sight.

He truly was a worrier by nature.

Reaching up her hands, Eliza suddenly let out a rupture of giggles, as butterflies seemed to flood the grasslands. Tickling the little girls face with their delicate wing, they almost acted as if they were fairies.

Inside Bears jacket, hanging slightly out of the inner pocket, was two things. A small box with puzzle pieces, and a dying bouquet of flowers.

They were withering in the heat, the suns rays like a scorching ball of flame held too close to their petite petal tips.

"When you finish the puzzle... can you show me what the flowers truly look like?" Noah asked, his voice in a whisper.

"It would be my pleasure," Bear cried, resting her head against his stomach, his hand softly resting on the back of her head,"thank you, Noah."

Plucking a petal out from her jacket, Bear rubbed it between her thumb and index finger, like soft cloth doting on a white cloud.

"We're almost there!" Eliza cried out,"hello Reese, hello Noah!"

Squaring down, Bear unclasped the fabric used to help Eliza hang on to her back, the moment it fell was the moment the girl made a mad dash towards the beautiful tree.

Beneath it, Bear could see the two stones Kane had helped her move and carve with the fallens name.

"I'm sorry, Bear," Kane huffed, sweat building up at his brow, as he rolled the last stone into place,"I'm so terrible sorry, Bear.

Chipping away at one of the stones with a knife, Bear looked up at Kane with tears pooling in her eyes,"was I... a good friend... to them."

Dropping to his knees, Kane took the crying girl in his arms, letting her wipe her little nose on his shoulder,"I know you were a good friend to them, Bear, do not let your mind tell you otherwise."

"Good afternoon Aunty Reese, good afternoon Uncle Noah, I hope you've had a beautiful morning!" Eliza called to the stones, waving her tiny hand with little chubby, stubbed fingers.

Rounding the roots of the large tree, it's branches whistled in the wind, it's body curving more to right as it teetered from the ghosts leaning up against it.

There, on the small stone, was carved the names,'Noah Johnson and Reese Johnson.' Bear never got time to learn their middle names, if they had ones at all, that is.

On the larger stone behind it, was inscribed their last wishes. For them to see the outside world, smell the flowers, climb the trees, see the eagles soar and the leopard hunt.

As Eliza ran up the tree in hunt of a blue butterfly, Bear dropped the canister holding the puzzle pieces. Falling to the floor, it's lid popped off, causing pieces to scatter all around.

Grasping the bouquet, she leaned it in between the stones. Arranging them softly, making delicate work so that they'd be perfectly arranged in an arc in between the two stones.

"The last flower on the puzzle," Bear stuttered,"was a daisy."

Falling to her knees, she didn't care for the feeling of a puzzle piece stabbing into her side. Brushing her hand against the stone, she cleaned it of its non existent dirt, anything to do to keep her mind off of actually reading the words.

"I'm sorry," Bear whispered.

That was, till her head begun to hurt.

Out of the corner of the eye, she saw an elegant, white dress blowing in the wind. The soft silk like a mound of snow against the greenery of the forest.

Turning to look, Bears eyes shuddered at the sight, her hands shaking as she brought them up to covered her mouth in shock.

Sitting on the branch above her was Reese, in a white dress, her hand reaching down with a smile on her face,"I know you never meant to kill me."

Blood trickled down the left side of her face, as Noah poked out behind the tree in a playful manner, wearing a beautiful, white suit, a daisy twirling in between his fingers.

"I love you, Bear," Reese smiled,"I will always love you, but... but it's time you let me go, it's time you let us go."

"From these ashes," Noah proposed, tucking the daisy behind Bears left ear,"you will rise."

_________________________________
Authors note:

I love when my readers cry
Like.... Am I the problem?

No, I don't think so
🍸🤏😎