The Silver Gravestone

Chapter 1: The Last Day

          What comes after the final breath? A paradise known only by the truly pure. Or a sea of flame ready to torture your already suffering soul? You would think that I would know considering death seems to fancy my presence. Taking all those I love and leaving me to be haunted by his name. I sit staring at the three manicured gravestones of those that death decided to take from me, contemplating where in the afterlife they each would be residing. I look to the middle gravestone, My Fathers. I know for a fact that there wasn't a bad bone in that man's body. He was kind and gentle, some would say he was too kind. He is definitely in heaven if there is one. I turn to the gravestone to the right of my fathers that reads, "Here Lies Fredrick George Johnson: Loving Son, Brother, and Uncle." Now, my uncle was a lot of things, but loving was not one of them. If anything, Uncle Freddy was an undeclared sadist. He was known for constantly pulling pranks, his never-ending sarcastic remarks, and a very colorful vocabulary. I have no doubt that he is currently annoying the heck out of the devil and swimming peacefully in the sea of flame. Finally, I look to the last gravestone to see my mother's name. Her gravestone sitting to the left of my father's just as they sit in all the pictures that I have of them. My mother was a mystery if there ever was one. She could be compassionate one moment and then be totally closed off the next. She didn't really seem to belong to heaven or hell because she wasn't really good or bad. Maybe there is some sort of middle place or grey area for people like her.

I'm jolted from my thoughts as I hear leaves rustle from behind me. Quickly, I turn to face the intruder. I breathe a sigh of relief when I recognize the white converse that have a multitude of doodles covering their surface.

"Harmony! What have I said about sneaking up on me!" I jokingly scold my best friend as she looks to me with an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't want to interrupt. How are they doing?" Harmony asks, nodding her head towards the graves, throwing her curly, dark hair into her face.

"They're a little quiet today." I smirk as she rolls her eyes.

"Ha ha. You're so funny. Anyways, I came to kidnap you."

"Oh good, where are you kidnapping me to?"

Harmony snaps her head towards me with an unamused look, "Freya. Where else in this jank town would we go."

She grabs my hand and her backpack, then pulls me towards the direction of the sidewalk. A few blocks later we are walking into the entrance of the only place in this town that doesn't make me want to strangle myself, The LilyRose Café and Bakery. Though the outside has the same oldtown brick set up as the rest of the street, the inside is what really makes it special. Once you open and walk through the darkened glass doors, you enter into a garden-like, pastry smelling heaven.

There are four round, gold trimmed pillars with vines wrapping around them as they come down in the middle of the bakery. The ceiling in between these pillars is risen and globe shaped with a gold trim. It is covered in a mural much like those painted by Michelangelo, the scene depicted shows a large-scale war between angels and demons. There is a stone tri-bowl fountain with water softly going from the top bowl down to the bottom. An array of succulents, flowers, and large palm leaf plants surround the fountains base. In the far-left corner of the bakery is the register and food display with tables and chairs placed throughout the space from the entrance to the register. The right side and back part of the bakery has different kinds of living room type spaces with bookshelves against the walls and vines coming down between each "living room" space to offer a sense of privacy.

As soon as Harmony and I walk in, we naturally make our way to the back right corner living space. It has two bookshelves on either wall, a red leather couch in front of the left bookshelf and a brown futon in front of the right bookshelf. A circular glass coffee table sits in the middle and a curtain of vines create a tent shaped covering that reaches the floor. This space has served as our personal sanctuary for the entirety of our high school career. I met Harmony in this exact spot when I first was moved here during eighth grade. I saw her doodling on her tanned skin while stuffing her face with Oreo cheesecake, her favorite, and knew I had to be friends with her. She took one look at my messy strawberry blonde hair and freckle filled face, smiled, and patted the couch next to her. We've been inseparable ever since.