Waiting Room | A Stranger Things Story - Eddie Munson | VOLUME II

Eyes Of A Stranger | Part X

𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 | 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐗

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅.Given that a large portion of Hawkins residents had since moved away, now all that was left was a dismal array of gravestones with nobody to pay them any mind.

The upheaval of the ground caused by the opening of the gates caused some of the burial plots to shift. With no maintenance or anybody to care for them, the array of headstones leaned together like old friends.

I wandered along the gravel pathway, looking on eagerly at the engraved names to ensure I wouldn't miss her. At my Mother's funeral in Georgia there was an almost reassuring feel of the cemetery. The smell of freshly cut grass and newly turned earth, colourful flowerbeds and arrangements. A joyous environment to celebrate the life of a loved one.

Whereas Hawkins was the epitome of grief.

The echoing sounds of maintenance workers working in the surrounding areas, little to no signs of wildlife and a plethora of dried flowers in hues of browns and beige.

I eventually found Sarah's grave. It had been easier to spot than the rest given that the granite was still somewhat clean and less decrepit than the others. It was in a secluded area at the far end of the burial site, on top of a small hill.

The grass had begun to grow feverishly around the edges of the stone, a singular bouquet of dead flowers laid in front.

I had picked up a small collection of flowers from the grocery store on my way over consisting of silk spring flowers such as daffodils and hyacinth.

I kneeled down on the ground, clutching these to my chest as I shifted my position in order to cross my legs so that my height was now matching the headstone. I read the engraved words over and over again in my mind, waiting for the feeling of realisation to set in.

You rarely ever heard Sarah's name spoken aloud without her being in your peripheral. She was there when you didn't think you needed her and gone when you did.

I had very little belief in speaking aloud to the dead, I was cynical. I knew that if I had I would be disappointed when some unexplainable force of nature would suddenly appear to reveal her presence.

The fact of the matter was is that she wasn't here, nor was she anywhere. And whilst I wasn't a religious person, I had hoped that in some way and some how she wasn't alone.

I always thought there was never enough time in the world, it's too much time to live with the unbearable weight of wishing you could have done more. How many sacred days could we possibly remember out of all of the ones we had been given because we saw them as mundane and only clung to the fleeting happy moments as a source of life.

A full and happy life shouldn't be a series of forgotten moments. Nor should it be spent alone and isolating yourself from the ones who love you.

I had allowed myself to disappear with her and I lost myself in the process.

I peeled back the clear wrapping of the flowers, fiddling with them idly to ensure they were positioned correctly before clambering up from the ground, using the palms of my hands to raise myself up as I staggered down the hill to return to the car. Glancing back once more with a solemn smile.

***

I drove around aimlessly in the darkened and dim streets. It was around 11pm and by this time I had broken free from the heavy traffic and headed into an isolated street.