crescent [h.s]

epilogue 3 - goodbyes are never permanent

Many, many, many years later.

Aurora Styles

When consciousness hits my body, a deep breath is sucked into my lungs, not by me, but instead by the power of the universe.

My body feels molded to the mattress I'm laying on, the memory foam sealing my body into a layer of comfort, approaching me with solace, safety and warmth.

Solace, safety and warmth.

Finding the gentle rise of energy lifting my eyelids open, I blink a few times to wash away the dream that brought me into a whole new universe, this moment bringing me back down to where I am meant to be right now.

My fingers flutter, and my feet follow. I stretch every limb alone in my bed before making the ultimate decision to sit up, feeling supported with every action that consumes my mind, body and soul.

A surge of strength radiating my surroundings pulls me out of the comfort of bed, my feet making contact with the textured wooden floors beneath me. I look down at my body from a birds eye view perspective, smiling at my bare tanned legs, and the large oversized t-shirt of Harry's that was always my favourite.

Harry.

Turning around to see the bed I just left, I see the indentations of where my previous sleeping body lay, but no marks or proof of the love of my life.

Where's Harry?

I want my Harry back.

Walking forwards towards the wall in front of me, I am met with an endless stream of photos, and by each photo, a blank canvas awaits an array of paints to stain and add to the picture that's currently only half finished.

Curiosity overcomes me as my eyes wonder over each photo, the first 10 showing the beggining of my favourite story to tell. Starting at a restaurant decorated in flowers, travelling through to a carnival, and ending up with a kiss to a baby bump with a folded pile of ultrasound photos resting next to the man's head.

The next 10 photos are mixed with some tears, smiles, kisses to anywhere other than lips, an invisible string of trust bonding each picture together.

Following those, the next 10 images are spanning over a few months in time, that time recognised by the growing baby bump. Kisses to the lips, and hand holding, results in a shining diamond I recognise to be decorating the same finger in the photo, as in my same current appearance.

10 more, starting with the birth of the baby in the previous 29, the family making memories as their baby grows up in front of them, the sixth month old girl resting on her dad's hip as he just won his adoption case. This series of photos end in a wedding.  

The following 10 show that first baby all grown up, a toddler now running around and causing her love to pollinate the world around her, each dusting of an interaction leaving wildflowers to grow in response. Though smiles are decorating each face, towards the next set of 10, they waver.

Memories mixed with sadness override the couple, but never the toddler. She is forever as happy as can be, despite the in and out, coming and going pain and questions shifting between the parents.

The pain that was clearly shone in an up and down wave of the ocean in the prior 10, suddenly spike up at the start of these 10. But with the high peak of pain met at the top of the wave, the crash down is immediate and beautiful. The water ripples around the Mediterranean, before flowing back across the world to the Southern Hemisphere, where the same healing peace has made its permanent indent in the middle, but starts to splinter at the end.

However with the final set of 10, that splintering is nailed back together, stronger than ever with the added knowlege of the expansion of their family. Once again, time is delivered with the growing size of the bump, happy smiles and tears running down each person's face at one point in time throughout; until their family's miracle has made her arrival.