The Wylie Diaries : Where The Flowers Bloom

Chapter Eight : Eyes Wide Open

The grass feels soft below my feet, the single tree which lay in the middle of the meadow as green as sparkling emeralds in the daylight. The soft strumming of a guitar can be heard in the distance. Confused, I follow the sound which attracts me. In the distance, a man, dressed in black, sitting on the grass surrounded by flowers in mid bloom. His fingers carefully strumming the guitar as if he had known how to play for many years. Around him, a child running in circles.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, look at me go!" she giggles, continuing to run in circles around the man.

I walk closer, confused at the sight I am seeing. Closer and closer, I begin to feel that these people are familiar, that I have somehow met them before. As I step in front of the man, I notice that it's Tyler. Tyler playing the guitar? How? He always said that he wanted to learn but I can't remember him ever learning. His hair had greyed, his facial hair a mixture of brown and grey. How old was he now? He looks at least seventy years old or more.

"Tyler? What are you doing out here?" I ask.

He doesn't reply to my question. Instead, he stops playing the guitar, stands up and begins to move towards a single blue flower which had blossomed in front of him. He picks it gently, raising it up to his nose and breathing in deeply to catch its scent.

"Wylie would have loved this" He says, attempting to rub away the tears which had already found their way to the bottom of his mouth.

He hands the flower over to the young girl, who is now standing next to a marble slab coming from the ground. She gently places the blue flower onto the floor next to the slab, moving closer to Tyler as she motions for him to pick her up. As he lifts her up to his face, she wipes the tears away.

"Don't be sad, Grandpa. I know that Wylie is here watching over us." She says with confidence.

Tyler doesn't respond. Instead he kisses his palm and gently places his palm upon the marble slab.

"I miss you" He says, breathing deeply as he takes a step backwards, picking up his guitar whilst holding the young girl.

"Tyler?" I say, confused what he could mean when I am standing right behind him.

I touch his cheek, brushing my hand softly against his stubble. He moves his head, his head now resting in my palm as I continue to stroke his cheek.

"It's almost as if I can feel him here" Tyler says, moving his head away from my hand and beginning to turn around.

He walks away, becoming a pin prick in the distance, swallowed by the rows of flowers that appear to be in full bloom. I was confused at what was happening. Standing next to the marble slab, I pick up the blue flower which had been placed there only moments before. Looking up at the marble slab, the reality hits me like a truck. Carved into the marble slab, the words:

Here lay Wylie Ringhand. Husband, Father and Grandpa. May he rest in peace, in the meadow where the flowers bloom.

As I read the final word, DING,DING,DING. The alarm rings. I awaken, peering above the covers like a bear awakening from hibernation. Confused, I look around at my surroundings. Laying next to me is Tyler, sprawled across the bed, taking up more than half the room. I was still so confused at what I had just seen. Was it a dream? A vision of what is to come? I was not sure.