Short stories

Me And Grandpa

            Me and grandpa had a very special connection we were a lot alike, both stubborn and clumsy. Yet very wise somehow in there, my grandma and grandpa Lenny are over for dinner tonight we are laughing and talking like a normal family. My mom and my grandma had some disagreement in the past so it felt nice to put it behind us. When it was time for them to head back home I never thought that would be the last time I saw Grandpa Lenny. My parents tucked me in that night but I couldn't help feeling this big pit in my stomach like my gut was trying to burst out and lead me to something or tell something. I tossed and turned all night but must have fallen asleep cause I woke up to my rooster cawing aimlessly. I lived on a farm just outside of a town called Hollyhock I see where we get our name, we do have the most splendid flowers here. I walked downstairs to find my mom cooking up a delicious smelling breakfast and through the frame of the window my dad going at the crops it was almost harvest season so we had a lot of work to do.

            My job was to collect the eggs and milk the cow and then help mom meal prep for our dinner. I grabbed the empty bottles to fill with milk and the basket for the eggs, right as I was walking out the door I heard the phone ring I had really hoped it was my friend or someone asking if I wanted to have a play date. Funny, the first thing I heard when I stepped outside was was the blasting music coming from my neighbors house it was this weird country music that he did this funny line dance to. When I was done milking the cows and collecting the eggs I started my way back up the stairs to the porch when a beautiful vibrant blue butterfly resting on the arm of the chair my grandpa always sit in caught my eye. It was so calm and looked very peaceful, but when I walked to close it all of a sudden caught on fire for a millisecond and turned to ash. I was astonished and wanted to cry because I felt like a monster. Then as I stood up the gust of fall wind swept the ashes up and they were gone.

             I soon after I heard the phone hang up and click back to it's charger at the same time I heard my mom start to sob I quickly ran inside and hugged her not knowing what was wrong. She slowly said, "It...it's....it's your grandpa he passed last night in his sleep," her voiced cracked with a faint cry at the end. I said softly "Its okay he is in a better place now mommy." My eyes now to watery to see anything the first tear fell and from there on out it didn't stop. I had this void in my heart that kept me from feeling happy. Shortly after my dad walked in and said in a happy voice "We are moving along in the crops!" but urgently stopped when he saw me and moms faces.  I knew I didn't want to be down here to go through it again when she broke the news to dad. I quickly hurried to my room. Hot tears still streaming down my face.

             I heard my dad mumbling some comforting words to my mom, all I wanted to do at that moment was to go back in time and say a goodbye that actually meant something. Just then I swear I saw the same exact same  blue butterfly, it was fluttering outside my window, it had a  the same very peaceful happy look on it's face. I stood up to get a better look it followed my actions. I waved at it and it shook it's right wing. I laughed in amazement, I slowly carefully not scare it opened my window and it gracefully fluttered in making it look so easy you'd almost think you could fly. It came right over to me and then excited looking  landed on my bed post. In those moments I finally felt happy again I felt like grandpa Lenny was closer than ever. 

            There was a whistle from the wind that caught my attention and I looked up but when I looked back down the once peacefully resting butterfly was gone into thin air. I soon began to feel saddened again by the thought of grandpa. It had started to rain now and the dusty road  turned to mud, but when I looked outside I couldn't believe my eyes it was grandpa Lenny just smiling back at me. I rushed to the entry way not even saying a word to my mom or dad and ran outside to go and greet grandpa. It was pouring and I had no jacket but right as I hugged grandpa big and tight it appeared to be sunny again. He gestured and said, "Let's take a walk." In that time I felt so happy I had forgotten about the sad I had felt. We talked and laughed just like the old times. When we made it back home we said a long hug goodbye and I felt so peaceful, I walked up to my front door but turned back to say something but the only thing that was there was the vibrant blue butterfly flying playfully high in the sky. I wasn't sad anymore I put on a smile and said to myself, "I love you grandpa."

               When I got back inside my parents looked worried but I just was beaming and said, "That I was so glad to see grandpa happy again!" My mom cried some more but I was convinced they were happy tears, as she swayed through the kitchen to give me and big hug I felt like that big wound in my heart was healing.