"i don't give up easily,
'specially when there's
a real pretty girl involved."
"cute, merridew.
that's real cute."
When the pilot's daughter crash-lands on a desert island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, all she wants to do is survive long eno...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Using a small stick he'd found, Simon dug a hole in his little forest clearing while I held onto Walter's dead body. I tried not to look at the thing in my hands too much, as I felt nausea rising in my throat every time I did.
"I think he should have flowers on his grave," Simon announced. "Could you look after Walter while I go look for some?"
"Of course," I said, sitting down on the rock I had sat down on last night. As he ventured into the forest, I watched the scenery around me. Graceful butterflies, beautiful flowers, lush foliage, and the sweet songs of the birds in the trees-it almost felt like a fairytale. I could see why Simon enjoyed being in this little forest clearing so much.
"Okay, I'm back," Simon said, holding a small bouquet of white and yellow flowers I didn't know the name of. "I know people usually wear black to funerals, but I didn't want to be sad about Walter's death. I want to be happy knowing he's somewhere out there being happy. Even though I'm not." He wiped his eyes on the back of his hand.
"Aww, Simon," I said sympathetically. "Look-why don't we bury Walter right now? Make him feel even more at peace."
"Okay." Simon gently took Walter's body and laid it in the hole that he'd dug. Then he filled it with dirt and laid the flowers he had collected across it.
"Um..." he said as he stood up. "I know there's usually a hymn of some sort that people sing at funerals, but I can't remember the words."
"That's okay," I said, patting his shoulder. It was a little hard to believe that he would get so attached to a lizard, but it was also kind of sweet. "Maybe if you just hum it or something." Simon began humming a familiar but nameless tune, quietly at first, then louder.
"Oh wait!" he said, perking up. "I think it goes like-" He started singing in some language that I didn't recognize. His voice was soft and quiet, yet angelic, sweet, passionate, and made me think of baby angels. I could almost see him in a white robe with a golden halo shimmering over his head.
"That was beautiful, Simon," I said quietly when he finished. "I didn't know you could sing like that."
"Thanks," Simon said, blushing at the compliment. "I think it's in another language."
"Latin?" I suggested. "Sometimes churches sing things in Latin."
"I dunno. Maybe." He shrugged, then took out his magic rock. "I miss Walter."
"I know, Simon," I said sadly, wishing more than ever that there was something I could do to help him. "I know."
~
When we got back to the beach, Samneric were happily splashing and playing in the water. The sight made me feel a little happier, and I almost wanted to join them, except I wasn't sure if Simon would be all right if I left him hanging. At the same time, he'd just buried his pet lizard. Maybe he'd want something fun to do. Or maybe he'd want some alone time.
