One Piece (SSW Backstory)

Chapter 19

Saphira's POV

October 16th. Autumn was here. The brown and yellow leaves already left the branches of the trees. The air felt cold and dry with a oddly nice earthy smell, if you ignore the fish smell that stinks the town. Autumn was a nice season, minus the cold, there was always a cozy feel to it. It was always this season that Granny Lilo was the most at home. Coming winter, when the snow starts falling, she would hardly be home. The amounts of people that get sick in winter is on a concerning large scale.

Six days ago, we celebrated Silver's birthday. Granny Lilo knitted her a nice sweater. Granny Lilo knitted sweaters for everyone, but she put more effort into making Silver's special for her birthday. She had these cute light pink peaches knitted into her sweater. Winifred and Angie were jealous, they only had plain sweaters. Granny Lilo didn't have enough money to bye extra yarn to make special sweaters for everyone.

I liked the season, but hated the cold. The only reason I liked the season was for the hot drinks and the fact we could stay inside and comfortably under our blankets. 'I loved taking naps.'  Angie wasn't so fond of me sleeping all the time, so she sometimes forced me to go play outside with them. It wasn't all that bad. I liked the game where we gathered all the fallen leaves and make a big leave pile, where we would run and leap into the pile.

I hated the sun in summer, I would always get burned and look like a tomato. But, autumn and winter suns hit different. It was more comforting. As I lay here in a pile of leaves and soke up the sun, I watch as my family play tag. Donny and I were the only one's not participating in the game. Ralph would have been sitting with us if it wasn't for Winifred's pleading. Ralph has a soft spot for her so he couldn't deny her.

I was gazing up at the blue sky when suddenly my vision was obscured by autumn leaves. "Hey!" I swat at the leaves to get them off my face. I look up to frown at Donny as he gives me a small unapologetic smile. "Granny Lilo is calling us." I was already use to hearing his voice by now, so it didn't creep me out like it use to. I look down to the small dirt path we made a year ago to walk in and out of the tropical forest more easily.

Standing and waving on the dirt path was Granny Lilo. We all rushed to gather up the blankets we brought with us and stuff it into the basket unneatly. Winifred and Mikey raced to reach Granny Lilo's side first, while the rest of use walk leisurely. "You all need to wash up and get ready for dinner. I'm making potato soup again." Granny Lilo ignored the two youngests groans and walked back home with us.

At home, after everyone washed up and dressed in cleaner clothes, we helped prepare for dinner. I was chatting with Leo when we heard Granny Lilo start coughing. The room got quiet as we all watch in concern as the coughs rattled her old body. Granny Lilo cleared her throat before giving us a reasurring smile, "Don't look so worried. I'm sure it's nothing." Even when she said that, our concers didn't leave us.

...

It's been three days since Granny Lilo became bedridden. Her coughs got worse. She was fine the other day when she was still walking around, but one morning when she was preparing to leave for work, she collapsed at the door. We were luckily awake when she did, so we quickly got her to bed. Angie said she had a high fever and we could only hope that it was something that her immune system could fight.

...

It's been seven days and Granny Lilo hasn't gotten any better. We took turns to make trips to the doctor and see if we could get him to come check up on Granny Lilo. The asshole made us wait another five days before he showed up. He only gave her a normal check up that lasted less than a minute and declared it was just a common cold. We weren't very happy with his snappy and dismissive attitude, but we didn't have any other options.

Angie tried her best to make Granny Lilo as comfortable as possible with the little knowledge she knew of doctoring someone back to health. Winifred, who I believed didn't even know what was going on, started determingly read all of Granny Lilo's medical books. It was sweet of her wanting to help, but I could tell she was struggling understanding what she was reading.

...

It's been almost twenty-eight days since Granny Lilo has been bedridden. The first snow already fell and none of us could enjoy it. We were all too concerned for Granny Lilo. We limited the visits to her room for incase someone catches the same sickness as her. Even so, every time I saw her, it was like I was reliving the time when mother got infected with the virus.

"Dear, don't give me that look, I know what you are thinking..." My eyes snapped up at Granny Lilo's gravely voice. Her eyes were hardly open, but she was looking directly at me. Her chest rattled as she took in a breath, "You are thinking... that you and your sisters might have somehow gotten me infected..." That was excatly what I was thinking. "You idiotic girl, think more clearly..." Her lips trembled as she tried for a smile, "If I was infected... I would have been dead already..." Tears build up at the corners of my eyes.

I knew she was right. Those who get infected by the virus, only live for seven days before their bodies give in. Even if it wasn't the virus that made her so ill, it was obvious she was losing this battle. I knew this, we all knew this, but some part of us still hope that she would pull through. "Promise me something..." I wipe my eyes before the tears could fall. I took in a deep breath to get rid of the painful lump in my throat as I gave her my full attention.

"Promise me... you four won't blame yourselves..." I shook my head slowly, "I don't understand..." Granny Lilo's smile faultered a bit, "You know exactly what I mean..." She shakily pulled the blanket up to her chin as she shivered in the cold air. I quickly got up to go find her another blanket. "Wait..." I stopped in my tracks as I look at her, "There aren't enough blankets... I-" She couldn't finish her sentence as a terrible cough shooked her body.

I ignored her words as I quickly rushed out the room. Angie dodged my dashing figure as she made her way inside the room with a bucket of water. I quickly climb up the ladder and pick up some blankets off our beds. We can all cuddle together to keep warm, but Granny Lilo can't. I'll make sure to convince her that she needs it more than we do. I carefully climb down the ladder with the blankets tucked under one arm.

I rush back into Granny Lilo's room with blankets in arm, only to stop short. Angie put the bucket of water on the bedtable. She was in the wooden chair that sat in front of the bed. Angie was holding Granny Lilo's hand in hers with her head bowed. I knew from her shaking shoulders that she was crying. I shuffled a bit closer and a floorboard creaked under my feet. Angie looked up behind her, and the look on her face stopped me from advancing any further.

Her face was red from crying. Her tears made stains on her face and some of her hair sticked to her cheeks. She shooked her head at me, "She's gone..." It took me a while to register what she said. I knew what she meant but I was taking too long to react. I must be in shock... Angie seemed to come to that conclusion too as she stood up. She gave me a tight hug. I didn't realize that I dropped the blankets. "I'm sorry..." Angie hiccupped into my ear.

'Sorry for what? None of this was her fault, so why is she apologizing?'  I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back. 'No, I know why she's apologizing... because just like Granny Lilo said, we would blame ourselves for what happened. Now I know why she made us promise... she knew us too well.'

...

Yestersday was Granny Lilo's funeral. We decided to burry her by the tree where we loved having picnic'. Far away from Dung town's poluted grounds. We worked hard to make her gravestone, it took some time but we managed to ingrave her name and a lilo flower into the stone. Silver, Angie and Winifred made a trip into the forest to search for blue flowers, they made a bouquet of them to put by her grave.

After we finished her grave, we all stood around it in silence. "Should we say a few words?" Mikey spoke up. He was still shedding tears, wiping them occasionally. Angie sighed as she tugged at her sweaters collar, "She liked this 'quote' in a book she read some years ago, she wouldn't stop talking about it." Her lips trembled as she gave us a soft smile. 

"Flowers are like friends; they bring color to your world."
~Anonymous.

Thanks for reading~