Her Goodbye [✔]

Three Minutes

Five days after Miss Summer's death, after Mrs Summers had re-arranged her life, and Mr Summers had been taken away by the police, para warning by Miss Summers, Mrs Summers picked up the baby blue envelope from the hamper and brought it to the playroom.

On the front, in cursive letters was the name 'Henry' her baby brother. Below his name was a small sentence; Mother, you can read this to him if he does not want to do it himself. 

Part of Mrs Summers was curious as to why her daughter had even bothered to write her brother a letter, as he'd hardly remember it anyway.

But, anyhow, she took her youngest child's hand, and looked at him with warm eyes, and sat him on the play rug. A child of four, nearly five ought' not to realize what the letter meant, of course. However Maya had to show she cared, she had to. Etched out in crisp white letters, on black paper, was the shortest letter of them all, but Mrs Summers could tell it took her a great deal of effort as there were tear stains on the pages.

"Dear Henry,

I didn't know what to write to you my dear little brother, as you were all of my everything; you were the only sanity in the household for me, and nothing I write will do that justice for you or I. Whilst hugging you and holding you close, I felt I was holding on to the world, all of it, in my arms.

You can do so much, I know you can, and I hope that you can realize this for yourself. I know you'll be smart, and I know you'll be strong. One day you'll be the safety of someone, be it man or woman, any age, any time, and they'll not realize it until the last moment they can.

You have to look after your sister, and mother, for me. I'll miss you ever so much, always and forever, my shining hope. I can't wait to see you rise.

Paint a pretty picture for me. You are my mother's vision and you should live up to that. Here and there.

Love, Maya.

Mother, if you don't think this came through to him, you may not burn this letter! Please find a way to give this letter to him at a later date."

Mrs Summers smiled, Master Summers smiled, and they picked up a piece of paper each, as they were always left scattered on the floor, and imagined what Maya would want – together. Henry had beamed when he heard the word paint, and somewhere, someone else was beaming with him, whether it'd been down on him, was beside the point. She put the envelope and letter in a box under his bed and kissed his forehead knowing he'd be like this forever.