Fading memories

As a child she sat on her grandmother's lap, playing with her hair and coloring in picture books under her loving watchful eye. 'Nana, can you help me' her innocent voice spoke into the quiet room. The grandmother picks up a pencil and begins to help her granddaughter color in the butterfly on the page in front of her. The small child looks up into her face and smiles. 'I love you Nana' she whispers. The old woman looks back at her,

'I love you too sweetheart' she smiles, the warm comforting smile that the little girl has come to know and love.

This was her favorite memory, and if she was honest with herself, the only good memory of her Nana that she could remember. Now 11 years old, she no longer sat on her grandmother's lap, but by her feet, hanging on every word she said. But somehow there wasn't quite the same connection between them as there had been all those years ago. There was a certain distance – a gap between them that hadn't been there before. Still, she visited her grandmother every week. Desperate to see that warm, comforting smile she knew would be waiting at the door for her. But that smile grew less and less every week, until at one point it was almost nonexistent. In its place was the face of a confused old woman who was trying to figure out whether she knew the young girl standing at her door. The young girl's face lost its warm glow and joyful smile, she looked at her grandmother and said, 'Nana it's me, your granddaughter. Don't you remember me?'

'Yes, yes of course. Now I remember' she smiled, but this smile was false. It did not have that same warmth and comfort behind it as it always had.

The last few days of her life the grandmother spent in a hospital. Her memory over the past two years had faded almost completely. The young girl, now 13 years old peered round the corner into the room, unsure of whether or not to enter and face her comatose grandmother. Taking a deep breath she walked swiftly into the room, glancing quickly towards the bed before continuing towards the window opposite. Placing both hands on the window sill she breathes out. Her grandmother was no longer the person she once knew. It was like a stranger had invaded her body and stolen all her memories, turned her into a person no one recognized. The young girl takes one last look at her grandmother and walks to her bedside. She raises one hand and hesitates before lowering it again. Leaning down, she kisses her grandmother on the cheek. 'I love you Nana' she whispers and with tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks, she turns and leaves the room for the last time. Only an hour later, the young girl's grandmother passed, alone, with no memory of her family or friends, no memory of anyone who loved her.

TheGreyWolf.