The Phoenix Girl (Editing)

Chapter 8

Wanna see magic? Click on the little star and watch it turn to gold!

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My grandfather took a big breath and said the final words,

"That was the end of the Phoenix Girl."

I could feel tears running down my face as he finished her tale. This was it, this was the end. I didn't know what to say or do. While I was distraught, my Grandfather seemed calm and collected. Some could say he even looked relieved to be finished. It was as if he finally shared a secret that was slowly eating him away, a heavy burden lifted off of his shoulders and heart. Just a mere hour ago he seemed weak and fragile, with wires and needles hooked up to him, but now he looked so much more different. Not the him you would see, not the old man with wrinkly and sickly pale skin. Not the man who had wires and needles hooked up to him, with monitors reading his pulse and heartbeat.

No, I looked at the man young on the inside. The man who was fierce and strong, determined and passionate. I looked at my best friend, a partner in mischief. I looked at my Grandfather. And what I saw made my heart soar. There lay a man close to meeting death, a man who had no fear. There he lay with a small smile on his chapped lips and a serene look on his face. I saw a storyteller, one who told his last story and life journey.

I remember I was waiting to be picked up by my mother in the lobby room. I had already wished a farewell to my Grandfather, and he had told me to be well, and that no matter, to always smile no matter what the situation was. I promised I would, knowing well that it was a promise that would be broken in the upcoming days.

Two days after my last visit to the home, my parents received a phone call from the staff members. Looking at the tear-stained faces, I could already imagine what the call was about. My family fell into grief and depression over the loss of my Grandfather. I remembered the way my Mother broke down before the call was over and my Father had to hold her up because she couldn't hold it together any longer. But I especially remember the sharp pain in my chest and a damn breaking, letting the ocean leak from my eyes.

I had decided not to go to the school that day and stayed with my family as we leaned on one another for support. The day after the unfortunate news, we made our way to the Home to pick up his things. My parents had to speak with the staff and manager of the Home, so I went ahead first and walked into my Grandfather's old room. When I entered, I wasn't surprised to see they cleaned it bare. All his belongings packed and shipped to my home, so we could do with them what we wished.

Standing in the doorway of his room, I felt as if I could still see him. There he was sitting on his bed crossed legged, watching a small toddler waddling on the floor playing with blocks. He picked up the toddler and placed him on his lap, smiling fondly. If only that toddler knew his next words would change his small world for a long time.

"Would you like to hear a story?"

Years passed, and that toddler grew to a young boy who made his place next to his Grandfather.

"Look at the fairy I drew!" The small child said. Happiness shone within the Grandfather's eyes, looking at the drawing.

"Is that Puck, from our story?"

"Yes!"

I watched as the years passed and that little boy and the man grew older with the passing years. Then it came, the boy now in his teens sat across from the old man as he asked, "Have I ever told you the story of The Phoenix Girl?"

I watched as the days passed and the old man changed from sitting to lying down with an IV in his arm, and the boy taking care of him. The last memory was of both the old man and the boy laying down next to one another, looking out of the window.

"Maybe... just maybe, one my time comes, there will be a shooting star for me. Maybe my love will meet me and take me away with her. That would be a beautiful ending to my story, don't you think?.... A sign that you'll never be forgotten, you'll always be remembered... I will never forget them will never for sure."

I could feel the tears falling as I watched these scenes unfold before me. Sometimes in life, you lose the people you love the most. And looking back, it feels like you didn't show just how much you really loved them, but you look around you and see all the things they have either given you or left behind. Those memories together will forever remain as the thing you cherish the most in the world. When you're down, remember how they made you laugh and when you're sad, remember how they made you happy. Even if it was the smallest thing in the world.

I know that a star has fallen for you, Grandpa. You must have already met your love, and you both should be on your way to another life. I promise to never forget you and to always tell your stories. You will never die as long as I can make sure of it.

And with that last thought, I turned around and closed the door, leaving those memories to live and thrive in the now abandoned room.

Once we made it back home, I saw that there was a small box with my name on the side of it. I took it to my room and opened it to see what it contained. Inside was my journal and pen, my sketchpad and a letter addressed to me. I couldn't help but smile as I read the letter. I remember that for the next few years I would read it over and over, even though I had it all memorized.

That night, as I lay in my bed, I swore a saw two stars shining brighter than the millions up in the sky.

Days later, we held the funeral for my Grandfather. The funeral wasn't something so big, just family and a few elders and staff from the Home. Not that long, either. It was rather short. I guess so we could all go back to our grieving in private. And that was the greed of it all.