From the diary of Griselda Vargas-Beilschmidt

23

Short n angsty 

Also I can't seem to stop making DeValier references

Also also, THE WORLD MEETING'S COMING SOON! :D

Spring's slowly beginning! And there's also a world meeting coming soon! I can't wait to see all my friends and to smell flowers and see little baby birds flying in the shake of trees in parks and tiny squirrels and holding Mitzi down so she doesen't catch any of them. And Vati holding the dogs down so they'll leave them be, too.

Well, spring is my favourite season. Gabe's favourite season is summer. Duh.

Fred calls the seasons "the sleeping", "the reproduction", "the eat-as-much-as-you-can" and "mate and fall asleep" seasons. Read: His favourite is winter.

Also, spring means summer is next up and that's just so great! Gabe says I'm too optimistic, but I can't help it. I can't help Gabe with being a little pessimistic, either. It's who he is. It's the "glass half empty or full?" situation. It depends on which drink is in there, too. If it's sour tea, then I'd say it's half full, if it's cocoa then it's half empty, because there's never enough of that.

"Gris, you know that life isn't all good and happy, right?" I stopped right then and there and looked him straight in the eye, a wave of melancholy floating over me.

"...si."

"Then why are you always so optimistic?"

"Well, I'm glad I live when I had just so many opportunities to die, I guess."

"...Well shit that's deep."

I shrug and continue my way to the big old oak tree under which I planned for us to have a picnic. Me and Gabe outran his parents and now were almost there. We walked in silence, but it was an unpleasant one this time, like a monster was about to jump at us out of nowhere.

Gabe didn't have his usual look, and that worried me.

"Gabe? Is there something on your mind?"

"Why can't you just ask if I'm fine like normal people?" he growled, but even that was missing the usual emotions.

"Because I know you're not."

We sat under the tree in silence for long minutes, until

"The life of a nation is a long and sad one."

Okay, WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM?!

"I mean, you watch your people die, rulers come and go, other empires fall, but the worst part is you can't do anything about it at all."

I squeezed his hand.

"And you just have to move on and that's painful."

He squeezed back, his eyes focused on the ground.

"And you can't really have other friends than other nations, because everyone else is going to be gone one day, but that might as well happen with the other nations and just-"

Was he crying?! Gabe never cries. Even when he fell on a swingset and broke his collarbone he didn't cry. WHAT IS HAPPENING???

A faint "You have to be alone for centuries," almost couldn't be heard through the wild sobs.

We hugged. Tight. And didn't let go for a long time.

"Kids, we're here-!"

"AW SHIT WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!?!!"

So our hugging group was joined by both Uncles.

The light breeze around us carried the scents of wild flowers and spring and hope.