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16 years ago...
"Mother, can I go see Granny now?" I was two and thought that my parents wouldn't let me play with my grandmother because I was a naughty girl.
"No, just play outside with Matty, okay?" My brother, Matthew, was five years older than me and knew very well that our grandmother couldn't be with us for very much longer.
"But why?" I whined.
My mother sighed. "Granny is getting very old, so she gets tired easily and needs a lot of rest and quiet time, honey."
"Okay, I'll be quiet but when can I see her again?"
My mother didn't answer my question, nor look at me in the eye.
Just then, Daddy came out of the emergency room and signaled for my mother, Matty and I to come in.
"Granny!" I yelled happily, trying to jump on the hospital bed.
Granny had a weary look on her face and smiled weakly at me. "My beautiful little granddaughter, you and your brother really are the light of your parents' life. Make sure your daddy doesn't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay?"
"Where are you going, Granny?" I asked, attentively, unaware that my lovely granny would be going up to the heavens soon.
"Your granny will be going off to a better place, my love, so don't you worry."
I started crying. "Are you going because I'm a naughty girl and you don't want to have to see me anymore?"
Matty came over to my side and hugged me, rubbing my back. "Nonsense, Sophie! You are a perfectly good girl!"
I looked at my old granny. "Is that true?"
"Of course, it's true. Now, don't cry my child."
"Okay," I nodded and hugged her tightly.
After a moment of silence - other than my mother's soft weeping in the background - I asked my granny, "Why do you have to go, Granny? Wouldn't you have any regrets, leaving us behind?"
"My dear, life's just too short to live with any regrets."
"I don't understand, Granny."
"You'll understand when you grow a little older, Sophie."
And with that, her heartbeat slowed to a stop with me in her arms.

(story unedited)