Path that led Here

Your cute smile and your happy laughter attracted me to you, but your caring loving heart is the reason why I want to spend the rest of my life with you. ~ Lana Dudley

                Even though the bike was old, a bit wobbly, and rusty, it was still able to support Spencer’s weight as he rode his way down to the town’s old church. The skinny wheels screeched into a stop as he applied the brakes. Rubbing his hands, Spencer hopped off the bike and parked it by the church’s entrance gate before proceeding down to its cemetery, a picnic basket in his hands.

                Spencer adjusted his tie nervously, hoping it was straight, before looking for anything that needed to be fixed on his appearance. He knew she wouldn’t mind if he looked a bit ruffled from the journey, but he wanted to look good for her today.

In a matter of minutes, he was in the cemetery and he found the tombstone he was looking for: row eight, number seventeen. He touched the tombstone gently with his fingertips before kneeling down onto the ground. He opened the picnic basket and pulled a small bouquet of fresh tulips.

                “Your favorites,” he whispered softly as he placed them at the foot of the tombstone. His green eyes scanned the tombstone with mixed feelings. Compared to the others around it, this tombstone was newer. Its white marble-ish color shined with elegance, and the bell designs that covered it gave it a warm snowy Christmas feeling. In the middle of the tombstone were words that read,

 

                         Ash “Ashflower” Wilson

                                      1984-2011

                Spencer brought his hands to his eyes, realizing that they were watering. He wiped them before smiling at the tombstone.

                “It was nothing,” he told it. “It’s just been a while since I’ve visited you.” Even though the tombstone didn’t speak back, Spencer acted as if it was. “You’re probably wondering why I’m wearing formal clothes today,” he said chuckling to it. “Well, this is a special day for us both, so I decided to dress for the occasion. The outfit’s not expensive or anything, but it took me a while to get enough to buy it,” he added. With a grin, Spencer remembered all the hours he had to do in work just to buy the clothes, but it was all worth it in the end. He remembered how it felt wearing them for the first time, and his opinion of what Ash would think of him when she sees him. Those were the good old days, the ones he wished he had half forgotten.

                Spencer closed his eyes for as second before opening them. He touched the tombstone again, but with shaky hands this time. His eyes were watering again, but this time, he didn’t allow his hands to wipe them away. If only I was there instead, then maybe it would’ve been my grave that you’ll be visiting than the other way around, he thought as the tears streamed down his tan face. He could never forget the nightmare of that day.

                It was a day just like any other. He, Spencer, was walking to the bookstore where he and Ash worked, wearing his bought formal clothes. A bouquet of tulips was in his hands, and a special little box was tucked safely in his pocket. As he turned at the corner where the bookstore was, he saw a crowd of people standing between the store and the street. Some of the people were whispering to each other, some cried, and others looked as if they were never going to be happy again. Worried, Spencer rushed to the crowd, his heart beating a thousand times a second. When he got near the street, the color in his face drained away as his eyes met a grisly scene. The street was splattered with fresh blood, and not too far away was a faced-down body of a young woman.

                The person’s arms and legs were in an awkward angle, and their long hair was soaked with their blood. Spencer saw a young boy, no older than five, standing by the body. He heard the boy cry,

                “Please Miss, get up! Please tell me you’re okay!” Tears rolled down their eyes as they poked the person. Soon later, a tall woman, possibly the mother, gathered the boy into her arms, but the boy refused to leave his protector. In the end, the mother stood by the boy as he tried to get the person to wake up and respond. Even she was crying, though she tried to hide it with her hands. With a tremble in his voice, Spencer whispered out loud,

                “What happened here?” The person next to him replied, in a shaky voice,

                “That young boy there was with his mother in the bookstore. I’m not sure how it happened, but the young boy left the store without her, because he saw something interesting on the other side of the street. He didn’t know it was bad, but he crossed the street, and that was when this sixteen-wheeler-” the person pointed to the trunk that was at the end of the street “-came lumbering in. The driver didn’t have enough time to stop the trunk, and the kid couldn’t get away in time. Just before they collided, someone from the bookstore rushed out and pushed the kid to safety, sacrificing their own-” The person didn’t finish the sentence, and Spencer didn’t press them on, but he did ask them one more question.

                “Who-Who was it that saved the boy?” His hands gripped the bouquet of tulips hard, hoping all his might that it wasn’t who he thought it was. The person whispered between tears,

                “I’m not totally sure, but I-I think it was the manager.” Hearing those words sent daggers into Spencer’s heart beating heart. The manager that saved the young boy’s life was Ash, his love. Spencer remembered feeling the bouquet leave his hands as his eyes burned with tears and pain. It was like bullets were shooting into his heart. Spencer remembered that he collapsed onto the ground, pouring all his pain out with his tears. As he cried, he noticed something shiny on the street gutter.

                Spencer reached down and picked it up before recognizing what it was. It was a small crushed bell with a water/mud-soaked white ribbon attached to it with small cursive words that said Ash Wilson. Feeling the ribbon and bell shot Spencer to the last time he saw his friend, alive. It was around nine a.m. when he, Spencer, was preparing to leave his morning shift early. He had told Ash that he needed to get something for a special occasion. He remembered seeing Ash’s willowy eyes look in his before she extended her pinkie towards him.

                “Promise you’ll be back by lunch,” she said in her silvery voice.

                “Promise,” he said back, curving his pinkie around hers before shaking it. Later, just as he was about to leave the store, Spencer placed a small gift box on Ash’s side of the store counter. He smiled to himself as he did, knowing that Ash would love it. Before he left the store, he turned around to look at Ash again. The last thing he saw from her was her charming smile.

                Spencer clutched the crushed bell tightly in his hands, tear drops falling on it like rain. Besides his memories, this was the only thing he had left of her. Wiping his teary eyes, he pocketed the item into his pocket before rushing towards his friend’s body.

                As Spencer drifted out of memory-lane, he couldn’t help but tell the tombstone how he felt that day.

                “When I saw you dead that day, I felt my heart-” Spencer placed his hand to his chest “-break in two. When the ambulance people came to take your body away, I stayed by your side,” Spencer sniffed. “I couldn’t just leave you.” Spencer sniffed again before gathering his thoughts together. He had to keep himself together for the sake of his friend. “But, I knew you didn’t want me to cry, but the pain I felt then was so real. But, when I-I mean- all our friends and I attended your funeral; I knew I had to change. Crying wouldn’t solve anything. I had to be strong to get over the grief I felt then, and that’s what I did. I still cry sometimes when I remember that day, but I also remember all the younger and happier days I’ve spent with you.”

                Spencer wiped his tears before placing his right hand into the picnic basket. He pulled out two small velvet boxes. He opened one of them, and he showed the tombstone what was inside. It was a small shiny bell with a beautiful new white ribbon attached to it, the same one he gave to Ash on the day she died. He gave it a little shake before tying it around the cross that sat on top of his friend’s grave.

                “When I calmed down a bit after that day, I started to fix the present I gave you. It took a lot of time, but it was worth it in the end, even though the bell won’t ring.” Then, with the other box, he placed it on the palm of his hand before leaning towards the tombstone a bit as if it was really was Ash.

                “When I was getting my formal wear that day, I wanted to show you how much I loved and cared for you and this was the first thing that came to my mind.” With steady hands, Spencer opened the box, and there inside was a ring with a heart shape on it. Then he proceeded with the words he longed to say to her that day.

                “Ash, I love you with all my heart, and whenever I can, I always want to be around you. You were always with me when I was going through difficult times in my life, and, in between those times, you’ve always gave me love and happiness. Now, it’s my turn to give that to you. I know you can’t respond to me or tell me how you feel about me, but just know this. I don’t care that you’re gone from this world. I don’t care that we can’t see each other again. Knowing that you love me is all I need to go on.” And with that, Spencer gave the ring a kiss as if Ash was wearing the ring when he did so.

                Spencer’s heart eased up a bit as he placed the box with the ring back into the picnic basket before getting onto his feet. His mind felt clearer than when he came to the tombstone earlier. Picking up the basket, he said to the tombstone,

                “I’ll be back tomorrow to talk to you again. We’ve got lots to catch up on.” With that, Spencer extended his pinkie towards the tombstone before saying, “Pinkie promise.” He bent down to kiss the bell and white ribbon before going back to his bike.

                If he stayed a little longer, he might’ve heard a small ring come from the bell, though there was no wind, and he might’ve saw the two words that appeared on the bell.

                I do

Author's Note

This is something I wrote for a contest. How do you think I did?

Reviews

[Nekateeka]

Awwws, Great job. I'm all teary eyed, and not many stories can do that to me. The way you set up the story was very well done, and you captured the scene in a way that makes a reader not able to leave the words. I really enjoyed it.

[Vivian]

Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad that you enjoyed my words.