Alana's bliss

The fleeting happiness of every child

Alana's Bliss

         Her rustled ponytail blew gently in the low morning zenith that sneaked in from the open window. Her small round head was bent shyly over her small chest, her fingers weaving themselves in the small holes of her crotchet sweater. Even her soft, doe eyes were dappled with uncertainty as she pondered over the stiffing decision she was proposed with.
          Alana could not grasp the reason why her teacher had asked her which season was her most favored, but she was even more bewildered by the low chuckles coming from behind her, which she had earlier pushed back to the furthest corners of her mind. She sifted through her mind as she thought of the passing seasons-Summer, Winter, Spring, Autumn-they were all so beautiful, why did she have to settle with only one?
          The vivid hues of red and orange forming a blended gradient with the sun's brazen colors fleeted past her vision. Soon after, the kaleidoscope of red and orange leaves fell from the trees' branches and the ivory silhouettes of the bare now trees laden with crystallized patches of snow settled at the top of her mound of thoughts. The low gales of Spring swept away dappling patches of snow against the ground and the full red bulbs of tulips and the crimson red apples hanging like forbidden fruit from her Grandpa's farm trees, grew like small blossoms in the fertile thoughts of her young mind. Piercing sunlight settled over the greens and pinks and purples and blues of the meadows, and an azure wall of water invited itself unto the bare, peach sand, the scrambling crabs seeming like coral flecks glimmering in the white light of the Summer sun.
          They were all so beautiful... Why pick one?
           Alana sighed heavily as she shook her head sadly to the teacher. "I don't have one."
          Mrs. Evergreen gave her a full, soft smile. "We all have our favorite seasons darling, but you can tell me yours whenever you decide. Alright?'
          Alana nodded slowly, her heavy ponytail bobbing behind her. She sat down after that, her mind still ticking to find an answer to Mrs. Evergreen's question. Gradually however, throughout the day, her laid-back, childish play slackened the tension within her mind, and she eased back into her realm of nonchalant nothings.
        
          Sunlight peeked in through the branches of trees above her as she skipped home, the rays dappling the grey sidewalk in dark shadows. Several pigeons flew away in her wake, and a litter of puppies tumbled out of a neighbor's yard to chase after her dainty heels as she skipped lightly, singing the nursery rhyme Three blind mice, in her soft voice.
           Alana was ecstatic. Every autumn break her parents would take her visit Grandma Jane, her sweet, plump grandmother who lived in the countryside. Now that it was the last day of school, she could finally pack her bags and go visit Grandma Jane and her famous chocolate chip cookies and homemade corn chowder. Grandma Jane's cooking was better than even Alana's mothers cooking, was what she thought every time she bit into the soft cookie flesh or slurped on the warm chowder.
            When she arrived home, she bolted into the front door and ran to the kitchen where she expected to find her mother. But it was bare. The only sounds were the low ticking of the grandfather clock coming from the living family room. She looked around in astonishment at the usual spot where her mother would be at this time of the evening. After giving the entire kitchen a full scrutiny, she scurried into the family room.
            "Mummy! Muuummy!! When will we see-"
            Her jovial cries were shortened as she stopped dead in her tracks. In the living room, her Aunt May, Uncle Tim, as well several of her cousins, and her parents were gathered in a tight huddle around the coffee table. The wet eyes, and red faces stood out in the dark, gloomy atmosphere. Alana, unaware of the morbid gloom in the room, continued to walk past into the room. She tugged on her Uncle Tim's coat cuff.
            "Uncle Tim, why are you and Aunt May here?" He smiled down at her innocent face, and ruffled her messy, nest of brown hair.
             "Because of Grandma."
              Her face lit up with happiness. "Grandma?!" She darted across the room, searching eagerly in the windows for the bright, red beetle her grandmother owned. "Where?!"
              Her parents looked sadly at each other, and called to her. "Alana," her mother's usually calm, sweet voice, trembled in tears. "There's something we need to tell you sweetheart."
              Alana strutted back to her mother and sat in her lap. "Where's Grandma? When will we see her?"
             A tear streaked he mother's cheek and Alana was immediately struck with fear awe as it was the first time she had seen her mother cry. "Mummy?"
             Her father squeezed her mother's shoulders. "Alana, we won't be seeing grandma much longer."
             She looked at him in surprise. "Why?"
             "She went to the hospital this morning, just after you left for school She might not make it out." The room plunged into silence for a few minutes, the coldness of what her father said seeping into the frail body of little  Alana.
            She remembered when Mrs. Evergreen had brought Peter the Rabbit to school in the first term. Two months later, she ha sadly told them that Peter Rabbit had gone to the hospital. And then she later came back to say that he had died. She never saw him after that. And when she had asked Mrs. Evergreen, she had only said that he had gone to Heaven.
             Died.
             Alana leaped to her feet, the sudden situation now coming into consciousness. "Is Grandma going to die, ad go to Heaven?!"
            Her family members exchanged glances and then nodded towards her. Alana, a mature little girl at her age, came to an immediate decision. She stomped her foot down and pointed at the door. "Let me go see her now!"
            Aunt May swept her up and hugged her tightly. "No sweetheart. it's best if you didn't see her now."
            Alana pushed her away. "No! If I don't see her now, she'll be taken away by heaven like Peter Rabbit in my class, and I'll never see her again!"
             A few of her cousins laughed at this, and her mother hushed them when she realized the seriousness behind Alana's little exclamation. It seemed harmless at first but now they saw that she really understood. Her mother gave her a soft smile, the sorrow in her eyes gleaming in her eyes.
        
            For the rest of the Autumn break, Alana, kept Grandma Jane company. It was painful for her family to come to look at her immobilized under so many equipment, but Alana was happy everyday to finally see her Grandma's smile as she bolted into the room every morning, dragging with her little paintings she had done to show her.
              But Grandma Jane only lasted for two weeks, two weeks that seemed like months to little Alana. One day when she came to the hospital room, the doctors told her that she could not enter, and her crying mother held her tightly as she walked out with her. Alana slowly understood the situation after a few days, and when she saw Grandma Jane's wooden ivory bed, she couldn't help but forget the itch in her black dress and walk up to the coffin just before it went into the ground. She laid the single rose she had on the top and stood silently, Grandma Jane's smile burning into her memory.
             "I love you Grandma Jane," she softly spoke to the coffin, her eyes wet with tears. "Please wait for me with your cookies and chowder in heaven. I promise I'll come meet you. I promise."

              When school opened, Alana stood outside of class after assembly to stare at the falling leaves of autumn from the trees in the school playground. As the leaves dropped, she saw a glimpse of the autumn memories she had spent with Grandma Jane, and gradually, a smile enveloped her lips, and her wet eyes glinted with happiness as she made a sudden discovery.
              "Alana?" Mrs. Evergreen stood in the doorway of the school doors. She was tall and pretty, her red hair reminding Alana of the color of Autumn, and her forest green trench coat accentuating her burning locks of red. Alana ran up to her jovially, and wrapped her small arms around her waist. Mrs. evergreen gasped in surprise, and slowly enveloped the little, frail child in her arms. They stood in the cool gales of the passing autumn, the red leaves blowing in whirl winds around them. Alana found an odd peace in the arms of her teacher, her vivid colors reminding her of the various memories she had spent with Grandma Jane over the past Autumn intervals, and as the morning sun dripped light unto the concrete compound, her grandmother's last smile branded the atmosphere around her.
              "Mrs. Evergreen? I think I know which season I love now."