The End

She put her pen down and sighed as she let the tears run down her face. She had only been writing the letter for twenty minutes but she had been perfecting it for the last hour. Eleanor Henly, aged sixty nine, had left the best years of her life behind her. Charles, her middle aged cat jumped on the chair reminding her that it was dinnertime. As she poured his food she thought of the letter. It was extremely difficult to write, but sending it would be even harder. Expressing her emotions, in writing or in person where never her strong suit, but on the anniversary of such a catastrophic day, it was not easy to put emotions aside. She locked up her house as the cat ran outside of the door. He’ll be back she thought, scratching the door in the middle of the night carrying a dead rat or frog. She didn’t turn around, years of memories; good and bad were left behind as she turned the corner. The grocery store where she had worked, the restaurant where her husband had proposed, the school her daughter went to … That was the problem with small towns, too many memories. Every time she walked by them she would relive each memory vividly. Her past haunted her, reminding her of what she had lost. She had seen families come and go, children growing up and starting families of the own. She envied them…  They could make new memories while she, she was stuck in the past. Her life had been stuck on replay ever since that dreadful day exactly twenty years ago. No, she thought, not this time, not this year, today I don’t cry. As she peered in the window of the post office, she caught a glimpse of her reflection. Short gray hair with blue eyes, eyes that had seen too much, eyes that reminded her of Katherine’s. There I go again thinking about it she thought. She walked into the post office and glanced at the man behind the table. It was Henry; he used to be in the same class as Katherine, so he must have been around 33. He looked at her with pitying eyes. This was the look she was so used to, everyone was so sympathetic all the time, and it was a constant reminder of what she had lost. Hello Henry, she said smiling. Well hello there Mrs. Henly, how are you this fine morning he asked. She chose to ignore him. I have an urgent letter I need sent, how fast do you think it would make it to Krakow she wondered. I can’t say but I wouldn’t expect it before the end of the month, the cargo planes are still being checked very thoroughly, they don’t want a relapse of last time he said. She wondered what her sister would think one month from now upon opening the letter. Would she feel sad, or would she feel certain negligence, it was true the War made people emotionless. I’ll never know she thought. She emptied the remaining coins from her pockets and gave it to Henry. Ma’am there’s too much here, he said. Keep it, she said, I don’t need it anymore. As she turned around she heard him yell, Ma’am what does that mean, how does one not need money. He is still a foolish kid, she thought, money was not the thing she sought after.

      She saw the black gates and knew she was near. As she picked up her dress to avoid the dust and mud from ruining her outfit, an unusual happiness filled her. This was it… This is where all of it happened. It had haunted her, been the reason for her nightmares. She still heard the screams of pain, the flashes of light, and the airplanes flying over. She pulled out the pistol in her pocket and looked at it. I’m coming Katherine she thought, I’ll never leave you again. She pulled the trigger and dropped to the place where her husband and daughter had died twenty years 

Author's Note

This is my first short story so please keep that in mind :)