The cemetery was 2 miles into the woods.It lay beside an ancient creek. There was a huge piece of sandstone in the center of the creek as big as a house, It was magnificent.
The cemetery was surrounded by giant oak trees. They stood guard like centurions over the 12 people buried there.
"Maggie was 14 when she died giving birth to the her baby. Who died the same day she was born. Her baby's name name was Helen" I said to Doug as I sat down on a pink granite boulder situated by their grave.
I took the old roses out of the green bronze vase that I had brought the week before and threw them into the woods..
I took some plastic flowers out of my backpack that I had purchased from my lunch money and arranged them neatly in the ancient vase. I liked them..They were purple Spider mums.
Doug read aloud the date of Maggie's birth and death and that of her baby.
Maggie LaFlamme
born March 15, 1890
died October 20, 1904
Helen LaFlamme
born October 20, 1904
died October 20, 1904
"Wow, it is really sad that she was so young when died." He sat down by me and we studied her grave.
"I think the lamb on top of the baby's grave makes me the saddest." I said.
"She never even had a chance to live. And I always wonder what the circumstances were behind their deaths." I looked at Doug and he had tears in his eyes.
"I had a sister die as an infant and my Mom never got over it. She has never been the same. Maybe it was better that they both died at the same time." He hastily wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt.
We were sitting so close together that I felt the warmth of his body through my clothes.
"Sometimes life sucks.." He whispered.
"Do you ever wonder why we are on earth?" I asked him quietly.
"Yes, all the time. I often wonder why I exist." He stared off into the distance deeply reflective.
"Even when I am home, I'm alone." He said hollowly.
"I know what you mean, my parents are never home. And when they are they don't notice if I am there. One night I camped out by myself in the woods. And they never even noticed I was gone." I stared at the dead ferns surrounding the oak tree in front of me.
" And school is torture for me..I am shy and awkward and it is hard for me to make friends. So I feel like I really have no place in the world." I said the words that I had wanted to tell someone forever..
I looked over at him and he was chewing his fingernails.
He stopped chewing long enough to say. "Why do you think I hang out in trees?"
We both looked at each other and laughed. A really good laugh the kind where you laugh so hard you cry. And it felt good.
(to be continued)
by @Nita Barrow- Zimmerman
Tonight's song Open Your Eye's by Snow Patrol
I hope you have time to listen to it..