At The Graveyard

The grey clouds rolled in and thunder echoed in the distance to the accompaniment of the church bells as the young woman bowed her head, allowing a single tear to roll down her cheek. Eyes closed, she imagined that beautiful face: those sparkling eyes, always so full of mischief; the little smile that always danced on the lips. She could not bear the thought – the knowledge – that she would never see that face again. She had faced numerous trials in her life, but none as difficult as this; and the realization that she was now alone in the world hit her hard.

Her head swivelled around as the sound of laughter carried on the breeze and a bittersweet smile tugged at her mouth. Well, almost alone.

Turning her attention back to the grave in front of her, she bent down and placed on it a single red rose, a black ribbon tied around its stem. Her fingers brushed against the cold, hard granite as she drew back her hand. She straightened, and a bitingly-cold wind began to whip around her, ruffling her hair and prompting her to draw her cloak closer around her willowy frame.

She still could not believe he was really gone. And with him, her future. Her life. The only source of comfort she had ever had. The only love she had ever found. Ever would find. Gone. All it took was a moment. The blink of an eye. And it was all over.

And now…what? What would she do now? Who could she turn to? Where would she go? She hadn't a clue what was in store for her now. When he was alive, they had planned out a future together. For the first time, she'd been certain of what lay ahead.

And suddenly…she wasn't. She was back to square one.

Almost.

Because she had someone else to look after. Someone other than herself. But how could she do this without him? She wasn't ready for this. Not alone.

He'd been such a natural at it all. With him there, she'd been able to watch and learn. He'd tell her things and show her the best way to handle various situations. Without him, she felt incapable; useless. What made her think she could ever do this in the first place? Surely she should have taken into account the possibility of this happening.

But he'd been so happy. Ever since the day they'd found out, his eyes had been aglow. It was as if it had breathed a new life into him. To know she'd been a part of that…it had been so wonderful.

Now, she didn't know what to think. How was she to do this? She couldn't.

She looked down at the gentle tugging on her skirt.

Maybe she wouldn't succeed.

But she must try.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Why do we always come here?"

She hesitated. Swallowed the lump in her throat. Of course he didn't understand. He was only four. How could he be expected to understand that it was now just the two of them?

He gazed up at her expectantly; those big, blue eyes shimmering with curiosity.

She looked back at the grave. "It's…where I can be closer to Daddy. So I can…talk to him, and think."

"What do you think about?"

She hesitated. "A lot of things," she finally replied. "A lot of things, darling. Nothing you need concern yourself with." She took her son's hand. "It's growing darker; we should go. Say goodbye to Daddy, Liir."

"Goodbye, Daddy," Liir said obediently.

Elphaba nodded her approval. "Goodbye, Fiyero. Until tomorrow."

As Elphaba and her son – their son – walked hand-in-hand out of the cemetery, she recalled Liir's words.

What do you think about?

She thought about everything. She thought about her husband and the good times they'd shared. She thought about the way his smile used to light up the room. How he used to light up her life. She thought about the future they had planned out and how it was no longer a viable option. She thought about the tough times they'd been through and how he had pulled her through each and every time.

He may be gone, but perhaps he could pull her through even this.

If she kept coming back, perhaps she would find the answers at the graveyard.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the characters mentioned in the above story; the belong in their entirety to L. Frank Baum and Gregory Maguire. I DO, however, own the story itself, which is protected in my name under Australian Copyright Law dating back to 2014.