Willow: Closure
We arrive home, and I have to sit down. “Maple, I’m so sorry…” I don’t like having everyone else see me like this. “I wanted to bring grandma back to us, but I made so many mistakes. I became so obsessed that I pushed everyone else’s interests aside and nearly killed two other people. And in the end, coming back wasn’t even what grandma wanted…”
Lily curls up to my side. I’m glad she’s at least sympathizing with me. I don’t think I can expect the same sympathy from Maple. She’s probably furious.
Maple sits down across from me and steeps some tea. “Willow,” she begins, “This was definitely very hard for you, and I think you understand how hard it was for us to see you like this. We love you, and we love grandma, so it was really hard to talk about it with you.” She turns her head to the side a little and I can see some tears coming from her eyes. “I was secretly hoping that you were right and that grandma would come back, but… I didn’t want to confront you about any of this because it sounded like you made up your mind...” Maples voice trails off. She seems to be trying to hold back tears. “I was scared. I didn’t really know what was going to happen and I didn’t know what the right thing to do was.”
After a moment of silence, I decide to continue speaking. “It’s my fault for making everything so complicated. Ever since Grandma Orchid passed away, I have had so much trouble accepting it. That’s when I looked into elemental magics and how to grant a wish. I became so attached to the idea that I could bring her back, so I didn’t bother processing anything.” I feel Lily hug me tighter.
“Yeah,” Maple wipes away some tears, “It was… it was hard in general for all of us. I think if I was in your position, I’d at least be tempted to do the same thing. I wish we could see grandma again, but all we have now are our precious memories.”
I decide to conclude the talk by sharing grandma’s final words. “Before she went away, she told me something: When you think about me, you can laugh, you can cry, whatever you need to do. You can feel sad about those who died, but you can also laugh and smile when you think about the things you loved to do with them. When someone leaves you, you don’t really stop feeling those emotions, so please don’t feel like you need to get over them.”
The others nod, even Lily. I continue with my own thoughts. “I don’t think this grandma is someone we necessarily need to get over. I think the best thing we can try to do is carry on with our lives and make sure her memories live on inside of us.”
Maple smiles. I feel like I need to say something else, but I don’t know what. It’s really hard to have these kinds of conversations with people. Thankfully, Maple fills the silent void for me. “I’m glad you think that. I want us all to keep moving on together.” She stands up and follows the edge of the table toward me and hugs me tight, along with Lily. Her hug is warm, and I feel like in this moment that I have the strength to do anything. I know that strength won’t last though. I will eventually feel upset, remorseful, and depressed over Grandma Orchid again. And that’s okay. That’s what happens when you love someone. But I feel much better after this conversation.
During our hug, I hear a knock at our door. “Who could that be?” I ask while letting go of the hug. “I’m going to see who that is.”
“Be careful,” Maple warns, “I hope the elementalists aren’t out for revenge…”
I nod. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.” I head toward our front door.