Willowdale Cemetery.

A small plot of land where the grass rarely ever grew, the trees always seemed bare and melancholic, and the sky was always a depressing shade of overcast white. To say the least, it was a rather miserable place to visit; even for a cemetery.

Despite having such a cold and dreary air about itself however, Gabriel and John Sanders could be seen roaming about the grounds. They were looking for someone; or more accurately, someone's final resting place.

The two were dressed very neatly in somber colors. John, a gray squirrel, wore a black suit with an equally black tie. Gabriel, his brown squirrel wife, wore a dark blue dress; one that covered most of her body and went down to her ankles. If she could have, she would've worn black along with her caring husband. But instead, she went with the dark blue, for it was all that could fit her at the time.

Gabriel carried a single white lily with her in her hands. Obviously it was something meant for the deceased; a gift to help the dead find peace in the afterlife. Though really, it was meant to help put her mind at ease more than anything. For today, Gabriel was looking for far more than just a loved one's grave.

Eventually, the young squirrel couple stumbled upon their quarry. A simple headstone, with the name "Jacob Elms" engraved on the front and the date "April 7, 1984 - November 12, 2007" engraved beneath the name. The two stared at the unassuming piece of granite for minutes, almost in a malaise, until John finally spoke up.

"Um, sweetie," declared John to his wife cautiously. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, I can stick around if you really want me to."

Gabriel continued to stare at the grave marker. She didn't respond back until a few moments later, when she realized she was actually being spoken to.

"What? Oh, no, no; i-it's alright," she replied pensively, nearly ashamed of the fact that she had spaced out for a spell. "I just...want to be alone with him for a little while, okay?"

John looked at her worriedly. He didn't like the idea of leaving her unaccompanied in such a place; especially if she was going to be overcome by emotion seemingly at any moment. But ultimately, he decided to follow her wishes.

"Alright, well," stated John sensitively. "Whenever you're ready to go just let me know. I'll be waiting close by."

John then began walking away, towards one of the few melancholic trees that stood not 100 feet from the gravesite. And with him now (relatively) gone, Gabriel began to speak; an act that she pined to do with all her being, but also dreaded doing at the same time.

"Hey Jake," forced Gabriel with a weak smile. "It's me; Gabby."

"You know, your baby sis?" she queried, almost as if she genuinely expected the granite marker to reply back.

"I'd say you look good," she continued. "But I imagine you've seen much better days."

Gabriel then forced a very frail chuckle. With the gravestone still watching on with an unimpressed silence however, she quickly snuffed out her faked attempt at humor and carried on her conversation.

"Ummm...Mom says 'hi', i-in case you were wondering," she declared nonchalantly, almost to the point of being wooden. "She would've been here too, but you know how she is. She just doesn't like dwelling on the past, ya know?"

Jacob's headstone sill continued to watch and listen in silence.

"Well, anyway, I bet you're wondering why I'm here," declared Gabriel uncomfortably, knowing full well that pleasantries weren't getting her anywhere. "Well uh...I just wanted to tell you that you're gonna be an uncle."

The stone looked on; unchanged and still unimpressed.

"I know, right? Me? Pregnant?" declared Gabriel with a false air of joviality, as though she was trying to entertain a rather bored houseguest. "It's pretty wild, eh? Who'd a thought I was the motherly type?"

The grave continued to echo its eerie silence. Even after hearing such good news of Gabriel's newly fruitful form, her brother's grave still persisted seemingly forever onward with it's hushed demeanor.

Such reverberating quietude caused Gabriel to fall silent herself. She didn't know what else to say, so instead, she went to the heart of the real discussion. With a broken spirit and an injured ego, she declared what she wanted to say from the very start.

"I...I also wanted to say I'm sorry," stated Gabriel woefully, with delicate tears beginning to take root above her soft, feminine cheeks. "For everything."

She looked down and away from the headstone in shame; much like a child would do when apologizing to a parent. She carried on with her poignant act of contrition.

"I'm sorry I treated you the way I did when we were growing up. I'm sorry I could never be there for you when you needed me the most."

The tears that once stayed above her checks now began to flow. With all her heart, she then said her final apology.

"I'm sorry I wasn't a better sister," she declared despondently, almost on the verge of weeping violently. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better person."

In an act of grief, Gabriel pushed her delicate face into her gentle hands; sobbing tenderly into the creaminess that were her palms.

Before she could fully allow her sorrow to overcome her however, a soft wind swept through the burial grounds, nearly catching Gabriel completely off guard. It's soothing, imperceptible hand helped to calm her and regain her composure. It was as though a guiding force was there to provide her comfort in her darkest hour.

After letting the wind hold her for just a moment longer, the mournful mother-to-be then looked down upon the single lily that she carried in her hand and held it fondly against her plush bosom. She then looked back at the grave again, remembering why she was there.

"When we were real little," she began again, woeful but now in much better control of her terrible sadness. "You always used to tell me, 'it's better late than never'."

"Well," she declared sheepishly. "I just hope that, wherever you are now, it's not too late to accept my apology."

And with that said, Gabriel placed the solitary lily onto the gravesite; which in doing so caused her hands to feel empty and without purpose. Almost by instinct, she clasped her hands together over her burgeoning belly; having no idea what else to do with them.

"Goodbye, Jake," declared Gabriel with genuine sincerity in her voice. "I miss you. And I'm sorry."

She then turned and began to walk away from the great stone symbol of eternal rest. By which point, John began to move towards her. When she got close, he embraced her and allowed Gabriel's graceful tears to soak into his jacketed shoulder.

Shortly after, the two then left the cemetery. With him hoping that his wife had made her peace and with her hoping that her long deceased brother would forgive her for her past transgressions.

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artwork and characters copyright SatsumaLord
background image copyright its original owner