Dreamer - Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a story with multiple parts. You can find the previous chapter right here.

We pulled into the far back of Lakemond cemetery, driving past all the old stones towards emptiness. Where she is now. Where she has been for the past eleven years. I stepped out of the car, turning my head to face my father, who stayed remaining in the drivers seat, before walking towards her stone. The cemetery always managed to freaked me out. How would it not? It's basically a large empty field filled with old rock stones sitting on top of rotting bodies that were located six feet underneath, all covered up and hidden with dirt. If it wasn't for me wanting to say one last final goodbye to my mother, I wouldn't even want to be here right now. I wouldn't even willingly want to come in here.

I glanced down at the dead twigs crunching under my feet. Although they were already dead, I couldn't help but feel like I was killing each twig with every step.

I walked closer to a tombstone that sat alone. All alone in the back where no one was ever able to find it. The stone looked so sad, so lonely. The writing on the stone had already faded out, almost disintegrated, making it very hard to read the print located on the front. All I could make out was "Bea Moth 1, oved fe". I wish the words didn't have to disappear at all. I wish it wouldn’t have to be located in this field and I can just walk back to the car and see my father sitting in the driver's seat with my beautiful mother sitting next to him in the passenger seat. We can all just drive back to our house and hang around the living room watching as the sun goes down with some sappy romantic comedy on a loop, We could be the family we deserved to be. I leaned against the side of the stone, falling to my knees and resting my head onto the top of the tombstone. I closed my eyes to block all of the tears that had tried to slip out but one managed to escape, sliding down my cheek as the pain filled out my face and my heart began to race.

"Daddy?" I asked, looking up at him. He wore a black suit with a white shirt underneath. His tie was a grayish color. Mom loved that tie. I looked around at the other people who had came to comfort us, or to just pay their respects to a woman whom they loved so very much. They all wore some kind of black clothing, and some ladies even had little black umbrellas with lace headpieces covering their faces. I never did understand that. It wasn't raining. Umbrellas and face coverings were supposed to only be out on a rainy day. I looked down at my own black dress which had hung just around my ankles. Daddy told me that he didn’t want my dress to be too long so I wouldn’t trip and fall and hurt myself. My hair dangled over my shoulder, creating tiny little curls at the very ends. I rubbed my arms. It was freezing cold. I should’ve told daddy to bring my jacket with us when we left the house. My eyes looked into the direction of the wooden box that laid on the very large table in front of us. A small white quilt laid across the top. Mommy’s favorite small white quilt. I was so upset to have to give it up to bury mommy with it, but daddy told me that it was so mommy could keep warm while she laid to rest.. just like it did whenever she would watch a movie or her favorite shows on TV. But I never understood how. It couldn’t even cover the entire box, let alone cover mommy up in this harsh wind. The person up front was singing a song mommy loved and I closed my eyes to picture the image of her singing it to me to help me sleep every time I had a nightmare. She loved to sing. Mommy would sing to me every time I got scared. She'd sing with the birds in the morning. She would even sing whenever she had to do the housework chores around the house, and she would sing while she was in the car with daddy and I. When she wasn't available to calm me down, daddy would try sing to me instead. It was never the same though. Daddy could never make those demons disappear the same way mommy was able to. I opened my eyes and looked back up at my daddy whose eyes were now a reddish color and I saw a few droplets on his cheeks. His lips were curved downward into a small frown, and his hands were down by his sides, swaying in the wind. He looked like he was...dancing a bit, to the music. Suddenly, his right wrist came up to wipe away his tears, leaving little wet spots on the sleeves of his jacket.

People began to walk up to the big wooden thing up in front of the wooden box and talk about mommy. They would discuss how lovely of a person mommy was, and how she never did deserve to end her life this way. They spoke about how she deserved to grow old and watch her daughter grow older. I think they were just close friends of mommy but I don't think I've ever met them before in my life.

"Maria was a wonderful young lady. She was always so kind to everyone, friends and strangers alike. She even stayed at home while her husband went to work, taking care of their beautiful young daughter Alexis. I remember coming to visit her at home on Friday nights, smelling the amazing scent of fresh apple pies as soon as I would walk through the front door. She always wanted to greet people with gifts and treats ready for the guests as soon as they arrived. The way I licked my lips just watching her prepare them is something I never want to forget. The way she'll let Alexis help her bake them, while Alexis still had to stay a distance away from the oven so she wouldn’t get burned, was amazing." She let out a light chuckle, "I'll never forget those days. A sister never forgets."

She stepped down, walking over to daddy and giving him a big hug, before moving onto me. "Stay happy. She'll love it if you'd stay positive and grew up to become an amazing young woman." She told me, reaching her arm around my body and pulling me into a warm hug. I felt a hand wrap around my own hand as she let go. I looked up to see Daddy staring back down at me. "Remember that." He whispered to me. I caught a small smile start to curve across his face right before his frown returned. I let go of his hand and walked up to the casket. My hand reached out, running across the solid bark of the box. "Don't go." Tears began to hit my eyelids about now. "Don't leave me." My arms opened and I felt myself not being able to move. My arms suddenly clung to the wooden box as I pressed my cheek up against it. The tears began rolling down my cheeks at a faster pace now. "Don't leave me mommy. Please don’t ever leave me. I don’t want you to go. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, mommy. I’m sorry. Stay here. Stay with me. Stay with us. We can't go on without you. Please, mommy. Please.. Please don’t leave me."

I opened my eyes. I could feel the tears already staining my face. I must've been crying before. I stood up, taking one last glance at the stone. "Goodbye mom." I said. “I promise to never forget you.” I began to walk off, looking down at the ground, stepping over every twig I could find. I found the car, finally, and stepped towards it, watching closely as I reached out to open the door. "Dad, I-" the driver's seat was empty. "DAD!" I screamed out.

I looked at the driver's seat once again, empty. I looked in the back seat thinking maybe he decided to rest up while I was out since we had a long drive ahead of us but it was also empty. "Dad!!" I screamed once more. I stepped away from the car. Fear began to grow inside me. My cheeks flushed. My stomach felt twisted. My head turned from side to side. "Dad, where are you!" I shouted once more.

"I'm right here, Alexis." someone said from behind me, reaching out to touch my shoulder..

I jumped a little, eyes widening, "Dad!" I wrapped my arms around him. "Where did you go?" I asked instantly.

"I just stepped out for a minute." He answered back.

"Oh."

Dad smiled, running his hand over my back, "Sweetie. I just didn't want to wait in the car. You were taking quite a while and I just needed to give myself a small stretch. We are about to go on a long car ride after all."

I smiled, "I know but-"

"We should go now." He said, walking over to the other side of the car. He got in and turned it on. "Come on Alexis."

I sighed as I walked over to the passenger side of the car and got in quickly.

Goodbye mom ran through my mind as we drove out of the cemetery where the woman who gave me life was laid to rest, out of the town that gave me all those memories I hold so dearly to my heart, out of the state I've grown so accustomed to, and into the new state where I will start my new life filled with new memories and new people.

Goodbye old life. Hello new beginnings.