Snowfall

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"Father's home," she whispered to Jonah, whose eyes grew wide. He snatched up his clothes and they both dressed in a flurry of silent activity, with the gentle thudding of footsteps on the staircase. Jonah was tucking in his shirt and Bethany fastening the last of the buttons on hers when the door swung open, Samuel having forgotten to knock. In that moment, everyone was frozen, each looking at the person they thought wasn't supposed to be there. Then Samuel cast his eyes around the room, taking in Jonah's backpack, the gently discarded wedding dress of his late wife, the seed pearls still around Bethany's neck.

Bethany's eyes wheeled around nervously, and she pushed past her father, running down the stairs with her shoes untied, laces flying behind her ankles. Jonah ran down after her, catching her in the kitchen doorway, but she wriggled out of his grasp.

"No, no, I can't!" she cried. "Don't follow me!" And then she was gone, sprinting across the damp grass until she was out of sight. Jonah paused on the threshold, and then he felt a hand come down on his shoulder. He turned to see Samuel looking at him, not unkindly.

"Let her go, son. Let's go inside and talk." Well, he was a man now, Jonah thought, and sometimes, a man needs to face up to what he's done. He turned and went into the kitchen with Bethany's father.

-----

Jonah left before Bethany returned home, knowing her father would want a word alone with her. He wasn't angry. Just...tired. Jonah went back to his own house, laid listlessly on his bed, homework for once forgotten. He could only think of the night before, and the way Bethany had tasted, the way she felt underneath him, the way she'd sighed. The way his heart had burst open with the love he felt for her, and how he saw it blossoming on her face, too.

He would probably never see that again. He smelled her, on his shirt. He rolled over, curling up on his side, and cried for the first time since he heard the news. At first just silent tears, by the time his parents had come into his room, they were great racking sobs that he feared would tear him apart. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair! Why did it have to be Bethany? Why couldn't God take him instead? It hurt too much. He was a man, but he let his mother hold him again until he quieted, his father occasionally stroking his hair.

-----

Bethany returned from her last trip to her open-air temple knowing it would be her last trip anywhere. She wasn't sad, simply resigned to it, and she took to her bed, never complaining of the deep, thrumming pain she felt. Jonah spent his days at her bedside, and his nights in her bed, though his prediction had come true. He never did see the shining joy on her face again, caught up in the hazy web of their love. But she did take enormous comfort from resting in his arms.

It was the first day of March, and the snow was falling again, thickly. Bethany called for the pastor, and spent the morning sequestered with him in her bedroom. At last, Jonah went in to see her, and the sight of her tiny body beneath her bright yellow blanket made his heart weep. Neither of them seemed to know what to say, so they said nothing at all. He lay down beside her, holding her gently, until her eyes fluttered open. She smiled radiantly, murmuring "glory, glory, glory..." Then, as suddenly as she had moved, her body was still. After a moment, he thought he saw her breathing, but it was only the fluttering of the blanket as a chill draft swept in from underneath the cracked window.

His heart squeezed inward until he thought he would break from the pain of it all, and through the mist of tears, he saw a flash of red outside the window. He stumbled to it, and there, in the orchard, was a cardinal, his color gaudy and almost obscene, making wide joyful circles beneath the bare apple trees.

Jonah felt the storm of emotions within him crest. How could anything be so happy, so at peace with the world when his own had just been wrenched from him? He pushed the window open, intending to shoo it away. The snow was still falling, and tiny, icy flakes tickled his cheeks as he leaned out. Suddenly, the cardinal turned from his wheeling, alighting on Jonah's hand and cocking his head to the side. It bent down, nipping his finger gently, then flew up, and up, and up.

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oldpantythiefoldpantythiefover 1 year ago

What a heartbreaker. Good story but so florigen to most people that don't live that life style. One thing, the ending was a little bit confusing. Don't know if the cardinal was just a sign or if it was Bethany reincarnated? If it was Bethany, it wouldn't have been a flash of red because only male cardinals are the bright red. Just thought I'd point that out. Other than that, the story, thanks.

Fighting41Fighting41almost 12 years ago
Wonderful

Such a lovely story it was truly lovely thank you

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