"Grief's Angel -- Miriam E. Waters"

Grief's Angel 

by Miriam E. Waters

The gravel shifted beneath Laraine’s feet as she walked down the path leading to the far corner of the cemetery. The sound reverberated in the chill morning air.  An old iron fence, crumbling with rust and age, surrounded the graveyard’s residents.

Using the faded photograph as a map, Laraine located and began walking toward a maple tree ablaze with riotous color.  The tree was the chief clue in her quest.   She knew she would find her great grandmother’s memorial beneath the tree.

Laraine allowed her mind to wander as she approached the secluded plot.  She examined the headstone on each grave as she walked past.  She read the inscriptions and let slip an occasional sigh when she found something tragic inscribed on the stones.

Granite cherubs and angelic statuary surrounded her.  She had once heard that the bevy of stone angels found in cemeteries was charged with watching over the sacred grounds and its inhabitants.  To look upon these angels caused them to turn to stone, reanimating only when no eye was upon them.   

She noticed a magnificent rendering of a seraphim as she neared her great grandmother’s grave.  The lustrous marble angel was leaning on the top of the memorial; her head resting on the cold stone and her wings tucked close to her body.  She knelt as if grieving for Laraine’s great grandmother.

Upon closer inspection, Laraine saw that the grass surrounding the stone was flattened.  It looked as if someone had been recently treading on the lonely fringe of the cemetery.   

Laraine mirrored the angel’s posture as she knelt to brush dirt from the old marker.  When the text was visible, Laraine stepped back to capture the beautiful headstone’s image with her camera.  The photo would be an interesting addition to the family genealogy project she was compiling. 

She spent some time studying the intriguing marker and considering the family matriarch’s life.  Laraine hadn’t anticipated so beautiful a resting spot.  She pocketed her camera and began to leave.

Laraine hesitated and turned back for one final glance at the remarkable angel guarding her great grandmother’s rest.  The stone was unattended; the angel gone.  Laraine drew a sharp breath and exhaled “Oh” sotto voce while raising her eyes to scan the clouds.

June 23, 2015.  All rights reserved.