Elicia didn't understand why she had to wear black today. She didn't know why her daddy hadn't come home in a long time. Her mommy said that daddy was gone, that he couldn't come back. But daddy always came back. He had promised to. Daddy never broke his promises. Why was he not home yet? It was making mommy upset too. She said that they were going to say goodbye forever to him today, but Elicia didn't know why they had to. She didn't understand.
The car ride was long, and the whole time her mommy was silent. She looked really really sad. Elicia was sad too. She didn't want to say goodbye to daddy. She wanted him to come home like he promised and tell her bedtime stories and make her laugh. He said he had lots of work to do before he could come home, but he was usually done by now! Why couldn't he come back? It wasn't fair.
When they got out of the car, they went to a field with lots of stones sticking out of the ground. Mommy said it was called a graveyard and it was where people were put when they went to sleep and never woke up. She said that daddy went to sleep too, and that he wasn't going to wake up ever again. Not in forever. Elicia knew that forever was a long, long time.
They went to a group of people standing in the field next to a hole and a rectangle box. Mommy had told her that daddy would be in the box. Was that him? He wasn't in the crowd. She knew a lot of the people there. There was Big Brother and Little Brother, who weren't really her brothers but she called them that, and Winry, and Mister Mustang, who mommy said was daddy's best friend. He looked funny with his hair greased back. They were all sad too, just like mommy. Elicia didn't like it. She clutched mommy's hand nervously. Everyone was dressed in black or in blue uniforms like her daddy's. He had to wear that because he was in the military. Those people must be in it too.
Mister Mustang started talking about daddy and how good he was. Elicia was confused. Weren't they supposed to be saying goodbye? Goodbyes were usually short. And they didn't make everyone cry. It scared Elicia, and she felt her own eyes get wet. If daddy was in the box, why couldn't she see him? She wanted him back. He needed to get his work done so he could come back. Hugging her mommy, who was carrying her, she buried her face in her shoulder. She didn't like this.
When some people put the box in the hole and started covering it with dirt, Elicia couldn't keep quiet anymore. "Mommy, how come? Why are they burying daddy?" she sobbed, "Who are those people? Why are they burying him? Why?" If they buried him, he wouldn't be able to work and come home! Why couldn't he come home?
"He's gone, baby," her mommy said, hugging her tighter.
"They can't! I don't like it! Daddy said he has lots of work to do and if they bury him he can't do it when he wakes up!"
"Elicia…!" her mommy sobbed.
"Stop them mommy! Daddy needs to do his work! He told me! Why are you burying daddy mommy? Why?" Her daddy was going to wake up. Sleeping meant that she would always wake up sometime, so why couldn't daddy? "Daddy, wake up! Daddy!" she yelled. The box kept being buried, shovelful after shovelful of dirt slowly covering it up. Elicia bawled and collapsed against her mommy, unable to figure out what was stopping him. "I don't understand! Why won't daddy wake up? Mommy, please wake him up!"
"I can't, baby. Daddy can't wake up. H-he's never coming back," her mommy started to cry quietly. Elicia was terrified and sobbing, refusing to accept the horrible, awful truth. Her daddy was gone, and he was never, ever coming back. The only thing she could do was say goodbye.
Goodbye, daddy… I'll miss you…
All she wanted was for him to come home.
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So, my creative writing class has some really depressing prompts... I will probably add another chapter to this with Mustang at some point.