She was sunburned, sore, exhausted, and altogether in a foul mood when the sun rose to its zenith, indicating lunch time. She hauled the cold, cooked fish she'd prepared back to the cottage, not looking forward to seeing her adopted grandfather in his weakened state, yet looking forward to the glow his face gave off after he ate. Too often she saw nothing but white and wax and bones instead of the incredible man she looked up to. Too often she had to clench her jaw instead of show the worried expression which came naturally in response to his hacking cough.
Yes, the healthy glow would be a welcome reprieve.
For the first time, Celes stopped to wonder how the cottage came to be. Had it been erected before the terrible incident on the Floating Continent, when Kefka had disturbed the delicate balance of the statues and literally ripped the world apart? If so, they were incredibly lucky; there were no other homes on the island, or even any evidence that other homes had once existed. Cid, and the other who had once lived alongside him, may have built the cottage. Without tools, though, Celes found that hard to believe. She resolved to ask him when she returned.
The path changed from sandy to dusty, and a few trees provided welcome shade, but Celes did not stop walking. Hoisting the package of fish to her hip she pried the door open and entered the lonely establishment.
An aura she recognized nearly bowled her over, and the fish were immediately forgotten on the grimy floor. She was at his bedside, clasping his clammy hand, when she choked, "Grandpa, you can't--"
Weakly, he held up his free hand to silence her. "I've not much time left with you, my dear." His voice was barely more than the wheeze of failing lungs, and she had to swallow her sob hard. "I just wanted... to thank you for taking such good... care of... this... old man..." He was overtaken by a sudden coughing fit, and she was unable to hold her tears back any longer. "Celes... you... friends... find..." The space between the words was agonizing, and his eyes glazed. His grip on her failed; he obviously had been holding tightly to life just to see her this last time. "Wish..." He rasped with effort, "luck..."
If he forced more out of his lungs after that, she didn't hear. Flinging herself from his side, Celes raced out the door and back to the beach. The strange beauty of her transformed world failed to strike her; all she wanted was to end the misery she'd prolonged for Cid's sake. The mention of her friends had been the last straw.
Death was not the alternative; it was the solution.