Eulogy

The wind blew gently through the trees; rustling leafs, creating soft sounds in the night.
A man walked silently through the graveyard. He felt strangely comfortable in this atmosphere of death and decay. He stopped in front of a fresh grave, isolated from the rest. The tombstone was plan, marked with only a name and date. He was briefly surprised by the presence of flowers, wondering who could possibly care for this man. This man… who caused so much pain in life. This man, who caused him so much pain, even in death.
"I thought your death would finally end it. I wanted to close that chapter of my life. No, revenge is never fulfilling…
"I hate you. I will never stop despising you for what you did to me…for what you did to her… But maybe I can forgive you.
"I don't know your reasons. I didn't live your life. I don't know what drove you to do what you did. Perhaps too many people hurt you and you finally lashed out. But that doesn't justify what you did. It never justified what I did…
"You still haunt me in my nightmares. Your death could not stop that. I doubt anything could. Not when I am the cause of so much of my suffering. I've never been willing to let go. I realize this now.
"I know I blamed you for everything. But we were all only human…long ago. I am not saying what I did was right. I don't expect anyone to forgive me for my past sins. But somehow I must start the path to forgiveness. Perhaps the first step is to forgive you.
"I can forgive you for what you did to me, for what I thought you took away. Perhaps it was gone long before the experiments... I don't think I'll ever really know. But what you did to me made me realize something about myself. I might even be grateful if it didn't hurt so much…
"It pains me to say this more than you could ever know… but… I forgive you.
"Now you must find her. I will never be able to forgive you for what you did to her, what you took away. Only she can do that…
"Rest in peace, Hojo."
The man placed a single flower on the ground. He wondered if anyone would visit his grave when the time came, if there was anyone still living who would mourn for him. He walked away, fading into the darkness of the night.



main writing