This is an entry for The Village Square's contest. The topic was "loss" and I've had this idea for a while. Hope you like it!
She remembered seeing him as a little girl. She remembered the way he and her father always laughed together, so loudly. She remembered sending the letter she had written to him many years later, asking if she could live on the farm. She remembered how he helped her revitalize it. She remembered he was her first friend in Forget-Me-Not Valley. She remembered he was the best friend she could ever ask for.
And now, she would have to remember this.
"Jill?" A voice crept up behind her. She turned, trying to wipe away tears, but they kept flowing down her face. Vesta, a neighbor of Jill's, who also ran a farm, was dressed in black dress pants and a matching black blouse. "Dear, it's time to go. Are you ready?"
Jill nodded, wiping the hay and dust off of her new dress. It wasn't the best place to mourn, but it was more quiet than the house, at least when the animals were out. Vesta held her hand out, waiting for Jill to take it. When she did, she squeezed her hand tight. It was nice to have comfort in a situation like this. Vesta was silent, at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say to someone who had just lost a friend. She hadn't lost anyone in her life that she could remember.
As they exited the barn, Jill saw her husband and little boy, Marlin and Christopher. She let go of Vesta's hand and walked toward them.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" Christopher asked. Being only two, he didn't understand the situation of death. Marlin hushed him when Jill didn't answer. She picked up her son and took her husband's hand. Vesta had already gone out to the beach. The small family followed in her footsteps, completely silent.
"Jill! Come help me brush the cows!"
Jill jumped off the fence and ran toward her father. He handed her a small brush and she began to work. He smiled at her as she did so.
"Hey, Takakura! Come look at little Jill!" He yelled. A tall, bushy-eyebrowed man exited from the barn. Jill grinned proudly as Takakura nodded approvingly at her work.
"She's a natural, just like you, Charlie." Takakura said.
"Someday she'll own this farm, I know it. And it'll be successful. More successful than we could ever make it. Whaddya say, Jill? You wanna own this place someday?"
"Yeah!" Jill exclaimed. She couldn't wait until she grew up and lived here with her dad and Takakura. It was her lifelong dream.
"Here, do it like this. They like it better this way, and it makes their wool look much more glossy." Takakura took the brush from Jill's hands and brushed a sheep very gently. It'd baa'd loudly, which made Jill squel. He handed the brush back to her. "Now you try."
Jill followed Takakura's motions very carefully. The sheep continued making noise. Jill boasted. "Someday I'll be just as good as you!"
Takakura smiled warmly at her. Charlie checked his watch. He picked up his daughter swiftly. "We'd better get going. Your mother will be upset if you don't show up on the ferry." He took her inside his house, where she gathered up all her belongings and stuffed them into a small suitcase. She grabbed it and took her father's hand as they walked out the door. She waved at Takakura. "Bye Taki! See you in a few weeks!" He waved back, then headed toward the field of crops.
As they walked, Charlie asked Jill why she liked the farm so much.
Jill pondered a moment before answering. "Well, Daddy, I like everything! The cows, and the chickens, and the veggies. And I like Taki. He's really good at everything." She stopped for a moment, then gave her father a big hug. "But I love you, Daddy. I wish I could see you more."
Charlie smiled sadly. "Me too, honey...me too."
Jill had calmed down a little since she had been in the barn. Marlin was holding her tight and Christopher sat quietly in his seat, sucking his thumb. The pastor from Mineral Town had come down to preach during the funeral service. Jill had heard from her friend Mary that he was an excellent pastor, and Jill wanted the best service she could afford. The brown coffin had white flowers fashioned in a small boquet laying on top of it. Jill tried to pay attention to Carter instead of where her dead friend lay.
"Ahem..we are here to mourn the loss of a great man.."
Jill began crying again. Her memories all flashed before her eyes as the pastor continued. He helped her with everything. Coping with her own father's death, getting her through her first break up...everything. And now he was gone. Her real father..he wasn't there to help. He had died shortly after she had turn nine. Her mother was always out working, or seeing other men. She didn't even care when she heard the news about Charlie's aburpt death. She brushed it off as if he was a dead, disgusting fly. "Good ridiance." She said. Jill left that day. She packed her things and ran. She didn't know where she was running to, but she ran. Eventually she reached a small town, where she stayed for a few weeks. She wrote him a letter asking if she could live on the farm. Days later she got his reply, and she took the next ferry out there. He got her started on what is now one of the most successful farms in the region. He was there for everything..and now he was gone. What would she do?
"Honey." Marlin was shaking his wife lightly. He gestured toward the small wooden podium. Carter had called her up for a small speech. Jill cleared her throat before getting up. She straightened out her dress while walking toward the podium.
She faced a crowd of people. No family was here for him. They were all gone by now. She was the only one. "Takakura..he was..amazing. Ever since I was little, I looked up to him. He would help me with anything I needed when I visited Forget-Me-Not Valley. He was always there. When I moved here after my father died, he comforted me and got me started on my life. Without him, I wouldn't be who I am today. He was my second father. He took care of me whenever I needed it.." She tried to go on, but she started to choke up. The tears fell harder. Carter patted her back as a signal that she could sit down. She shook her head no, indicating that she wanted to be with him when he was set free. Carter nodded silently. She helped him push the coffin into the salty water of the ocean. Jill continued to wonder how she would live without him. First her own father, now her best friend?
As the coffin floated away, villagers came forward to say a simple prayer. Some villagers silently nodded toward the coffin, then left. Some stayed longer than others. But Jill was the last one. She sat in the warm sand as the chairs and podium were taken away. Marlin told her that he was taking Christopher home to be put to bed. She nodded, giving them both kisses goodnight, but she continued to watch the coffin as it floated past the horizon. After it was out of sight, she felt a warm breeze. It was only for a few seconds, but she knew it was Takakura. He was telling her she would be alright. Telling her he was in a better place now, with Charlie. She smiled softly and nodded.
She would be alright.