Author's Note: Whew, this one took a grueling three days of non-stop writing to do. Not to mention editing (don't get me started, hehe). Anyways, this is my entry for the Village Square Forum Writing Contest, this month's theme was family. Even though I'm not a big Mineral Town fan, I caved and did a Saibara, Gray and Mary oneshot. Why? Simply because I liked the idea. Hope you guys enjoy!
x-x
It all happened so quickly...
Was it not only yesterday that he was a child, being cradled in his mother's arms? Was it not only yesterday that he went to school for the first time, showing off his backpack like he had won an olympic medal? Was it not only yesterday his father murdered his own wife? Was it not only yesterday the darkness consumed him, swallowing him from the inside out?
x-x
Newborns. They're so cute and squishy. They know nothing except how to cry. And though most say that a baby's cry is like a banshee's shriek, I almost enjoyed it. Just knowing there was life underneath that pale flesh was a joy. To know my grandson was alive after all of those unsuccessful pregnancies was heavenly.
And what better name could they have picked than Gray? The color of his mother's eyes, the color of his father's hair, the color of the moon. For that is what he learned to love the most, once he had lost all else to love.
Winter 6th. That was his birthday. A time of reflection and peace, winter was. Full of hot cocoa and decorative pine trees, it brought a sense of calmness over humans. Or rather, it lulls them into a false sense of security- for after winter ends, spring crawls forth from the earth and reeks it's havoc on its victims.
x-x
He had grown since then. He no longer had to have his diaper changed or his milk fed to him in a sippy cup. As he often said to me, he was a "big boy now". He was at that cuddly peanut stage. So naive, so curious, so innocent. How quickly we forget our innocence when things go wrong.
It was his first day of school. Gray was exuberant, bouncing around the house at the speed of light. He talked of new friends and new teachers. His parents, my children, were so proud. I still remember their faces. Brimming with pride and love for their son. And I, too, loved him wholeheartedly. The entire house was filled with a sense of excitement and life. But how quickly the light of life is snuffed out.
x-x
The adolescent period- such a crucial time in a human's lifespan. You are no longer a child, but are now beginning to learn what becoming a man or woman entails. You are no longer an ignorant toddler, but an informed young adult. You learn of responsibility, of consequences and of love.
I wonder if sometimes the truth is better gone unsaid...
After all, how does one's elderly grandfather explain to his grandson why his parents never came back home last night? Or why his father's gun was missing from it's usual perch? Or why he would never feel his mother's comforting caress any longer?
And why was I cursed to do such a thing? I was growing older, it could not be helped. I made a living off of what little business my tiny smithery had. I had little money and an even smaller amount of food. I had nothing to spare for some rebellious teenage boy.
And even if I had money and food, it was my daughter who was the victim in this insane game of life. A queen was murdered by her own king in a fit of blind rage and the king had left his own kingdom to hide from his past. Why should I be forced to burden a youth with such grief and misery? It wasn't fair. But then again, life wasn't always fair.
It took a grueling three hours for Gray to understand. He denied it, screamed at me to "stop joking" and "shut up, you crazy old man!" If only I could do just that. When he saw a teardrop slide down my wrinkled cheek, he knew it was no lie. After all, Grandpa did not cry. Not now. Not ever again.
He bawled. For hours and hours he screeched curses and threw objects into the wall, hoping that somewhere underneath the shattered shards of glass that lay discarded on the floor, he would somehow see his mother's reflection.
x-x
He lived with me now. One week after the incident, he packed his things and moved to Mineral Town with me. He despised the place. In all actuality, he had the right to be. He was exiled from his home and shoved into a whole new world with strange new people and customs. Why shouldn't he grieve?
I told him that he would have to help me in the shop. After all, let's face it, my bones were growing weaker by the hour, and soon I would be crippled by diseases. He mumbled a thoughtless "whatever" and shrugged it off. It was amazing that I had even gotten him to say anything- after the incident, he said nothing, nothing at all. He was like a wind-up toy that had lost its key.
He grew bitter with the world. He envied those who had more than he. Why should others still have parents that loved and supported them when he had none? He often had sudden bursts of rage, angrily shoving objects and people and the occasional punch at me. Strange how quickly he was changing from acting like his mother to being the same as his father.
I had hoped he would find love somewhere in the village so that somehow they could, perhaps, heal his broken heart. A girl- or heck, I would even take a guy at this point- to call his own. Someone to love him unconditionally and for him to love in return. That day had finally come.
I noticed the the library girl- Mary, was it?- had often come to visit. She rarely needed anything, and if she did, it was almost always for her father. She was average looking, with silky black hair tied together in the back, and a large pair of glasses over her eyes. She was extremely shy, barely ever getting a sentence out without stumbling over her own words.
She was perfect. Not in general, no, she was by no means perfect. But she was perfect for him. I noticed something the first time she came in. She had an order from her father for a new gardening tool and had come to deliver the materials. I told her it would be a few minutes and pulled her over to the side. I pleaded with her to talk to Gray, just to see if she could get a single word out of him.
She was ecstatic. Her cheeks turned the deepest shade of crimson I think they could've gone. She shouted (a rare sight from her indeed) "WHAT?", causing Gray to stare at us intently. She stuttered quite profusely, not able to make a coherent sentence for quite a bit. After she had calmed down, she apologized for her behavior and agreed.
She walked over to him, taking baby steps at first, and then finally mustering up what little courage her petite figure withheld and started to speed walk and when she just about made it- BAM! She fell flat on her face. It was the first time in months I had heard Gray talk. "...klutz." He snickered and smirked at her. Wait, had he just actually laughed? This girl was truly special indeed.
After that, I noticed Gray slipped out of the smithery on his days off and snuck down to the library. He thought I never noticed, but what exactly did he think I did on my days off? The two of them were adorable, both completely helpless without the other. Maybe she'll turn his life around... I thought.
And she did- but sometimes I regret even thinking about it...
x-x
Now, the two were going steady. He had never told me, for he was far too embarrassed about actually feeling any emotions (something I quite often teased him about). But gossip travels very fast in this town, very fast. It was something Gray would learn the hard way.
Gray had made one other friend while here, his name was Cliff. He too was alone. They understood each other and acted a bit like brothers at times. Gray was ready to take the next step with Mary- he wanted to propose to her. He had crafted the ring himself, lying to me about how it was for Cliff, but did he really think he could trick his own grandfather?
Unfortunately, rumors spread quite easily. A particularly gossipy woman by the name of Manna overheard their chat- but only the first part. Soon, the entire village thought Gray wanted to "take it to the next level with Mary", and by the way they all talked, they must've thought he wanted her in bed.
How ludicrous they all spoke! Had they forgotten what Gray was truly like? And what she was truly like? Sometimes I wonder why I ever moved to this disgusting town in the first place. They had no right to speak of such things.
Mary heard about it. And I witnessed it all. That idiotic Manna and her girlfriend Sasha were gossiping in the Rose Plaza. Gray, Mary and I were taking a trip to the church for Sunday services (don't ask me how she convinced Gray to go- she must have worked her magic on him again) when it happened.
"Did you hear about the blacksmith's grandson and the librarian girl?" Manna whispered, not noticing us as we passed. "Gray and Mary? They're dating aren't they?" Sasha replied. Manna's smile went wide and impish. "Not for long. I heard he wants to 'go to the next level' with her- even before they're married." Mary halted in her tracks. "You don't mean-" "-yes, I do."
Mary spun and turned to face Gray. Her eyes were brimming with tears and her fragile hands were curled into fists. Gray had no time to explain to her. "Is that all I am to you, Gray?" She whispered, choking on sobs. Tears now ran freely down her porcelain skin. "Am I just some cheap sex toy that you can throw aside when you're done?"
"No, no Mary no! It's just-" "Just what?" She shrieked, interrupting Gray before he could even finish. It was then Manna and Sasha turned around and realized what had happened. I glared at them, wishing desperately they felt as guilty as sin.
Gray was silent. He only had one chance to save himself- he would have to propose to her now if he wanted to save their relationship. But he didn't have the energy to do it. He couldn't summon up all of his courage to be able to propose. He wasn't ready.
She slapped him- hard. His eyes went wide with shock and hurt. She buried her face in her palms, and pushed him aside, bolting towards her home. He collapsed onto the ground. He had lost it all and succumbed to the darkness, but then she had shown him the light. And now, the darkness overwhelmed him once more. Yet he did not shed a tear.
I briskly stomped over to the gossip girls. "How dare you! You see what your worthless rumors have done to them? You two should be ashamed of yourselves! If you were men, I'd gorge your eyes out but I dare not harm a woman! I hope you're happy now..."
x-x
Mary never came back. Days, weeks, months passed and she never returned. Gray always waited for her, sitting solemnly on his work bench, wasting away the hours 'til her return. He tried to apologize, but she never answered the door or returned his phone calls. How do you ask forgiveness from someone who won't give you the chance?
I found him in his room one night, staring out at the moon. He didn't seem to notice, or maybe he just didn't care anymore, that I was watching him. I knew he had an admiration for the moon. He wrote in his diary (something I check often to make sure he was alright, though he wrote in it no longer) that his mother told him that the moon brought good luck. But if that was true, why had she died underneath the moonlight?
"Go to her," I told him, "make things right. If not, you will regret it for the rest of your entire life." Without so much as a glance in my direction, he head out of his room. Halfway down the hall, he paused and turned back to me and muttered, "thanks...Grandpa." And for the first time in a long time, he smiled.
He came back that night with her in his arms. I realized the second the two of them walked in that she was wearing a diamond ring. Way to go, Gray. They asked for my permission and blessing for their marriage- how could I say no after all that has happened?
They rejoiced, Gray uncharacteristically swinging Mary around joyfully. The night was full of love and laughter. How strange how one girl, one strange, shy little girl, could turn a young boy's life around.
x-x
Unfortunately, happily ever afters never last long.
They were married within a season, with a simple wedding with only their closest friends and family attending. It was such a joyous occasion, Mary cried tears of pure bliss. She was beautiful, unlike the modest girl she was when we first me.
And then there was Gray. When had he grown so tall and handsome? When did he grow so old? Wasn't it only yesterday that I held him in my arms and fed him from bottle of milk? When had all that disappeared?
I shed a single tear, in honor of my grandson. I wouldn't let him look at me as I did though, for Grandpa did not cry. It was practically forbidden. A grandfather should be strong and wise, not weak.
It was the night of their wedding. We were at the reception, drinking shot after shot of champagne. Mary refused to touch the vile liquid, fearing its harmful properties. Gray was refraining from drinking too much so that he could remember his own wedding day in the morning.
We were all relaxing on the shoreline, the men swimming and surfing to their heart's content. It was then Kai challenged Gray to a surfing challenge. With Mary's permission, he agreed. Whoever could go the farthest the fastest without wiping out would win.
Sharks were never a gigantic problem for Mineral Town. Kai would catch one about once every Summer, which he would promptly serve in his next dish at the Snack Shack. Little did we realize the danger sharks proposed for surfers.
Gray was far out, much farther than Kai, who was lagging considerably further behind. Kai was signaling him, but he did not understand its meaning. He was waving his arms frantically and shouting something- hark? Mark? ...No, wait. Shark.
I didn't see what happened next. All I heard was the blood curdling shriek as the sea serpent ripped him limb from limb. And I watched as the sea turned crimson. And I wept as Mary collapsed in a jumbled heap next to me. I held her, unable to move or think or talk.
What a bittersweet wedding. What a melancholy life. For a boy to finally turn his own life around and then for it to all cave in on him. Now, as I cradled my widowed daughter-in-law in my bony, feeble arms, I wondered to myself what the gods and goddesses were doing, watching as their own child lay before them, rotting.
What a tragic family we were. An angelic mother murdered by the one who loved her the most. A shady father who killed his beloved and fled from all of his wrongs. A lost boy whose castle was constantly crashing down, being rebuilt and crashing once more. A meek librarian girl who was widowed at 19, and on wedding day no less. And a crippled old man who entire family now lay somewhere underneath the ground, leaving him cold and alone in such an unforgiving world
What a dysfunctional family we were.