Epilogue
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
–Napoleon Bonaparte
He walked on the snow-covered grown with slow, deliberate steps. His feet left the evidence of his path in the white mass. It glittered underfoot, alight with the barely there twinkle of the street lamps on the far side of the cemetery.
He'd brought several bouquets of white roses, laying them on the graves of his parents and his fallen comrades and friends. It was already late in the evening and the early November chill hung in the air, yet the cold didn't bother him at all.
The small boy by his side, however, was another story.
It was a good thing that he only had one more stop to make then. His wife would surely strangle him if their youngest caught a cold just because he'd insisted on following his father on a night stroll to the graveyard, of all places.
Smiling at the thought of his family waiting for him back home, the man stopped by two unmarked graves at the far edge of the cemetery. He bent down to place the flowers he'd been carrying atop their white marble surface.
He looked at them both, twin stones of pearly white – almost as white as the snow itself – and said nothing. He may have been the only one who remembered them, but he had not been the one to grieve and miss them as their loved ones surely had centuries prior.
"Daddy? Who's this?" the little boy by his side asked, staring up at the green-eyed man. "Why are there no names on the stones?"
"They're... just people the world had forgotten about." the man answered after a moment of hesitation.
His son frowned "But, why? Don't they have anyone to remember them?"
This made the elder pause.
"I guess not." he said but after a second of contemplation, he added "Not anymore at least."
The boy pouted unhappily. "That's sad."
"It's something that will eventually happen to all of us." the man smiled sadly, ruffling the boy's hair and said "Only the forgotten are truly dead*, after all."
* – quote from Tess Garritsen.
AN: I can't believe I've actually finished this! It's so weird. Still, it's been tremendous fun to write and I loved every single moment of it. You guys were awesome, your kind words and suggestions lifted me over the moon and never failed to make my day. To everyone who's reviewed, followed and favorited this story up until now – thank you!
If anyone's interested in reading more of my works I suggest you visit my profile and see if there's something you may like. Or check out my favorite stories or authors or even my C2, I'm a very picky person so you're sure to find something of quality there!
Can I ask you guys to review one last time? As a parting gift?