The cemetery I describe in this fic is
actually a real cemetery that exists. I
visited it recently along with the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.. This cemetery is called the Arlington
Cemetery. If you ever visit it, be sure
to watch the changing of the guard. There you can get a look at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the
ceremony of this changing of guards.
`
Flower Girl `
By
J. Starfire
As they dropped closer to the ground
Duo could see that the ground in fact was not white as it had seemed from
higher up but was covered with millions upon millions upon millions of
graves.
He
gaped in horror, "How can so many people be dead!? It seems the entire population of earth is buried here!"
The
woman replied gravely, "This is nothing compared to the number in your
time. In this world, it is only the
year 2001 and these graves are only of those who served in the United States
army. Here lie the brave soldiers of
the United States army that perished in the many wars that have been fought so
far including World War I and II. Imagine...if every single soldier that died in war in the world in your
time was buried in a single graveyard, I doubt that the earth's surface would
be sufficient to bury all of them."
"This
is horrible..." Duo replied shaking his head in disbelief.
"Now
we must watch and be silent. We are
getting closer to the girl."
"What
girl? What?" he asked puzzled. She shushed him sharply and motioned for him
to watch. They slowed to a stop and Duo
saw a small girl of perhaps eight years of age dressed in a small, flowery
dress. She pulled a large wagon behind
her laden with hundreds of flowers and dragged it along as she stopped by each
grave. At each stop she would gently
take a flower from the wagon and tenderly place it before the grave. Then she would move on to the next... and
the next... and the next... She drove
on determined with a purposeful yet saddened expression upon her face. At times a lonely tear would trickle down
her cheek and eventually onto her dress. She was so little, so young yet so determined, so understanding.
"This
girl is one who truly understands death. The first time she visited here, she was merely a visitor along with her
parents. When she saw these vast fields
filled with graves, she was changed and moved. She has been returning to here every day to place flowers upon the
graves." the young woman explained.
"But...
she'll never finish! What will she
do?!"
"You
will know when the time comes... first, look over there." She pointed off to the side. Close by, a large marble amphitheatre stood
and attached to the side of it a flat marble platform. A block of marble was set upon that platform
and a young guard walked rigidly back and forth before it. "That is the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier. That is where this little girl
started by placing a few flowers upon that block, the tombstone."
"The guard didn't interfere? didn't
question her?"
"No, he simply watched in silence
and admiration. The news soon spread to
all of the guards and they held her in great honor. Later, when this little girl ages and dies, a plaque will be made
honoring her and placed beside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Now, I will carry you later in time to see
what happens then."
V----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------V
The
somber scene suddenly faded into whiteness then returned. This time, however, it was different. The leaves were falling from the trees and
drifting lightly to the ground and graves. The girl was several years older now and wore somewhat ragged clothing.
Her
wagon was empty except for one lone flower. She picked up this flower and placed it upon the grave before her. Then realizing that her wagon was empty, she
dug in her pocket for more money. Her
pockets, however, were empty.
"This
girl had been using what money she could get to buy these flowers. Her parents had recently cut off her
allowance considering this 'graveyard business' pointless since it was
impossible to finish the job anyway." the woman beside Duo whispered.
"Hm..."
he replied understandingly.
The
girl simply sat there on her knees before the grave deep in thought. Then she rose and offered the only other
thing she could think of. Leaving the
wagon behind, she moved on to the next grave, kneeled, and gently kissed the
grave. Then she moved on to the next,
and the next, and the next....
"Well,"
she sighed, "that's all we have to see here. I hoped you learned something."
Duo
nodded slowly, his eyes still troubled. "It's just not right... so many died. And this girl... how can she go on like that?"
"She
was blessed with a warm and determined heart. That's all I have to say..." the young woman replied. "Now we must move on." Then the scene faded entirely leaving them
in emptiness.
*~Continue to
Chapter III~*
=================================================================
Hope you enjoyed Chapter I... that's
all I really have to say... please read on to learn and understand more... I know this is not very Gundam Wing oriented
but trust me... at the end it's going to be VERY related. This idea I've got in mind for the ending is
what I'm driving towards with this whole thing (I promise it will be
related). To find out the ending...
read on....