At the Gravestone
Mark's pale hand grasped the bunches of flowers he held tightly, afraid that the strong winds around him would perhaps blow them away. With a light eye he found Angel's gravestone, adorned with several wreaths of fresh flowers. All the dead ones had been cleared away, as Collins before had regularly come to the stone and cleaned it up. No weeds crowded it. No dead flowers lay at it's foot. Only the sweet smell of fresh roses and other floral arrangements lifted the gloom that surrounded the area. Tom had picked the tombstone's spot, wanting it to be sunny.
Slowly, Mark set down the roses and daisys gingerly. The inscription on the stone was simple, and even now slowly fading away from the weathering. Due to the lack of money at the time, proper inscribing and complicated decorations were not affordable at the time of Angel's death. With listless eyes, Mark read the words vaguely.
"In loving memory of Angel Dumott Schunard
1977-1996
'No Day but Today'"
With a shaky hand, the filmmaker touched the cool granite. "Hey Angel. Collins couldn't come, he's still in the hospital because of that car accident. But I'm sure you already knew that. The doctor's said he'd be fine."
It seemed silly, talking to this inanimate piece of rock. But somehow, there was an inkling inside of Mark that told him there was something listening. So, he continued.
"Was it really you that saved his life in that car accident? I didn't want to believe it, I don't want to. What's going to happen, if he gets his hopes up that you were really there, then finds out it was just a stroke of luck? Collins'll be crushed, and none of us want that for him. Anyway, if it was you...which I doubt...thank you. Collins is our saving grace, and the only steady presence in our mess of a life. I don't know what would happen if we lost him..."
Mark stopped, and stared at the grave marker for a moment, sadly, before sighing and looking down at the ground.
"That's exactly what I thought about you."
Mark's pale hand grasped the bunches of flowers he held tightly, afraid that the strong winds around him would perhaps blow them away. With a light eye he found Angel's gravestone, adorned with several wreaths of fresh flowers. All the dead ones had been cleared away, as Collins before had regularly come to the stone and cleaned it up. No weeds crowded it. No dead flowers lay at it's foot. Only the sweet smell of fresh roses and other floral arrangements lifted the gloom that surrounded the area. Tom had picked the tombstone's spot, wanting it to be sunny.
Slowly, Mark set down the roses and daisys gingerly. The inscription on the stone was simple, and even now slowly fading away from the weathering. Due to the lack of money at the time, proper inscribing and complicated decorations were not affordable at the time of Angel's death. With listless eyes, Mark read the words vaguely.
"In loving memory of Angel Dumott Schunard
1977-1996
'No Day but Today'"
With a shaky hand, the filmmaker touched the cool granite. "Hey Angel. Collins couldn't come, he's still in the hospital because of that car accident. But I'm sure you already knew that. The doctor's said he'd be fine."
It seemed silly, talking to this inanimate piece of rock. But somehow, there was an inkling inside of Mark that told him there was something listening. So, he continued.
"Was it really you that saved his life in that car accident? I didn't want to believe it, I don't want to. What's going to happen, if he gets his hopes up that you were really there, then finds out it was just a stroke of luck? Collins'll be crushed, and none of us want that for him. Anyway, if it was you...which I doubt...thank you. Collins is our saving grace, and the only steady presence in our mess of a life. I don't know what would happen if we lost him..."
Mark stopped, and stared at the grave marker for a moment, sadly, before sighing and looking down at the ground.
"That's exactly what I thought about you."