~Chapter Twenty-One~
Everything was silent. Nothing moved a muscle. The few Dragons that were in my room had stopped cold. Danny was staring at Mystic's body with a surprised expression on his face.
I had no idea how I looked. All I knew was that this really didn't happen. I was dreaming. Having a nightmare. It HAD to be a dream. . .a nightmare.
"April?" Danny whispered.
That's when it hit me. This wasn't a dream. I was awake, and this was really happening. Mystic was. . .gone.
My breathing began to get really short and raspy as I attempted to hold in my sobs. "No," I said softly. "No, no, no!" I kept crying until I was practically screaming. "Mystic!"
The Dragons that were in my room quietly left. I was just waiting for Mystic to get up and join them, but no-she was. . .dead.
"If Anthony wasn't dead right now, ooooh man, I'd kill him," I muttered.
Danny didn't say anything. He just sat down next to me and put his arm around my shoulders in attempt to keep me sane.
It wasn't working too well. I kept crying and shouting all sorts of things, until my tears finally stopped about two hours later. I wanted to just cry until there was nothing left. I couldn't imagine living without Mystic. . .she was my best friend.
Finally, I just sat there staring at Mystic's body, not making a sound. Danny let go of me and silently left my room.
I was glad. I needed some time alone.
I carefully picked up Mystic's now-cold body and put it in her basket.
"You can't be dead," I whispered. "See, you're just sleeping in your basket. . .that's all."
Another hour passed and Mystic didn't move. It finally registered in my brain that she was really gone, and was never coming back.
The tears started flowing again, but they were silent. I didn't cry for more than a minute, when Danny slowly came into my room.
"Are you okay, April?" he asked quietly.
I took a long, shaky sigh and wiped my red eyes. "I don't know," I said. "I mean, I believe it that she's gone, but I don't know how I'm going to live without her."
Danny nodded and shifted uncomfortably. "I, um, had an idea. . ." he started.
"Yeah?" I croaked.
"I was thinking that we could have funeral for Mystic. . .and bury her next to your dad. That way, if you went to talk to one of them, the other would close by."
I stared at the floor thinking for a minute. Then I started crying again, and Danny noticed.
"Oh, I'm sorry April," he said, running over to me and putting his arm over my shoulder.
"Don't be," I sniffled. "I think it's a great idea."
"You do?"
"Yeah. It's perfect," I smiled.
Danny smiled back.
~*~*~
A day later, I was standing in my room, pulling sheets over Mystic's body, which was in her basket. Today was the funeral. Danny was out getting something, though he wouldn't tell me what.
I noticed that all of the dragons were going to the crystal room. I was touched that Mystic had been special to all of them. . . but then again, Mystic was the one who had led me here, so I suppose that's why they were all grateful.
I lifted one of the sheets up from under Mystic. Something popped out, flew across the room, and landed on my bed.
I gently put down the basket and looked at the object on my bed, and gasped.
It was an egg.
A Pokemon egg.
Mystic's child's egg.
I jut stood there in shock for a minute. Why hadn't Mystic told me about this? How long had she had the egg?
I was about to burst into tears again, but I heard Cielo say hello to someone, then open the door, and I knew Danny was back. I took the egg and hid it under my pillow. I couldn't deal with it now.
Danny stuck his head into my room, holding something HUGE behind his back. "Ready?" he whispered.
I nodded and put one last sheet over Mystic, picked up the basket, and slowly walked next to Danny out of the room. I couldn't tell him about the egg for some reason, so I concentrated on Mystic's. . .funeral.
"What did you get, anyway?" I asked.
"You'll see in a minute," Danny answered.
When we reached the crystal room, every single dragon, even Cielo and Rio, were standing in a sort of half-circle around the dirt patch that already had dad's grave on it. Danny and I walked through the dragons until we reached the patch.
Danny put down the thing he was holding. When I saw it, I burst into tears again.
Danny had somehow gotten Mystic a beautiful headstone. It was made of some sort of stone, and a crystal Dragonair statue was on top, its body curling around the rounded shape of the headstone. I squinted to read the words inscripted:
"Mystic, not just a loyal Pokemon, but a loyal friend forever. We will always miss you, and keep you in our hearts."
It was so beautiful and true, I burst into tears again and gave Danny a hug.
"How did you get that?" I whispered.
"I had a friend make it for me," he smiled, and hugged me back.
The dragons all cried out then, so I let go of Danny and nodded to Cielo, who grabbed Mystic's basket and gently put it in the hole that had been dug next to Dad's grave. Danny drove the headstone near the hole.
I stood next to the headstone and took a deep breath. "Mystic. . ." I started. "Mystic was my best friend. She helped me find this wonderful den, and helped me understand about dad.
"I remember when I first got her Pokeball. It was the night I found out Dad had died, and my mom gave me the Pokeball. I wanted nothing to do with Pokemon, as I thought they had somehow killed my father. So, I put the Pokeball away, and I thought I'd never see it again.
"Two years later, thankfully, I found the Pokeball and I went away from home. From the minute I saw Mystic, I knew she was something special. She understood me like no one ever had.
"Then, when I was fourteen, Mystic helped me discover the den. And now here we are, years later, saying goodbye to our old friend. . .Mystic."
At that last word, I began crying again. Cielo covered the hold with dirt and said something in dragon language. Then, one by one, each Dratini and Dragonair stepped up to the headstone and touched their tails or horns to it, saying goodbye. Then they would leave the room.
Finally, Danny and I were the only ones left in the room. I stared at the headstone, and Danny took my hand.
"She's not really gone," I said, and wiped my eyes with my free hand. "Her spirit is in the den, and it's in my heart. Just like Dad."
"I'm positive about that," Danny said, as we walked out of the crystal room, hand in hand.
Everything was silent. Nothing moved a muscle. The few Dragons that were in my room had stopped cold. Danny was staring at Mystic's body with a surprised expression on his face.
I had no idea how I looked. All I knew was that this really didn't happen. I was dreaming. Having a nightmare. It HAD to be a dream. . .a nightmare.
"April?" Danny whispered.
That's when it hit me. This wasn't a dream. I was awake, and this was really happening. Mystic was. . .gone.
My breathing began to get really short and raspy as I attempted to hold in my sobs. "No," I said softly. "No, no, no!" I kept crying until I was practically screaming. "Mystic!"
The Dragons that were in my room quietly left. I was just waiting for Mystic to get up and join them, but no-she was. . .dead.
"If Anthony wasn't dead right now, ooooh man, I'd kill him," I muttered.
Danny didn't say anything. He just sat down next to me and put his arm around my shoulders in attempt to keep me sane.
It wasn't working too well. I kept crying and shouting all sorts of things, until my tears finally stopped about two hours later. I wanted to just cry until there was nothing left. I couldn't imagine living without Mystic. . .she was my best friend.
Finally, I just sat there staring at Mystic's body, not making a sound. Danny let go of me and silently left my room.
I was glad. I needed some time alone.
I carefully picked up Mystic's now-cold body and put it in her basket.
"You can't be dead," I whispered. "See, you're just sleeping in your basket. . .that's all."
Another hour passed and Mystic didn't move. It finally registered in my brain that she was really gone, and was never coming back.
The tears started flowing again, but they were silent. I didn't cry for more than a minute, when Danny slowly came into my room.
"Are you okay, April?" he asked quietly.
I took a long, shaky sigh and wiped my red eyes. "I don't know," I said. "I mean, I believe it that she's gone, but I don't know how I'm going to live without her."
Danny nodded and shifted uncomfortably. "I, um, had an idea. . ." he started.
"Yeah?" I croaked.
"I was thinking that we could have funeral for Mystic. . .and bury her next to your dad. That way, if you went to talk to one of them, the other would close by."
I stared at the floor thinking for a minute. Then I started crying again, and Danny noticed.
"Oh, I'm sorry April," he said, running over to me and putting his arm over my shoulder.
"Don't be," I sniffled. "I think it's a great idea."
"You do?"
"Yeah. It's perfect," I smiled.
Danny smiled back.
~*~*~
A day later, I was standing in my room, pulling sheets over Mystic's body, which was in her basket. Today was the funeral. Danny was out getting something, though he wouldn't tell me what.
I noticed that all of the dragons were going to the crystal room. I was touched that Mystic had been special to all of them. . . but then again, Mystic was the one who had led me here, so I suppose that's why they were all grateful.
I lifted one of the sheets up from under Mystic. Something popped out, flew across the room, and landed on my bed.
I gently put down the basket and looked at the object on my bed, and gasped.
It was an egg.
A Pokemon egg.
Mystic's child's egg.
I jut stood there in shock for a minute. Why hadn't Mystic told me about this? How long had she had the egg?
I was about to burst into tears again, but I heard Cielo say hello to someone, then open the door, and I knew Danny was back. I took the egg and hid it under my pillow. I couldn't deal with it now.
Danny stuck his head into my room, holding something HUGE behind his back. "Ready?" he whispered.
I nodded and put one last sheet over Mystic, picked up the basket, and slowly walked next to Danny out of the room. I couldn't tell him about the egg for some reason, so I concentrated on Mystic's. . .funeral.
"What did you get, anyway?" I asked.
"You'll see in a minute," Danny answered.
When we reached the crystal room, every single dragon, even Cielo and Rio, were standing in a sort of half-circle around the dirt patch that already had dad's grave on it. Danny and I walked through the dragons until we reached the patch.
Danny put down the thing he was holding. When I saw it, I burst into tears again.
Danny had somehow gotten Mystic a beautiful headstone. It was made of some sort of stone, and a crystal Dragonair statue was on top, its body curling around the rounded shape of the headstone. I squinted to read the words inscripted:
"Mystic, not just a loyal Pokemon, but a loyal friend forever. We will always miss you, and keep you in our hearts."
It was so beautiful and true, I burst into tears again and gave Danny a hug.
"How did you get that?" I whispered.
"I had a friend make it for me," he smiled, and hugged me back.
The dragons all cried out then, so I let go of Danny and nodded to Cielo, who grabbed Mystic's basket and gently put it in the hole that had been dug next to Dad's grave. Danny drove the headstone near the hole.
I stood next to the headstone and took a deep breath. "Mystic. . ." I started. "Mystic was my best friend. She helped me find this wonderful den, and helped me understand about dad.
"I remember when I first got her Pokeball. It was the night I found out Dad had died, and my mom gave me the Pokeball. I wanted nothing to do with Pokemon, as I thought they had somehow killed my father. So, I put the Pokeball away, and I thought I'd never see it again.
"Two years later, thankfully, I found the Pokeball and I went away from home. From the minute I saw Mystic, I knew she was something special. She understood me like no one ever had.
"Then, when I was fourteen, Mystic helped me discover the den. And now here we are, years later, saying goodbye to our old friend. . .Mystic."
At that last word, I began crying again. Cielo covered the hold with dirt and said something in dragon language. Then, one by one, each Dratini and Dragonair stepped up to the headstone and touched their tails or horns to it, saying goodbye. Then they would leave the room.
Finally, Danny and I were the only ones left in the room. I stared at the headstone, and Danny took my hand.
"She's not really gone," I said, and wiped my eyes with my free hand. "Her spirit is in the den, and it's in my heart. Just like Dad."
"I'm positive about that," Danny said, as we walked out of the crystal room, hand in hand.