Shadu: OOOOOKAY then, here's another chapter of a story from your favorite author (and if I freaked you out just now, GOOD) BTW, has anyone ever heard, Holes in the Floor of Heaven by Steve Wariner?
"Wha? What happened to Chonda?" John asked.
"She died eariler today, I was there, in the hospital, when she died," Solomon lowered his head.
The pair of John and Harusame was silent. How could this be?
"We, didn't know she was sick," John spoke up.
"I didn't either, it happened real suddenly," Solomon explained. "I had no idea. One mintue she was fine, and then the other, she was so sick. Her condition just kept falling from there. The doctors did all they could, but nothing worked. They still lost her."
Harusame's eyes filled with tears while John just stared in shock. Neither of them could believe that Chonda was gone. She had been so good to them. And she had been so kind to Yugi. Then a thought hit Harusame.
"Yugi's going to be devastated," she said queitly.
"Maybe we don't have to tell him," John suggested.
"He's going to find out sooner or later, and besides, his birthday's tomorrow, and how will we explain why his grandma didn't show up without telling him the truth John?" Harusame asked, looking at her husband.
A sigh from John told her that he didn't know. She was right, he would find out, one way or another. He was, by far, not a stupid kid. He would learn real soon that his grandma died.
"Should we wake him?" Grandpa asked.
"No, let him sleep," John sighed. "We can tell him tomorrow. It would be better if he asked why."
Harusame nodded in agreement. Yugi would ask, most definitely. And when he did, they would answer him. But for now, they would let him sleep, and dream of pleasant things.
John looked at Solomon.
"Will you still be coming to Yugi's birthday party tomorrow?" John asked.
Grandpa nodded and said, "I feel that it is best anyway. That way Yugi will still have someone."
John nodded. Then, he got up and walked over to Grandpa. John held out his arms, inviting Solomon in. Solomon stood up and embraced his son. Though John showed no emotion in the lines of tears, Harusame could see the sorrow in his face. He had just lost his mom, and Harusame would have been very disturbed if John didn't show any sadness. She got up and embraced the two herself. When they finally released, John said that he had something to do, and went off to the study.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Solomon told Harusame.
"Yes, see you tomorrow," Harusame nodded.
And with that, the two said goodbye, and grandpa left. Harusame went to John and her's bedroom to think of how they would explain Chonda's absense tomorrow.
"Blow out the candles Yug," John smiled.
Yugi smiled back, closed his eyes, made a wish, and blew out all eight candles. Yugi clapped his hands together in delight his success. Harusame and John smiled. Being with Yugi let them forget their current worries. But it didn't last long when Grandpa entered the house, without Chonda, after being let in by Harusame after Solomon rang the doorbell.
"Hey, there's my big boy," Grandpa smiled as eh entered the room with a small box in his hands.
"Grandpa!" Yugi cried happily.
Grandpa smiled and set the box down on the table. He bent down and opened his arms for Yugi, who happily raced into them. Grandpa hugged Yugi very tightly, and Yugi enjoyed every moment of it. When they let go, Yugi looked behind Grandpa expectantly. Then, he looked back at Grandpa.
"Where's Grandma?" he asked.
Grandpa's face darkened a little. He put his arms on Yugi's shoulder's and looked Yugi straight in the eye.
"Yugi, Grandma's not coming," he stated flatly.
"Why?" Yugi asked, puzzled.
"Because Grandma's no longer here," Harusame told Yugi, bending down as well and putting a hand on Yugi shoulder.
Yugi looked at her in bafflement. He didn't understand. Why wasn't Grandma here? And why wasn't she coming?
John bent down to take his turn.
"Yugi, Grandma has died," John told him.
"What does that mean?" Yugi asked, cocking his head.
"It means that she's gone to sleep," Harusame explained in simple terms.
"Then we go and wake her," Yugi said brightly, not understanding why everyone was so sad.
"No, Yugi, it's not that simple," John added.
Yugi looked at him, preplexed. He still didn't understand. If someone's asleep, then why can't you just go and wake them up? That's how it worked before, with Mommy and Daddy.
"He's not understanding John," Harusame whispered to her husband.
"Let me try again," Joh whispered back and then turned to Yugi. "Yugi, when someone dies, they go to sleep, okay?"
"Okay," Yugi nodded.
"But when someone dies, they never wake up, they sleep forever," John finished.
Yugi paused. They all held their breaths, waiting for it to click in Yugi's head. In one way, they wished it wouldn't click, and that he'll find out later. But in another way, they wished that it did click, so he would understand. They waited to see what would happen.
It clicked.
"You mean, that, Grandma's..." Yugi started to choke.
"I'm so sorry honey," Harusame said sadly, pulling him into a hug.
However, Yugi pulled away. He was confused. He didn't wanted to be hugged. He wanted his grandmother. But he couldn't have her. He didn't know what to do, what to say. He pulled out of his mother's hug anyway, and raced upstairs. John sighed. Harusame didn't know what to say. Grandpa looked at the present.
"Should I leave?" he asked.
"No, stay Solomon, you might help ease things," John shook his head.
"I'll go talk to him," Harusame offered.
Yugi sat on his bed, staring out the window. The sky was dark and cloudy. It was going to rain. And it did, and Yugi's eyes rained with it. Tears streamed down his face and his breaths came in great sobs. He cried all he had, and then cried more. Harusame slipped in to find her sad little angel. She went over and sat on the edge of his bed. She pulled him close once again. This time, he didn't resist, and gladly let her hold him.
"Hush my little Yugi, don't be sad," she whispered soothingly to him.
He looked at her with his big watery eyes. He said nothing, he was too choked. But his eyes asked why.
"There's holes in the floors of heaven," she told him, as if it were a secret. "And those rain drops are Grandma's tears."
"Why is she crying?" Yugi asked in a small voice.
"She wishes she could be here now, on your birthday," Harusame told him.
Yugi's tears no longer fell, but his eyes were still sad and watery as he cudled up against his mom.
"Yugi, whenever you're lonely, just remember Grandma, remember that she watching over us, and she'll always be with us," she said to Yugi.
Yugi sighed and leaned against his mom.
"So, how about we go back downstairs and have some cake, huh? That'll make you feel better," Harusame picked up Yugi, causing him to smile a little.
Harsuame smiled back and the two of them went back downstairs. They cut the cake and each took a piece.
Harsuame was right. Yugi did feel a little better after he ate some cake. But he still wished that Grandma was there.
"Yugi, do you want to open presents now?" John asked.
Yugi gave a small nod.
The first present he opened was from Harusame. It was an alarm clock that looked like one of Yugi's favorite cartoon characters. It had a face, with two eyes at the top. It had two arms that stretched around and had one red balls at either end. The face was blue and it had two, small feet on the bottom. (A/n: Think Kirby with a blue face, yellow feet, and long silver arms with little red balls at the end.) John always said that the little critter it resembled freaked him out. But Yugi loved the present nonetheless.
Next was John's present. It was a book. But not just any book. It was a book filled with pictures and discriptions of mythical creatures. Yugi had always liked his father's collection of mythical creature models, so John thought that Yugi would enjoy this book. Yugi loved it.
Then came Grandpa's present. He stood up, and offered it to Yugi.
"It was your grandmother's idea to give this to you when I found it in the back of my shop," Grandpa told Yugi sadly.
Yugi gently lifted the small box out of Grandpa's hands. He ripped off the paper to reveal a golden box with Eygptian ruins on it.
Though Yugi knew not what it was, or how it would change his life, he could tell that it was very specail.
Shadu: Heheh, I could've gone on, but why? I need reviews for that.
