Phoebe2: Gardenias
"We now commit the bodies of Piper and Prudence Halliwell to the ground. Ash to ashes and dust to dust. We pray for their souls and those who mourn for them. Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen," said the pastor as he closed his book, comforted Phoebe and walked from the grave site.
Prue and Piper's funeral had only been a simple graveside service. Both caskets were draped in her sisters' and her mother's favorite flowers. Gardenias, lilies, morning glories and roses. The guests slowly filed by Phoebe whostood alone since she had no other family there. Even her father had stayed away not wanting to face the horror that he had feared would happen. Phoebe dressed in black wore oversized sunglasses to hide her tear-stained eyes. All of her sister's friends, co-workers andformer co-workers filed by offering Phoebe their sympathy. Morris was there as was Claire and even Roger, Prue's ex-fiancé. They all had come to say good-bye to Prue and Piper.
All Phoebe could get out was an occasional, "Thank you." She was too broken up to even recognize most of the guests. As the cars began to leave, Phoebe went over to the two caskets that held the last mortal remains of her two beloved sisters. They were bothsitting over the freshly dug graves next to two headstones that read Penny Halliwell and Patricia Halliwell. She tenderly placed her hand on each casket and started to cry again for the hundredth time.
"Good-bye, my darling sisters. May you both find peace. I certainly never brought you that. Not before when I was growing up. And not afterwards after I found the Book Of Shadows. You two never really wanted to be witches. I pulled you in. I forced you into so manydangerous situations. And then, one too many. And Piper, you sacrificed your life for me. Now as you lie there, why, why did you do that? I'm only alive now to mourn you two. I can think of NOTHING else! IT'S ALL MY FAULT. IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" screamed Phoebe as she fell in between the caskets and among the gardenias. She just laid there crying and crying until Mark came over.
"Phoebe. Let me take you home," he said. Mark was one of Phoebe's classmates at college. "Come on, Phoebe. You need your rest."
"No. sniff.> I want to stay. Just a little while longer. I'll be all right," she said holding onto Mark tightly.
"I'll be right here as long as you want to stay," replied Mark.
The cemetery workers came over and cleared away some of the flowers. Only Mark and Phoebe watched as they lowered the caskets into the ground. First went Piper's. They cranked it slowly as the dark oak box was lowered into Piper's final resting place. First the bottom disappeared, then finally the very top disappeared into the ground.
"Good bye, Piper. I love you," said Phoebe weeping.
Then Prue went on her last journey. Slowly she was lowered into the ground. The dark oak box disappeared quickly because the sun was very low in the sky.
"So long, Prue. We may not have agreed always, but I hope you know how much I loved you," cried Phoebe weeping inconsolably.
The two cemetery workers gathered the flowers into a van and drove off. Mark and Phoebe just stood there for a long time as the shadows got longer and longer.
Finally Phoebe said, "I'm ready to go home now. Bless you, Mark," she said putting her hand on his shoulder. Then he helped her in his car and they drove off together.
On the hillside over looking the Halliwell family plot, there were three ghostly apparitions looking on. Prue, Piper and Leo.
"Poor, Phoebe. I wish I could have been there for her," said Prue.
"Isn't there something you can do for her?" said Piper holding onto Leo tightly.
"No. She is going to have to work this out for herself. I can't do anything now that she's no longer a witch," explained Leo.
And the three figures watched the car drive away as the sunset and the colors disappeared from the sky.
THE END