Pen and Ink week day 6: Goodbye
In which Gordon and Penelope were childhood friends.
Gordon eagerly put on his shoes and coat, and waited at the front door.
Today was Saturday, which meant that today was when they were going to the park. Normally, Gordon wouldn't be so excited to get to the park, but it was rather who was going to be there that got him eager to the leave the house.
He had to wait for the rest of his brothers to be ready and each minute that passed by was another minute that he was growing more impatient. His foot tapped against the floor as he looked up at the clock. He still didn't know how to tell time, but he did know that they were taking forever.
When they were finally all ready to go, Gordon burst out the front door and headed down the street.
They had walked to the park multiple times, so he sort of remembered the way, but he had to be told several times by his dad to not wander ahead. Eventually, Virgil offered to hold his hand to appease him, but it still meant he had to keep pulling Gordon back from trying to walk off on his own.
Eventually, the park was in sight. Gordon forced Virgil to move faster, and when they reached the gate and Virgil opened it for him, he finally let Gordon's hand go.
Unlike his brothers who went over to the playground, Gordon raced over to one of the benches with a table that sat at the side of the park.
There was a man sitting at the picnic table with a little girl next to him, but when she saw Gordon she got up and walked the rest of the distance between them.
"Penelope!" Gordon cried in happiness when she reached him, and he threw his arms around her.
"Hello, Gordon," she said as she returned the hug. When they pulled apart, Gordon could see the smile on her face.
"Wanna go to the usual spot?" Gordon asked. He spotted his dad making his way over to Penelope's own father who still sat on the bench.
Penelope nodded, and then took his hand in hers and started to lead him over to their usual spot in the park.
It was near the lake, but far enough away from it that their parents didn't have to worry about them falling in, and next to a small cluster of trees. Their spot was also right in their parents' eyesight, because that was the only way the two of them were allowed to go off on their own.
The two of them would always play around the trees, and then when they would begin to tire they would sit at the base of one of the trees and talk until they were told it was time to head home. Today was no different.
Penelope was Gordon's best friend. They had known each other for as long as either of them could remember. Their dads were also very close friends and so sometimes it felt like the two of them spent longer together than they did apart.
Gordon didn't know anyone like Penelope. The girl with the blond hair and English accent who knew Gordon as much as his family, maybe even more so. She was funny and smart and was interested in the same things as Gordon. Even the things she wasn't into, she would listen to Gordon talk about them with a passion and Gordon would do the same for her.
The times when the two of them were together were the moments that Gordon looked forward to the most.
The two of them had currently fallen into a game of tag. Penelope chased Gordon around the trees and once she'd grabbed him, it was Gordon's turn to spin around and head after her.
They were at it for a while, neither one of them wanting to call it quits and becoming the loser of the game. But whilst Gordon was chasing Penelope, he heard a gasp from the girl in front of him, and he almost ran into her as she suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Gordon asked once he saw that Penelope was staring at something on the ground.
"A pigeon." Penelope pointed at the creature laying in the middle of the grass.
It was clearly dead. Its little feet were sticking up in the air and its wings were splayed out at its sides. The head was flopped to one side and its little eyes were closed.
Gordon crouched down and gave the bird a small poke, just to be sure, and like he thought it didn't move.
"We should give it a burial," Penelope suggested, and before Gordon could question it, she was bending down and scooping the pigeon into her hands like it wasn't a dead animal.
Gordon followed her over to the trees and watched as Penelope laid the bird between them.
"We need to find stuff to bury it with," Penelope said as she started to pick up branches and dead leaves from the ground.
Gordon did the same, and soon their hands were dirty, but they had enough to cover the bird. A small pile was created in the middle of the trees and you probably wouldn't know there was a dead pigeon beneath it all if you weren't looking.
"We should say a few words." The two off them had been looking at the pile of leaves sadly and Gordon felt the need to break the silence.
"I wouldn't know what to say." Penelope's eyes moved from ground to Gordon, and he felt like it was up to him to come up with something. It took a moment of thinking, but he soon thought of the words.
"Goodbye, Mr Birdie. You will be-"
"How do you know it was a boy?" Penelope cut into his speech. Gordon went to protest, but he realised she was right.
"Good point." Gordon nodded in acknowledgment, and then got serious again. "Goodbye, Mr or Mrs Birdie. You will be missed. You probably have a family or friends who you meant a lot to and they will come and visit you here. If they don't know where you are, we will help them look for you. Sleep well, little birdie."
A hand slipped into his, and it wasn't until his hand was squeezed gently that Gordon realised his eyes were watering slightly. He quickly wiped away the tears before Penelope could see.
The two of them stood there for a while, staring at the pile under the tree that they knew held more than just leaves and twigs. Eventually, it was Penelope who spoke up.
"Gordon? I have to tell you something."
Her voice was quiet, almost shy, and Penelope was never shy and that made Gordon worried.
"What is it?" Gordon's gaze finally moved away from the grave and towards Penelope. She was still looking at the floor.
"My father says that I have to go back to England over the summer."
"What?" Gordon's voice rose in shock. "Why?"
"He said he has work to do. I really don't want to go, though." Her voice got quieter as she scuffed a shoe into the dirt.
"Then don't! You can stay with me!"
Penelope laughed and finally looked over at Gordon. She looked sad, despite the fact that she was smiling.
"I can't do that, Gordon. I have to go."
She sounded so sure that Gordon knew there was no point in trying to persuade her otherwise.
"When do you go?" Gordon hoped that there was still time to play with her before she left.
"In two days." That hope was gone immediately. "So, I probably won't see you until just before school starts again."
"But that's weeks away!" Gordon cried. "What am I supposed to do until then?"
"You can check on the pigeon." Penelope gestured to the tiny grave. "Someone needs to give it flowers. And my father said that we can call each other. He's probably talking to your dad about it right now!"
Gordon turned around to where their dads were still sat. They looked to be in the middle of some conversation, although Gordon had no idea what it was about.
The two of them didn't have long left together and Gordon didn't want to waste a minute of that time. They both soon moved to sit against a tree, across from the pigeon's grave. They talked about things like usual and not like it was the last they'd do it for months. Their hands stayed clasped together and they didn't get up until they were called back.
When they did have to leave, they made their way back over the bench next to the playground together, still hand in hand. They eventually let go when they got to their parents, but didn't leave each other's side just yet.
"What have you two gotten yourselves into?" Penelope's father asked as he took in the dirt covering their hands and knees, but there was a bemused smile on his face. "Let's go home and get you cleaned up, Penelope."
Penelope moved to follow, but hesitated.
"Goodbye, Gordon," she said as she turned to him. "I'll see you soon."
Before she left, she gave him a tight hug which Gordon returned.
"Goodbye. I'll keep the pigeon company for you."
There was soft laugh in his ear, which made Gordon smile, and that grin was kept on his face as he watched Penelope make her way out of the park for the last time for what he knew would be a while.
This my favourite fic I've written for this week XD