Burial

This piece is an accompaniment to Do You Remember Winterwood? and, as such, has a sad tone. If you have problems dealing with illness and death, I would ask you to skip this piece.

(Sadness warning included for Fibee5 and anyone else who needs it. 🙂 )

The weeks passed by in a blur for Carrianne as she watched her mother grow closer to death. It was difficult to believe that the frail woman lying in the hospital was the same vivacious woman who raised her.

The doctors gave her drugs in an attempt to keep the cancer at bay. The nurses administered morphine in an attempt to lessen the pain.

But everyone knew that death was inevitable.  Wilhelmina’s body had already succumbed to the cancer by the time she was diagnosed. Her body had fought, but that fight had weakened her to the point where no action could be taken to save her.

Carrianne visited every day to talk to her mother. She read Wilhelmina books and brought her favourite sweets.

When the moment finally arrived, it came with peace. Wilhelmina was no longer in pain and that was all that mattered.

At first Carrianne could only go through the motions. She arranged a small funeral and watched as her mother’s body was lowered into the ground. She packed up her mother’s belongings and moved them into a storage unit.

Carrianne allowed herself to get caught up in her grief. She buried herself in her work, taking as much overtime as they would give her. Days off were spent in bed, hiding from the world.

Eventually, she started talking to her friends again and even went out with them a few times. She let herself be talked into a blind date that went nowhere.

And her pain began to retreat.

Carrianne was able to think about Wilhelmina without tears. She was able to remember the good memories rather than the pain of loss.

She was able to smile again.

Months after Wilhelmina’s death, Carrianne finally felt able to honour her mother’s wish.

“Emma?” Carrianne said when her friend answered the phone. “Do you want to come with me to Winterwood?”