Translucent

Chapter 49: A Better Place

The woods were silent and peaceful as Ellen, Fiona, Ralph Jr, Sophie, and I stood before a worn, lone grave covered with leaves and shaded by tall birch trees. We wouldn't have noticed there was a tomb hadn't Ralph showed the way to us, which was tucked in the woods close to the pathway that led me and Cornelius to the moorland the other day.

Ralph mentioned that the townspeople had assumed the tomb to be empty, as they believed Cornelius' war-torn body had never been recovered. But now the truth had emerged, putting all rumours to rest.

The gray tomb revealed faded writings and it was clear through the vines and plants overgrowing the stone, that it had barely been visited.

Cornelius Theodore Haywood
Born: April 11, 1893
Died: November 5, 1914

Together we cleaned the branches aside and all the wild plants covering it until it looked as good as new. Staring at the stone bearing his name, it hit me now that I had never seen his grave before. I was half-heartedly grateful over my decision not to pry on his burial site when he was around, as I still wanted to remember him as a loved one, not as a dead being.

Fiona bent down to place a bouquet of flowers and laid it on the tomb. Nathan stood by her side with his arms around her. Suddenly, I felt a strong familiar scent filling my nostrils, followed by the blowing breeze, sending me chills in my spines. I was alerted.

"Lis?" Ellen had walked a few meters away from me, her voice breaking off the silence. The breeze stopped blowing.

"Coming."

With that, we all left Cornelius at his final resting place for good.

* * *

A few weeks after Cornelius' parting, I strolled in the nearby town, Perth, to clear my head. Perth was slightly more bustling and touristy than Aberfeldy and going there was always a nice change of atmosphere. People came from all over the cities from even outside of Scotland. I'd hear chatters in Essex to Welsh accents from all corners.

I was thinking to ring Sophie or my girlfriends, but what I really needed now was just a moment for myself. Just when I exited from a craft store after window-shopping, Greg was right across the street with a grocery bag in both of his clutches. His navy blue coat complimented the light colour of his messy hair. After what he had done, I wasn't sure I could forgive him. First, we broke up not in the best terms, and then he tried to send Cornelius away. But sadly, our eyes met across the distance. We froze. Even the crowd of people that walked about right in between us didn't stop us.

"Lis." Greg muttered but I turned away. Running away seemed too impossible with his athletic figure behind my back.

"Wait Lis!" Greg caught my hand.

"Get away, Greg..."

"I won't ask you to take me back Lis, that's not happening." He sounded firmer than ever. His radiant charm didn't leave. "Yes, I know I'm a coward and a douchebag. I'm completely aware of that."

I turned to look up to him.

He paused, looking fidgety as he continued to walk around mindlessly. "Thing is, I underestimated your relationship with...Cornelius." A few weeks it had been since he had gone and I still struggled to move on. "It's been hard for me to shake my guilt off so I'd understand if you can't forgive me."

I still struggled to digest his sudden seriousness but at the moment, I could hear sincerity from his voice. Greg was my friend. We grew up together and I could see where his jealousy came from. He always thought he was the charming one, which he was, but his pride became too overwhelming.