Chapter 12
“Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone.”
― Mitch Albom
A girl woke up from a nightmare. She didn’t scream or make a noise butt she almost did, and she had to calm down her breathing. She had dreams like this but nothing like this that made her scared and worried about things. But she didn’t want to be alone. She was only 7 years old and still had bad nightmares. Her Mother or Father seemed to always chase the monsters away. That gave her hope, so she went to find him. She poke her head out her door. Seeing everything was quite but the light was on in her little sister’s room.
As she got closer the warm light, and her bare feet touch the cold wooden floor she heard singing. It was her mother and at first the little girl thought she was Angel. She got to the door, quietly and open the door a little. There was her mother in her white dressing grown. Her brown hair freely on her shoulders. Emma’s little hand holding a piece of her mom’s hear, as her mother became to sing. Her mother’s voice made Emma close her eyes not before giving a little yawn.
Holly stood where she was to listen to her mother’s song that seem to make everything peaceful.
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.
Black and bays, dapples, grays,
All the pretty little horses.
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
When the song ended, the mother put the tiny baby in the crib. She smiled at the sleeping baby. She didn’t look up but she knew that Holly was there.
“It’s past midnight, what are you doing awake” her mother asked quietly.
Holly open the door little bit wider. But she didn’t come in she seemed very scared and wasn’t sure of herself. The girl had tears streaming down her face that made her mother look up at her with worry look on her face.
“Holly dearie, what’s wrong” her mother ask as Holly open the door wider.
Not sure to come in and not wanting to wake up her little sister. But she was still crying, the dream had scared her and she didn’t want to go back to bed. She didn’t want to go back to the dream. The nightmare seemed all too real for the little girl.
“Come Here Holly, was it a bad dream again” she asked her oldest daughter. Holly ran to her mother who let her daughter sit on her lap and gave her a hug. The mother rubbed the girls back, which seemed her to stop from crying but the young girl was still frighten on whatever scared her.
Holly nodded but didn’t say anything. Her eyes were wide as if she was still having her dream but she wasn’t. I haunted her even though she just woke up. She couldn’t get the screaming or any of the dream out of her head. She was she could just forget about it already.
“Why don’t you tell me what happen dearie” her mother said giving her daughter another hug. Holly shock her head no, not trusting herself to sleep.
“How about some Hot Coco” her mother said with small smile on her face. Holly smiled a little and got of her mother’s a lap. Her mother followed the little girl turn off the lights to the babies’ room and they headed downstairs.
They headed to the kitchen that was not too big. It was average kitchen. It had black and white titles, and the cupboards were all white. Holly liked the room not because of where the food it but the room had this calming effect. Many times when Holly felt sad she sat on stool in the kitchen and it she felt safe in way. Here she would much her mother cook some food or she would help. It was times here when she made cookies with mother and they would often have floor fight making a mess of the kitchen which neither of them didn’t mind.
Her mother got went to and got a pan, filled it with water and put it over the stove. She grabbed some coco which thankfully they had left over from making other things. Holly sat on the stool on the other side of the counter. She watched her mother walk back and forth eager to get her hot coco.
Once the water was boiling the mother poor the hot water into it and added the mixture of coco and some milk. It was by far Holly’s favorite drink when she was sad or just anytime really. Her mother handed her the cup which wasn’t too hot. Her mother made her own and they both sat down at the table on the kitchen. It was just enough for four people. It was small and wooden but perfect to the family.
Holly took a small sip over the Hot Coco and smiled. Her mother was amused that the simple drink could clam her oldest down so fast but it did come in handy and they tend not to make the Hot Coco a lot. It was a treat for her daughter in way but she hope she didn’t make this ever often.
“So what happen in the dream” her mother asked seeing that Holly calmed down a bit. Her daughters face went pale. She guess she better tell her mother the dream, maybe it would stop haunting her this way.
“I was in a building, and people were running around but everything was slow in way. I was just stand there and I couldn’t move. I didn’t recognize anyone but it looked like were you take to me to get all better. I was trying to get someone’s attention but nobody seemed to listen to me “Holly’s voice cracked and she took sip Hot Coco but didn’t look at her mother. Holly took a breath and continued on with her story.
“The dream changed to where I was standing in front of the house. I still didn’t move but the house looked different. It was black, like the fire Mr. Hans had, what happen to his house is what happen to ours. I couldn’t find you, Father or Emma. I wanted to run in but I couldn’t. I felt so scared” Holly said still starting at her Hot Coco. Tears threaten to spill from her eyes but Holly wouldn’t let them fall. Her voice cracked yet again as he continued with the story of the dream.
“And then this lady came up to me. I didn’t know her name but she was dress in white, and she had gray hear. She grabbed my hand and told me she was Sorry. I asked why she was sorry, and she said “You’re Family is dead”. There was nothing they could do and I had nowhere to go. I was so scared” Holly said while crying.
Her Mother knelled down, till she was eye level of her daughter.
“Holly look at me” she said gentle, as Holly sniffed. The young girl looked at her mother, tears falling down her face and her eyes were red because of all the crying.
“Holly, I promise nothing like that will happen but if it does you, you’re father and Emma well always be with you, in hear” her mother said touching where Holly’s heart should be. Holly gave her mother a hug as she finally stopped crying. Holly finished the cup of Coco and her mother took her to her room.
“You Promise” Holly asked as her mother tucked her in. Her Mother gave her a kiss in forward and smiled.
“Always” she said with a slight grin. Holly rolled over going right to sleep.
When Holly was a little older and her sister was only five years old they stood at graveyard. It was rainy day and Holly loved rain but not today. Tears streamed down her fast as she wanted to cry or just get away from here. One thing was for sure, she missed her Nana and sadden her that she would never see her again. Emma never got the chance to really be with their Nana, her Mothers Mom. She was the only grandparent left and it sadden Holly greatly.
So here should stood on windy day in black dress that was a little too big for her. Her mother was holding her father’s hand already crying. Emma who was standing next to Holly had no idea what was going on. Emma just wanted to go to the park and play with the rest of the kids. There was not many kids really there. Both sides of the families only had one child. So there was no Aunts or Uncles. It was just them which was kind of depressing.
Emma took Holly’s hand seeing her older sister cry made her sad. Emma was only four years old but could understand that when her sister, mother or father was sad that wasn’t could. Yet here they were all standing around a hole in the ground.
Emma didn’t understand, she thought she was supposed to see Nana but she was nowhere to be found. She asked her sister but all her sister did was cry. She asked her mother but she walked away. Emma was confused so she asked her father where her grandma was. Her father led Emma to a bench. It seemed rather old but it was safe. Her father put Emma on her knee, her mother and sister also sat on the bench crying.
“Where’s Nana” Emma repeated as she was sitting on her father’s lap. Her father look down on her with a very serious look on his face but he talked in soft tones. He wasn’t mad at Emma because she didn’t understand, he just hated that he had to explain it to her like this. To tell someone who didn’t understand about death wasn’t an easy task at all. He hated that he had to tell her this.
“Nana is somewhere safe sweetie” he said talking to his youngest daughter.
“Did she go on Vacation then” asked Emma with frown on her face. She didn’t get to say goodbye to her. That wasn’t fair, she hoped that her grandmother would bring her a gift, at least she kind of hoped she did. Her father chuckled shaking his head. He wished that was the case at least. His daughter always cheered him up when he was sad.
“No, Emma Nana was old, and sick” he said choosing his words carefully not sure on how to explain it to him.
“What do you mean” Emma asked playing with her hair. Her Father sighed no sure how to word this correctly. Emma wouldn’t understand and he didn’t want her to be sad but then she need to understand what happen at the same time. It wasn’t easy but this had to be done.
“Nana got very sick sweetie. She had to leave Emma, so she wouldn’t be in pain anymore” he said again carefully, watching his daughter trying to figure it out.
“When will Nana be back, how long is she going to be” winded Emma, missing her Nana already. Her father felt like he wasn’t explaining it well enough at that was true but he didn’t want to scare Emma.
“Emma, sweetie she is going to come back” said her father gently, still holding his daughter in his arms. He watched Emma’s face change from state of confusion to sadness in matter of seconds.
“She doesn’t love us anymore” she said in little voice, tears fell from the little girl’s eyes. Making it hard for her to see. She was on the verge of tears.
“No Sweetie, she loves us so very much. She just was in pain, but she’s in a good place now. She’s watching over us” he said in simple terms, watching his daughters frown turn into somewhat of a smile.
Emma sniffed looking down and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked at her Father, her blue eyes wide, still with tears in them.
“She’s up there” she asked looking up, again in the little voice. She looked up the sky really confused. Her Father moved his head back and forth, trying not to laugh at his daughter’s expression. She was looking up in the sky trying to search for her Nana. As if she would come down from the sky at this very moment.
“No Emma” he put his hand on her heart, with small smile on his face, “In here” he said quietly as she looked at her dad with sense of wonder and awe on her face.
“Nana is in my heart, should I got to a doctor Papa to get her out of there” she asked pulling on his jacket. Her father chuckled yet again and shake his head back and forth.
“No Emma, you’ll be fine” He said stand up, then picking her up. Emma put her hands around her father’s neck.
They went back home as Holly got some Hot Coco and the girl’s father put Emma back to sleep. He went down the stairs to sit by his wife as Holly continued to stir the hot coco. Her mother looked up at her husband with sad look on her face.
“Do you think she will understand some day” his wife asked as he grabbed the cup of coffee on the counter that his wife made. Her husband shocked obviously tired from the long day, and helping with the funeral.
“When she’s older” he said softly as he took a sip of coffee. Holly sat down next to her parents not really talking. She was all too quiet, mind was still on the death of her late Nana. She hadn’t really talked all day, even to her parents and her parents kind of let her at least for today. She was most likely and she was not over it. But she knew her parents were always there for her if she needed them.
For one thing for sure, they were glad they had each other.
Emma and Holly came back to School. Emma was in tears and Holly was trying to still calm her down. People were bullying Emma calling her all sorts of names that made Emma want to run back home to her mother. But she stood there taking this in because she didn’t want them to see that they hurt her.
Holly told the kids who were bothering her sister to back off. The kids were just a year old then Emma and made fun of her because she had to wear a Star of David on her clothes. They called Emma a freak, ugly and that she shouldn’t be her because she was Jewish. Emma only understood a little bit of what they told her.
She was only 7 years old at the time and was still trying to get use to school. She thought she would make friends like Holly had with Zoey but of course that wasn’t the case. All she got were name after name, like stones that kept on hurting her with every strike.
Holly had been bullied before. Mad fun of because she was different which a lot of kids didn’t like. But most importantly because of the recent changes against people who were Jewish. Holly got Emma away from the kids telling them to leave her alone. But new they would most likely didn’t.
Her parents found Emma crying and asked what was going on. They ran to their daughters asking what happen. Her mother gave her some milk for her youngest well they all sat down on the couch.
“What happen” their mother asked as Emma sipped on the drinks.
“A group of children were making fun of Emma saying that she was worthless and ugly just because she was Jewish” Holly speak for Emma who seemed to not want to speak about it. Emma didn’t looked up ashamed that she didn’t stand up to the bullies that made her sad and mostly mad at herself.
“Emma is that true” asked her Father and Emma looked up at her parents and nodded. She put down her cup tears in her eyes and gave her parents a hug.
“Emma you’re not worthless, don’t listen to them” said her mother as she kissed her daughters head and turn to Holly.
“Thank you for taking her away from the group Holly” said her mother giving her oldest daughter a smile and Holly nodded. Holly left the room to let her parents talk to Emma. Emma just need words of wisdom for her parents to not to listen to the bullies and that they were wrong. Holly learned that from Zoey and was thankful for that but she never told her parents that she herself was bullied.
Her Father knocked on the door it was time for supper and Holly was finishing her homework already not wanting to wait for the very last minute. She wrote the last few words of her essay she was writing about Shakespeare. He was actually one of Holly’s favorite authors. She kept on writing not hearing her Father come in and shut the door.
“Supper’s ready” he said softly making Holly almost fall of from her chair. She glared at her father while he laughed at his daughter’s expression as Holly stood up once again.
“Did you really have to scare me” she asked with groan. He rolled his eyes and grabbed a chair. Holly gave her father a questioning look and sat down on her chair facing him.
“You want to ask me something” she asked, one eyebrow raised. She lean in the chair but was still sitting lady like. Her father as use to his eldest daughter doing this and chuckled once again. His shake his head now and the expression on his face turn quite serious.
“Holly I need you to promise me something” her father said in serious tone. He looked at his daughter who gave him a questionable look and was in thought. She wondered what he was taking about.
“Promise what “Holly asked her voice helped some kind of panic. She wasn’t sure where her father was going with this. She also thought that maybe she was in some kind of trouble wish she hoped that wasn’t the case. Plus now in her mind she was going over whatever she did wrong in pass couple days to make sure it wasn’t anything to do with any of that. Not that she did anything bad, she wasn’t perfect of course. She was human and we often made mistakes not only every day but well usually every day.
“When we’re not here, can you just look out for her at school or when we’re not here” said trying to think of the words. Holly looked at him with look of confusing wondering what he was talking about. Of course she would protect Emma, she was her big sister. Plus she was family and she loved her family so she just nodded and promised she would take care of her sister if anything happened.
Her dad left her leaving her to pounder her thoughts. She went to the bathroom to wash up. Did her parents no something she didn’t. Of course her parents wouldn’t die until Emma was old enough to take care of herself. At least Holly think it was. She heard to go downstairs.