Cherry Blossom Girl (1370 hits)
Category: NoneLabels: Untruth
Rating: 1.92 on 37 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Snark << snarkk.at.gmail.com (View user info) at 2005-09-01 12:45:28 EDT
There's a sapling in the garden that will be a cherry blossom tree one day.
I didn't plant it but I love it because of who did.
It has a long way to go but many years from now, with luck, it will shade the yard and children who play under it.
The wooden chair beneath me creaks as I rock gently back and forth, and I hear Marie quietly step from the house to my solace. She sighs, bends down, and her lips are soft and warm against the back of my head..
"She still has a fever."
There's nothing to do but nod, and watch the garden grow, so I continue, but my wife has never been one to let things lie unspoken.
"Where are you Tim? Where do you go when you're out here?"
She's curious and sad and a little scared. I might tell her if I could but there isn't a name for this place. It's the past and a child's laugh wrapped around denial and hope.
It's a place of comfort.
Her questions rest on my head momentarily before sliding off.
She puts a hand on my shoulder, I acknowledge her by placing mine on top of it, and it's enough.
She fades into the unquenchable gloom of the house and there are no more questions, which is fine, because I don't ask or answer them anymore.
I don't like the way they feel against my skin. They itch.
Marie is upstairs again. She's singing. Her voice is clear and lilting and the spoon hitting the bowl punctuates it.
I should tell her that I fall in love with her when she does that, but then my Tammy coughs and I forget again.
The soup isn't going down as easy as it used to. It comes back up as often as it stays down. It's not warming her skin anymore, but she still smiles when I call her Cherry Blossom, and she still asks me to read to her when I'm not on the porch.
The doctor doesn't call as much as he used to. He can't provide answers without questions.
Marie tells me the tests are all negative and I nod empty appreciation, because her answers are free and easy to swallow.
We're out of soup and cleaner again. I'm supposed to go to the store. It's ok if I leave, Helen is here again. She's the constant solace my Marie craves. I should bring her it instead of groceries but I'm not going to do either, because the days are drawing short. The flowers are ending their bloom-dance around the sapling and the garden will die soon. The weeds are thick but I don't remove them. Fall will do that.
Everything has to stop eventually.
I don't ask why.
The doctor places his hand on my shoulder. His finger's creak like my chair, but they're not as comfortable.
"It's almost time."
I nod and stand, and follow him upstairs, take my seat beside the bed and her ice-cold hand in mine. She doesn't know I'm there but I read to her anyways until the last bit of light goes out.
Marie buries her grief in my shoulder, lets it soak through to the skin and I hold her because that's what I'm supposed to do. When she's done I wander downstairs, and finish the last pot of my daughter's soup. The morning air is crisp and I need its warmth while I sit on the porch.
"I don't think she's coming back Tim."
I nod but don't answer and place my hand on Helen's, where it rests on my arm, and it's enough.
Her footsteps fade into the house and a moment later her muffled voice drifts to me as she talks on the phone.
"Poor man..."
"All I can do... yes... ran off."
"...withdrawn...He just sits and stares..."
The phone is placed back in the cradle and the front door clicks shut. She won't be back.
Her parting words echo through my head and I decide she was wrong. My wife still lives here. I can feel her lips on the back of my head and her voice drifts to me in song from the house.
She's in my heart and the walls behind me. She's in the warmth between my hands and she's in the garden as well.
The air is cold, but the mug in my hand is warm. There's soup inside it. It's the same kind my wife made for my Cherry Blossom except it has more cleaner in it.
The garden is a thousand shades of brown and grey. The flowers are long dead but the sapling remains.
It sits in the garden, leafless and alone. Eight inches higher and three feet to the left.
User Reviews
Submitted by ripple (user info) at 2006-02-25 13:17:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-09-01 19:54:38 (#)
Ranking: 2
Snark, why aren't you writing for a living?
Submitted by ruthless (user info) at 2005-12-22 18:53:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by AshK (user info) at 2005-09-20 17:16:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Nothing that I can add...
Submitted by Stabkill (user info) at 2005-09-10 05:18:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Chazzy (user info) at 2005-09-09 11:07:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2005-09-02 10:29:26 (#)
Ranking: 2
A bit confusing, but at the same time, freaking awesome.
Submitted by yeahthatme (user info) at 2005-09-09 10:49:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-09-02 14:13:58 (#)
Ranking: 0
I wanted to experiment with subtlety in the story line in this one but I may have gone a bit to far.
This kind of story seemed like the perfect type to do that with.
I wonder how many people figured out the reason for the sapling being 8 inches higher and 3 feet to the left...
____________________________________________________________________________________
He killed his wife and buried her in the garden under the sapling, before ending his own life.
right?
Submitted by HadToBeDone (user info) at 2005-09-09 10:27:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
UBERLORD, MOTHERFUCKER!!!! WOO!!!!
Submitted by Falconer (user info) at 2005-09-08 13:16:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Woah.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-09-02 14:13:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I wanted to experiment with subtlety in the story line in this one but I may have gone a bit to far.
This kind of story seemed like the perfect type to do that with.
I wonder how many people figured out the reason for the sapling being 8 inches higher and 3 feet to the left...
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2005-09-02 10:29:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
A bit confusing, but at the same time, freaking awesome.
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2005-09-02 10:23:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by BobLobla (user info) at 2005-09-02 01:53:01 (#)
Ranking: 2
As always, +2
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-09-01 20:00:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Ahhhh you're so sweet.
I don't write for a living cuz I'm a hack, but one day, who knows.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-09-01 19:54:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Snark, why aren't you writing for a living?
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-09-01 19:53:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Saxon (user info) at 2005-09-01 18:42:43 (#)
Ranking: 2
This was a good read! on a unrelated note, it disturbs me that Shitfuck has breasts.
-----------------------------------
I don't know why but just the way this came out of left
field made me laugh for about 2 minutes.
Submitted by Saxon (user info) at 2005-09-01 18:42:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This was a good read! on a unrelated note, it disturbs me that Shitfuck has breasts.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-09-01 15:53:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by stevie_says (user info) at 2005-09-01 15:52:24 (#)
Ranking: 2
It's like that time D_R gave us that award, but it was a tie.
DANGER KNOWS THE FUTURE!
*WHOOP* *WHOOP* *WHOOP*
==========================
Ahahaha
I forgot about that. He's a prophet he is.
Submitted by stevie_says (user info) at 2005-09-01 15:52:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
It's like that time D_R gave us that award, but it was a tie.
DANGER KNOWS THE FUTURE!
*WHOOP* *WHOOP* *WHOOP*
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-09-01 15:44:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by stevie_says (user info) at 2005-09-01 15:30:51 (#)
Ranking: 2
SEE YOU IN THE FINALS, BITCH.
IMO KEEL U.
...I liked this. You're going to rape me like a fresh-faced rookie, in the basement of your mansion.
======================
Hehehe we'll see what happens, I've been scraping the barrel the entire tournament.
Submitted by stevie_says (user info) at 2005-09-01 15:30:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
SEE YOU IN THE FINALS, BITCH.
IMO KEEL U.
...I liked this. You're going to rape me like a fresh-faced rookie, in the basement of your mansion.
Submitted by Stin (user info) at 2005-09-01 15:23:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Nice. Very, very nice.
Submitted by djgray (user info) at 2005-09-01 15:00:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Excellent story. Sad and dreary, but excellent regardless.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-09-01 14:13:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by CookieLass (user info) at 2005-09-01 13:43:29 (#)
Ranking: 2
That's brilliant, Snark. She killed the daughter, so he killed her?
=============
Yep, that's it.
Hillboy,
Idunno man, I heard it somewhere I guess.
Submitted by CookieLass (user info) at 2005-09-01 13:43:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That's brilliant, Snark. She killed the daughter, so he killed her?
Submitted by brokenlizard534 (user info) at 2005-09-01 13:37:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by HillBoyJr (user info) at 2005-09-01 13:21:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
may i ask where your user name came from?
a book perhaps.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-09-01 13:13:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Mom did it.
She's buried under the sappling.
Submitted by GodLovesALittleLovin (user info) at 2005-09-01 13:12:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Excellent, always a pleasure to see a Snark post on the front page.
Submitted by CookieLass (user info) at 2005-09-01 13:11:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm slightly confused, but I think that was intentional.... they poisoned their daughter? Or just the dad? or the mom? Or now he's committing suicide?
Oh well... doesn't really matter. This was a fine piece of writing.
Submitted by badassmofo (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:57:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Damn fine.
Submitted by FartSmeller (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:57:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
WTF?! There's not a single reference to looters, SPT, nor are there any bad words here. REPOST!!!
Kidding. Good post.
Submitted by Circe (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:57:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That's more than a little dysfunctional right there.
Submitted by shitfuck (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:57:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm touching my breasts.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:54:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by jack11058 (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:49:51 (#)
Ranking: 2
didn't that happen in the 6th sense?
=======================
Yeah, it did. It's also happened in a million short stories and half as many books. It's probably happened in plays and other movies as well. Just like everything has happened at some point, in some form of media.
There's nothing new under the sun.
I don't particularly worry if a concept I have has been used. Of course it has.
Submitted by maiorano84 (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:54:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I thought this was going to be a tribute post for the Electronica band Air, known for their various works in fantastic films like Lost In Translation (har har), and probably other films that I don't feel like remembering at the moment.
Submitted by jack11058 (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:49:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
didn't that happen in the 6th sense?
Submitted by Coleslaw_Murphy (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:48:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
quality
Submitted by c1ndy (user info) at 2005-09-01 12:46:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
this is nice. more white space needed in the post though.