He cleared his throat, gazed deeply into the eyes of his two young friends reflected upon the water’s dark surface, then began to tell them a tale from the deepest well of his vivid imagination. Angelica was not at all surprised by the story’s opening words. She listened to them intently, as though she had somehow heard them before, although it was not what she had expected:
The old woman sat alone on the hard wooden bench, looking out over the largest of the park’s three lakes.
She had been here so often before, both in real life and in her dreams, which as always remained so vivid, whilst at the same time so magical. Time had been her friend, but like the sands in the hourglass it was slowly slipping away and with each passing grain went a fragment of what sustained her. Angelica had always brought out the best in those she knew, and she did know many people, but most of all her kindness towards her two best friends was a testament to who she truly was and what they meant to her.
Always in her mind, she knew the final day would come and she was ready for that. She had been there before, but had fought with all she had, to grasp tightly to what life still had planned for her, and having fulfilled all her dreams, she knew now she could be at peace forever when the time came. How often, she thought, can a person be so lucky to find a friend that understands you like no other, and at the same time brings a second more powerful friend with whom a bond can be made. Today, she waited more in hope than anticipation, for her two friends to come along. It had been a little while now and they had all grown old together, whilst at the same time remaining young at heart. The man with his white hair and the lady in her red dress had often laughed and teased her in the nicest way possible about things that mattered so much, yet at the same time really mattered so little, which always brought a wry smile to her aging face. When they were together age was forgotten and the aches and pains that they often felt were lost in the joy that they shared.
As she sat, contemplating all around her, she was stirred by the sound of footsteps gently shuffling from behind. Turning she saw her friend in her worn red dress, slightly hunched and carrying a folded blue coat. But in place of her smile was a sadness that she had seldom before seen, except for when her friends two beloved pets had gone to sleep for one last time, crossing the rainbow bridge where pets go to wait for the ones they love to join them. A tear was in her eye as she sat down next to Angelica. As Angelica put her arm around her dearest friend with her ruby lips quivering so slightly, diamonds began to fall from her own eyes in the realisation of what had come to be. “It just happened,” said Rose, her voice breaking as she spoke. “He so wanted to be here today, because he had a special story to be told and he was excited like he had never been before. I know it was going to be something so magical.” They both hugged and sobbed uncontrollably remembering the times they had shared together listening to the many imaginations he told within his stories. A fairy ball drifted by where they sat and in a moment a warmth brushed over them, like a soft summer breeze across their shoulders then as they turned, a shiver went through them and they sat mouths open and in wonder.
“Hello, and what are you so surprised for my friends?” said the voice, as if in an, ‘I told you so fashion.’ Standing before them was the white haired boy in his most glorious sparkling blue coat, with stars on the sleeves that blinked as if they were in the night sky itself. His eyes smiled and sparkled as they always had and by his side, with tails wagging and tongues hanging out, were his two other most cherished friends who had been waiting patiently for him to join them once more. The old ladies turned back in disbelief and looking at their reflections in the shimmering water of the lake, they no longer saw the aged faces but those of the two young girls that they had once been. As always he was full of words that offered compassion and understanding and as they turned again to face him, now with the childish eyes that he had so often helped them see with before, he spoke. “Do not cry my friends, for as I promised a long while ago, I will be with you always and when the moment comes we will be friends once more in another time and place.” He smiled as best he could, knowing the sadness that they felt, which he had so often shared with them and then he continued. “As I closed my eyes last night my lovely Rose, I dreamed of all the wonderful years we had spent together, my heart was light and I thought of the love that we have shared that has been beyond compare, and at the same time my life came flooding back before my eyes. Please know that when your time comes, we will be waiting to greet you, and it is as magical as I have spoken of in my stories.” Then he spoke to Angelica and she nodded knowing that life did have an end and that like Rose, her time would soon come. She knew also that they would now be friends, the three of them for evermore.
They sat and talked for such a long time, that they had not realised night had fallen, and under the stars that looked upon them he pointed to the place within Orion that he would always be if they ever needed him. He then went on to leave them with his usual words.
When the sands of time they run their course,
When our weary bodies fold.
And minds so young from words so strong,
No longer stop us growing old.
Three friends knowing each ones thoughts,
With minds that only they can see.
Looking deep within the words of time,
To where the child shall be.
For I am proof of what I say,
As I stand here in this place.
Know that you have nought to fear,
By the smile upon my face.
They sat and talked without a care well into the night, and then they drifted off to sleep whilst leaning against each other. They were woken in the morning by the sound of barking dogs and the sun as it played upon their aged faces. The boy was gone, and in their hands they both held a pendant in the shape of the friendship tree that they had nurtured with their words and a small dragonfly, which was the symbol of his strength, a gift that he had somehow given them as if by magic. They knew now in their hearts that he would never be gone and would always watch over them and that the friendship would live on.
The white haired boy had finished his story with a smile and a tear as usual, then rising gently upon her slightly swollen foot Angelica and her two friends made their way out of the park. They knew his story would come to pass, as sad as it was, but for now they would enjoy each day that they lived, as the child within them would allow.
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