He held her hand as they walked outside. The snow was just beginning to gently fall, but not enough to make seeing hard to do. Jack led her out past the vegetable garden, down through a gate, into another field, towards a collection of trees whose leaves and branches were thick with snow.
“We didn’t bury her.” Jack explains as they stop in front of the trees. He knees, and begins working some snow out of the way of something. A stone? “W-we didn’t want her to be stuck in a box underground. So we had her cremated, a-and my parents had her ashes spread in this field.”
Jack shifts back and gestures to the small engraved stone that stuck out, surrounded by the white snow.
‘In loving memory of Gail Maple
Be like the wind from now until eternity.
Fly free.’
No dates, nothing to give away how old she was, nothing. To some it may seem impersonal but it said all that had to be said.
The man knelt there for a moment, before lifting a hand and roughly wiped at his eyes, trying not to cry again, before standing up and took Katelynn’s hand into his own again and breathed deeply. “It even.. works, you know? Gail. Gale. Gale wind.” he explains weakly.
She nodded slowly, squeezing his hand gently, moving forward to wrap her arms around him, pulling him in close to her. “It’s a beautiful thought for a beautiful and loved girl..” she said softly, stroking his back.
She looked up at the sky, seeing the snow falling softly around them and whispered, “Gail..you’re so loved. Your brother loves you…I’m sure you’re watching over him now..”
Jack has to smile for her, he just has to or he’d probably have another stupid break down. At least this time he wasn’t at Denny’s of all the places to loose it. He lifts his head too and stares skyward at the snow which, only now, begins to tumble and spin on the wind as it flies around them.
Jack Maple 