LONIS’S THOUGHTS

An old man sits in a padded chair. A wooden staff rests on the floor beside him. He lifts his head and gazes at the rotting walls of his home. There’s emptiness held within the decaying wood. Silence and loneliness emanate from within him, spreading to fill the room and his life. He knows his once-sharp mind is faltering. He speaks to himself more and more with each passing day. He now also speaks to his daughter. She rests beside him with her head upon his lap. She is dead, of course. He understands that. He mourns that. He reaches down and strokes her hair. She smiles up at him. He looks at her; his eyes speak of undying love, loss and sadness.
He whispers, ‘I don’t know why you have returned to me. Have you forgiven me? I prayed you would. When my leg is healed, we will walk by Lake Thanis. I will show you Seka’s Garden and Tal Solshia. We will run, play, and do all those things…yes…when my leg is healed.’ He yawns. ‘I’m so tired these days. I have put clean sheets on your bed. Your room is as it always was. Sleep well, sweetheart.’

Post Views : 293