The Stars Still Shine

Will walked down the hallway of the moonlit apartment. Everything was so different and yet the same. He ran a hand lightly over an old dresser they’d had since they were married. He couldn’t believe Ginny had carted the old thing all the way over from their old home.

Deep in the wood were the many faded rings that showed where Will would place his coffee mug every morning, despite the scolding he got from his wife each time. It became almost like a game, a private way of saying, “I’m still watching you”, no matter how busy they got or how tough times became.

He knew things had been even tougher since he’d left, though he’d never really gone. With a sharp stab of regret, Will looked out of the window, up at the stars. Together they used to lie on the rooftop of their building; gazing up at the moon and the stars while they shared their dreams and fears. Ginny still did that.

Slowly he moved into the bedroom. Will stood at the door and looked down at his sleeping wife. He was so terribly proud of her. Ginny had always been, and still was, an amazing woman; a deep well of strength and comfort to them all. She’d stood by his side through thick and thin. She’d been the rock their family rested on when the seas of their lives were turbulent. She’d been the shining star when the sky was gloomy.

It was not until he had passed on from the world of corporeal pain that Will had realised how much of an effort it had been for Ginny to cling to that strength.

At first he had been shocked at the waves of despair he had felt emanating from her soul. But true to form, she moved on, taking care of everyone else’s needs without a thought for herself.

She knew he was still with her too, and soon she was talking to him as she always had. He wasn’t sure if she could hear his answers, so he moved things around, leaving little bits of happy memories for her to find.

Her smile lit the room when she found these treasures and he’d revel in the happiness that replaced the loneliness he felt in her. It was one thing to have him around in spirit form, but there was no substitute for a warm companion.

Ginny’s friends tried hard to counsel her, worried that she wouldn’t let him go. The truth was that Will couldn’t let her go.

How could he move on when he was the only one who knew how fragile she was inside?

On her bedside table was the photograph he’d taken of Ginny on their honeymoon. Sitting on the boardwalk in her swimsuit, he’d captured her true essence. A gift from heaven sent to Earth just for him.

During the time he served in the Great War he’d kept the photograph in his pocket, a magic talisman near his heart. It was for Ginny he was fighting, and to Ginny he would return.

Will had never forgotten the look on her face when he’d returned home. No star in the universe could have matched the shine in her eyes.

A stifled sob suddenly rose from the bed. Will looked down at her, slightly startled. His heart broke as he realised that she was crying in her sleep.

Of course! It was her birthday tomorrow. It was on anniversaries and birthdays that Ginny missed him the most. They were times that the two of them had shared lovingly when he was alive.

Softly, Will ran his hand over her silvery hair. Turning onto her back, Ginny opened her eyes and looked up at him, one hand reaching up to wipe away the tears.

‘Will?’ she whispered, ‘Is that you?’

In answer, he stroked her cheek. She held her hand up to the place he’d touched, a smile on her face, ‘I miss you so much, Will.’

Unsure of whether she would hear him or not, Will imagined the rooftop in his mind, concentrating hard and hoping she would receive the message.

In silence, she rose and wrapped her robe about her thin frame. He followed her out of the door and up the stairs, unable to resist touching her arm lightly as they moved together.

The rooftop garden was bathed in the light on the full moon, the streets below quiet for once. Looking up at the stars, Will realised it was past midnight. It was Ginny’s birthday.

Laying down on the sun lounger their grandson had brought up for her, Ginny gazed up at the stars. The sky was so clear, the stars shining so brightly. She smiled as she felt Will settle himself down beside her.

“The stars still shine down for you, Ginny.”

His voice came from deep inside her own mind, clear as a bell.

She turned on her side. In the moonlight she could finally see him. He looked more handsome than she had ever believed possible and her heart almost burst with happiness at this unexpected birthday present.

She knew this moment couldn’t last, but she was determined to make the best of it.

‘They always shine when I think of you, darling,’ she replied softly, taking his warm hand in hers.

© Alison Pearce 2008

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Tags:

alifiction, alison pearce, fiction, grief, hope, love and short story