Twilight Years

by Dafaddah


Epilogue

Sophie shivered in the cold. She was dressed in black like all the people standing around in the cemetery. She stood next to her mom who shook in silence, wiping her tears with a tissue. Her eyes wandered to the bright flowers heaped around the hole in the ground where they had lowered Grandpa.

Twilight couldn't be there of course. She had explained why just before she told Sophie that she would be going away soon since Grandpa didn't need her help anymore.

Twilight had said that now it was Sophie's mom who needed someone, and Sophie was the special person who could really help. Sophie needed to be more than a daughter, now. She needed to be a friend. So Sophie hung onto her mom's hand and did her best to keep it warm.

In Sophie's other arm was the only spot of color other than the flowers: a bright purple plush toy. She'd found it on Grandma Louise's dresser after Twilight had said goodbye. She knew it wasn't really Twilight, just a plush toy. But she also thought that it would make Grandpa happy to see it, and maybe even Grandma Louise, although that was more from the stories that Grandpa had told about her than any of Sophie’s own recollections of her grandmother.

It was her job now to help her mom remember them both. She would show her Twilight's albums with all of the pictures and ask her mom to tell her stories about them. Together they would remember all about Grandma and Grandpa. She wouldn't forget and her mom would smile again. After-all, Sophie had made Twilight a promise! Silently, her lips formed the words.
Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!