Quote:
Equivalent Exchange ( 18 ) - It seems as though this place has been forgotten by the world for a long time, and those laid to rest here were forgotten along with it. Some graves have been given small, strange little gifts, and some have flowers that are old and withered. There are many graves that have nothing. If you bring a gift down to the graves, you will be filled with a soft warmth, and it feels as though your worries are lifted. The sensation follows you home, and when you sleep that night, you have pleasant, safe dreams. When you awaken, you will find some sort of strange gift next to your bed–a dried flower, a string of beads, a small charm–something strange and dated. It is not often something of value, but there is a warmth in the object. It feels like a gift given with love.
((Set the same night as this rp))
((Word Count: 630))
They had split up. Willow wanted to explore more while Dawn wanted to examine the graves around this area so they parted ways, if only briefly. Taking care, and absently picking up some of the trash people have left behind, Dawn made her way through the cemetery until she came to a spot that seemed as if it was forgotten by everyone. So very old. A space that practically breathed age and sadness. It nearly brought tears to Dawn’s eyes but instead she smiled, if a bit sadly, and started her work.
Each grave was brushed off, she wasn’t going to scrub them since that would take too much time and she didn’t know how to do it in a safe and respectful manner, but at least the stones wouldn’t be covered in leaves and other plant matter. The weeds right by the headstones were pulled and the little gifts that had been disturbed were replaced. Even the faded and withered flowers were placed back respectfully. Yes ‘newer’ cemeteries would have removed them but as far as Dawn was concerned they were still gifts and it was not her position to remove them. Each grave, regardless of if they already had a mark of remembrance, received a small little flower that she had brought in her basket. There were some graves where she wrote down the name, dates, and epitaph for her project, those that she could still read. Silently contemplating just who this person was, how did their family honor them, and just what did the little gifts that had been left behind meant. Others, where the stone was so worn or aged it was illegible, she just wished the owner to have a peaceful rest.
Dawn worked this way for quite a while, trying to honor each person who was there resting, after all everyone deserves respect and honor. No one should be forgotten or left behind, not even in death. When her flowers ran out, because it was inevitable that she would run out of flowers considering the size of the cemetery, Dawn started to weave the grass and flower weeds she had pulled into little flower rings or baskets. Something. Anything really. To show respect. To prove that there were still people here that cared, even if they didn’t know them in life.
The young woman would have thought that she would be chilled, if only from the cool fall air, but there were distant sounds that also were rather strange and creepy. Sounds that should have raised the hairs at the back of her neck. Instead she felt warm and safe. A true calm in the silence of this particular part of the cemetery. A real resting spot for those who came in peace. Honestly that is what cemeteries should be, in her mind. A place of contemplation and silent remembrance. Yes there was some pain and a few tears but overall it should bring healing and comfort. Death is ultimately inevitable and it is the memories left behind that lived on. Graveyards are places where those memories can be shared with those that have passed.
Finally she had reached the last stones in the area she had been working in, a good thing too since her watch informed her that she really did need to meet back up with Willow. As soon as she was done Dawn stood up and wished the silent graves a good night, as if she was saying goodbye to old family friends, and slipped away feeling happy and fulfilled for performing a good deed. What Dawn would find out much later was that apparently the spirits were happy too, the little pressed flower left at her bedside proved it.
There really was life after death.
