Page 47 of Possession

A flicker of sympathy surfaced. What happened to him wasn’t his fault. He’d merely been a victim of circumstance. I had no idea how his mother would feel about his death, but she needed to be notified. I wasn’t going to think about that now. It was over. I was safe in the arms of my men. And they were mine. As I was theirs.

My dearest Madeline,

I want to tell you a story. But not just any story. This one is special. It’s about a boy. And a girl. One day, this boy was walking through a copse of trees. The smell of rain, and the redwoods surrounding him, tantalized his nose. Sunlight dappled the ground as it peeked through the giant, cinnamon-colored skyscrapers, casting shadows on the hard, dirt floor. And even though he knew the sun was waning, he marched on, patiently, in search of the perfect tree.

Forty minutes passed and still he searched, his eyes scanning the foliage around him. The temperature began to drop and the boy shivered. But he carried on. The wildlife quieted while he trekked through their domain, as if sensing something not quite right. Several pairs of eyes followed the path the boy took, but the owners remained cautious and wary.

And then, there it was, right in front of him. Larger than any tree he had ever seen. Instantly, the boy knew it was the one. Reverently, he walked around the tree, his head tilted back as he scanned the trunk upward, craning his neck until his eyes spotted the pinnacle. It was the perfect spot.

The boy’s fingertips caressed the bark, feeling the coolness of it sink into his bones. Suddenly, in his hand was a knife. With careful precision, he began to carve into the tree, his tongue peeking from between his lips as he scratched in deep concentration. Chips dropped to the ground from the damage he inflicted on the tree, but he continued on, until soon, he stepped back and admired his work.

In the reddish-colored wood was now etched a heart, and inside the heart were two small letters separated by a plus sign. Yet, to this little boy, they signified everything. They signified love. The immense emotion that filled him up. His entire existence would forever be a part of that glorious tree. SHE, the girl who owned his heart, would forever be a part of that tree.

Soon the boy grew up, but every so often he’d go visit that tree. His now large fingers would trace the letters reminding him of the love that filled his heart to over-flowing. A love that spanned decades. Finally, the time had come for the man, and now woman, to be together. But as with all things, change is fluid. What once was can no longer be. The man realized this. I realized this. Since you’re reading this, Madeline, it must mean that things didn’t go as I’d planned. They rarely do, so it really comes as no surprise. Merely another disappointment in life. I can’t be sad though. It only means I must wait a little longer for us to be together. Because whatever didn’t happen in this life, is surely meant to happen in the next. Until I see you again, know that love transcends heaven and hell.

All my love,

Grady

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