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Kaydre lay face downwards, her forehead resting on her forearms, raven black hair mixed in with the green grass, sobbing inconsolably. Her posture portrayed the epitome of pure misery. All she wanted to do was lie here forever, alone. If only it would heal her pain, or bring back the one she’d lost. Wasn’t this the place they’d always when they still pretended to be just friends and nothing more? The place where he always met her when he returned from a long journey? But he had not returned from this journey to meet her there, not this time.
Footsteps fell lightly across the meadow, intruding upon her solitude. A young man crouched down beside her. He stroked her hair, whispered to her words of comfort. She shook her head hopelessly. As much as she loved her brother, he could not take away the empty ache inside her. Nothing could, not now. Pressing a folded note into her hand, her brother walked away with one final, sorrow-filled glance.
Many moments more passed. Finally her supply of tears ran low and her sobs quieted. Kaydre shivered. The sun burst out on the other side just as bright as before, sending its warm rays over her again. Yet even this triggered a flood of painful memories. Him splashing colors across the plain dirt road. Him turning each petal of every flower a different color, just to please her. His rainbow colored roses had been her favorite. Color-changer, that’s what he was called. Such a drab, simple name for such a beautiful, intricate person. A person who could never be replaced. She glanced down at the note her brother had given her. Its bright shades were stained with blood, telling the story of his final moments better than words.
She slowly unfolded the stiff paper. It crinkled in protest, but with gentleness she was able to open and read it through a veil of silver tears. At the end, she wiped her eyes so she could see better. Then she read it a second time. A tiny smile began to play on her rosy lips. Rolling over onto her back, she motioned at the great, blue sky. And where she had pointed, it darkened to a rich violet. Kaydre hesitated and let her hand drop to the earth. She studied the note in her other hand as tears started to her eyes once more. It felt wrong somehow to be doing the thing that he’d always wished he could do, yet never could, without him here to see it. And he’d never be here to see it. But even as she watched, the bright paper faded to ordinary brown - and the bloodstains vanished too.
Kaydre suddenly leaped to her feet. Everything, yes, everything would be all right. His words had always been true, and he’d keep his promise now. She reached up to the sky one more time, laughing with new joy and hope. Her brother jumped up from where he’d been sitting and stared in awe at the sky as it turned not just purple, but many colors, green, yellow, red, and more, all at the same time. It became a gigantic rippling rainbow. The young man ran to her, a question etched on his face. She smiled, just like she used to before this false tragedy, and handed him the note.
The note was just two lines, scrawled diagonally across it in a large, well-remembered script.
“I love you, Kaydre. ‘Till I return - Color the sky.”
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