The Rose Garden

I never thought that a garden could be so fragile.

I had to water the roses but not to the point that they would drown. Mom taught me how to take care of them and how to make sure they stayed healthy. I could just let other people do this for me, my family has hundreds of maids and butlers but I choose to do this. This place is filled with memories that only I know about and nobody else.

I looked over my shoulder to see a woman with a black veil and a black dress. I couldn’t see her face but I felt like I’ve seen her before somewhere and the feeling that accompanied her was painful. I tried to ignore her but the more I tried the more visible she seemed to become. Eventually, she bent down and helped me with the garden.

“I never thought that royalty would do their own work, especially with so many people who can do it for you.” I stopped, it’s mean but it’s true. “I do this because I enjoy doing this, it’s peaceful and quiet out here.” I looked at her directly in the eyes trying to look strong but failing. This time she was more warm and I could see more details of her face.

She looked no younger than I was and had beautiful brown hair, her eyes were blue with a drop of green. She let out a giggle and went back to work. “It seems like all of the Rainiel family is like you, courageous with beautiful eyes. I can see why Ireti showed you this garden in the first place. It’s a tragedy that she’s no longer here to see this.”

I froze, Ireti did show me this garden and taught me how to take care of this garden in the first place but.... “What do you mean by, ‘It’s a tragedy that she’s no longer with us’?” The woman just kept on working casually and just ignored my question. “Excuse me, I asked you a question, it would be polite of you to answer it.”

She looked a little more happy and cheerful and just sighed when I asked her again. “It seems that the Rainiel family is also very impatient, but I guess I’ll tell you. Ireti is dead, she died an hour ago but it seems like nobody bothered to tell you.” I got goosebumps by her words and grabbed my phone. I called Ireti but it went to voicemail so I decided to call my uncle.

“Is Ireti with you? Can you please tell her that-”

“I’m sorry Harmony, she... she’s in the hospital right now but I can let you talk to her when you get here.”

“Tell me the truth, is she dead?”

I didn’t get an answer at first until I started to hear crying and other people started to sob in the background. “Yes, she died about an hour ago but we didn’t want to tell you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry-” I hung up and looked at the woman who knew what had happened to her. I‘m not sure how I should have felt but right now I feel all the pain was physically killing me.

“How do you feel right now? Angry, sad, frightened, shocked, delusional?” I got up and went to take care of the other roses while thinking about it. “I guess that right now I feel calm knowing that everything is finally coming out. Ireti died and that’s just a part of life that no one could stop. If someone killed her on purpose than they wanted to play god. Everything happens for a reason and right now I want to get rid of all those memories that will bring me pain.”

I got up and held a hand so she would also get up and join me to where I was going. We walked across the garden until we reached the middle which was filled with tombstones. There I saw what I was looking for, the tombstone was the picture of a young woman that was surrounded by roses. “Well Olivia, I guess that my mothers death also caused me some pain but it opened my eyes.”

I reached inside my pocket and pulled out a can that was filled with liquid. I walked over the garden spilling all of the liquid until all the roses were covered with it. I reached inside and took out a lighter. “I guess that I’m also feeling a little suicidal right now but that’s okay. I want to get rid of all those memories whether they be the happy ones or the painful ones.”

I looked inside the can to see if any liquid was left and seeing that a little was left I spilled it across the graves. I stood in the middle and saw her face. She smiled and cried while looking at me and the graves- her grave. That is an expression that is worth remembering because it reminds me why I should do this. I don’t want to feel anything anymore.

My garden is no longer mine, it was never mine in the first place but I acted like it was mines. It belonged to my mom, to Olivia, to her mother, to the world. These people wanted to die in the place that they thought they were safe in. In a way, they were trapped in a room of their own memories. They suffered something delusional that made them feel like it was worth keeping this place. You shouldn’t cherish these memories, you should forget them and make new ones.

“I hope that my death is beautiful just like the death of all these memories and roses. I wish that I had the will to open my eyes and move on like mom taught me to. I know that one day someone else will find this garden and grow new memories. Maybe loosing to many people finally got to me but I don’t care because Ireti was the last person I had left.”

I lit the lighter and put the tiny flame on the gasoline watching the fire feed on the roses and start. “Goodbye Olivia, I hope that this is good enough for you.” The flames burned and with them everyones memories of this garden were slowly burning with them. Ending all their pain, suffering, despair, hope, and even their happiness. Goodbye garden, goodbye Olivia, goodbye world.