Phoebe the Guardian Angel

“Phoebe! Phoebe! Come here, girl! Want a treat?”I yelled. I was looking for my pet phoenix, Phoebe. She had flown out of her sanctuary again and was flying all over the mansion.

I was staying with my grandfather in his mansion for the summer. Grandfather hated phoenixes, but loved me, so when I told him I wasn’t coming without Phoebe, he gave in.

“Oh, there you are! You’re never going to stay in your sanctuary, are you?”I asked. I had found Phoebe on the kitchen island in the South Wing Kitchen. I put my arm out and Phoebe flew over to me and landed gracefully on my forearm without digging her claws into my skin.

I walked around the mansion with Phoebe until I was at Grandfather’s study, where he was reading some papers, most likely more papers he had to sign for his next vacation home. When I knocked on the open door, he looked up.

“That bloody bird was flying around again, wasn’t she? In the South Wing Kitchen, on the island again, was she?”Grandfather asked. I smiled and walked over to his desk and sat down on one of the big, comfy chairs.

“So you notice where Phoebe’s at? Seems like you pay a lot of attention to her comings and goings, Grandfather. Oh, my mistake. You hate phoenixes,”I stated. Grandfather shook his head and took off his glasses. His eyes were gray, calming, and loving. I saw the twinkle in his eye all the time.

“What do you say we go for a picnic? Just you and me? No, you can’t take Phoebe. Have Merida take care of her while we’re gone. What do you think?”Grandfather asked. I smiled and nodded, while stroking Phoebe.

Ten minutes later, Grandfather and I had made a basket of all of the things that we would need to have the perfect picnic. Sandwiches, fruit, lemonade, a blanket, books, and the board game Monopoly.

We walked out the door, Grandfather holding the basket with one hand, holding my hand in his with the other. I was 15, but when I was around Grandfather, I was a little girl again.

Grandfather and I got on our bikes and started to ride down the road. The place that we were setting up our picnic was two miles down the road, and it was hard for Grandfather to ride that long without stopping.

“Alles gut, Grandfather?”I asked. Grandfather got off his bike and nodded. I reached into the basket (it was on the front of my bike) and pulled out a water bottle that I had brought just in case.

“Here, take a couple drinks of this,”I instructed. Grandfather nodded and took the bottle from me. He was just about to give it back when we heard a bird. We looked all around to try to find it since Grandfather loved to watch birds, other than phoenixes.

“That saumensch of a bird,”Grandfather grumbled. I smiled. It was Phoebe! She was flying towards us, with Merida running behind her. Merida was a middle-aged woman in good shape. Phoebe was on my arm before Merida reached us.

“That bird...made me run...all the way...from...the mansion...I know I’m...in good shape...but I seriously...wasn’t prepared...for that,”Merida took deep breaths in between every few words. I smiled and stroked Phoebe.

“Well, wanna to come to the picnic with us? I packed extra everything. You know me,”I laughed. Grandfather rolled his eyes at me using American “slang” as he called it. We had lived in Germany and Great Britain before moving to America, so he expected me to talk nicely and not turn into one of those “American scums”. 

“Young lady, you will talk like a proper British and German girl, do you hear me?”Grandfather asked. Merida and I shared a look, then I nodded at Grandfather.

“No, I’m fine, Elizabeth. But thank you. I’ll just walk back home. It’s only half of a mile. Would you like me to bring Phoebe with me?”Merida asked. I looked at Grandfather and he looked at me.

“No, thank you, Merida. Phoebe will be staying with us,”Grandfather stated. I smiled, gave Merida a hug, and then got back on my bike. Since Grandfather was able to take a long break, he was able to ride the whole rest of the way without any more. Phoebe flew above us, squawking along the way.

When we got to the place where Grandfather wanted us to have the picnic, I gasped. It was, to say the least, beautiful. The land was all rolling hills, with big trees every now and then. The grass was a bright shade of green, but it looked natural and comforting.

With my mouth still open in awe, I got off my bike and grabbed the basket. I started walking towards one of the trees, but Grandfather stopped me.

“Not that tree, Lizzie. Follow Phoebe,”Grandfather ordered. I looked all around for Phoebe, and found her flying in the sky, heading towards one of the trees. I shrugged and followed her, Grandfather lagging behind a bit. I looked behind me several times, but it just looked like Grandfather was walking a bit slowly. 

When I got to the tree, I realized why Grandfather wanted us to have the picnic under that one. There were initials carved into it with a rough, shaky heart around it.

“K and H. Katy and Harrold, correct? You and Grandmother?”I asked. Grandfather nodded as he walked up the final hill to get where Phoebe and I were. I laid the blanket down on the grass and Grandfather immediately sat down.

“Grandfather, is something wrong?”I asked. He shook his head and readjusted himself, but it looked like it hurt him.

“Grandfather, you’re telling lies. What’s wrong?”I asked again. Grandfather pointed at the basket, so I brought it to him. He reached in and then pulled out a book. The cover looked very tattered and beat-up, like how Grandmother looked before she died.

Grandfather opened the book and flipped through the pages. They looked like thin glass, able to break if you dropped it an inch above the ground. Grandfather held the pages open and handed the book to me. I read.

Tuesday, May 12, 2010

To my dearest granddaughter, Elizabeth. You are 5 years old, so you do not understand that I will not be here much longer. But I want you to read this at the age of 15. Your grandfather will give it to you. Your parents told you I had cancer, because that was what everyone thought it was. But I know what it was. God was simply ready to take me. It wasn’t cancer that took me. It was God. I had a guardian angel that God sent me. She was a phoenix. And her name was Phoebe. On your tenth birthday, you got a phoenix named Phoebe, yes? You got her because it was my final wish. That you got a Phoebe for yourself. Do not be sad that I am gone while you read this, because I got to meet you. And that’s what matters, right? Phoebe will always take care of you and your grandfather. He just doesn’t like phoenixes because they remind him too much of me. But if you keep Phoebe around him, he’ll realize it’s a good thing. I love you my sweet child.

Grandmother told me not to be sad, so I didn’t cry. I realized why Grandfather had been so fatigued while we were coming to the picnic spot; he was thinking about Grandmother. He didn’t hate phoenixes, they just reminded him of Grandmother.

“It’s all true, as crazy as it sounds, Lizzie. And if you noticed, it’s been exactly ten years since she wrote that letter,”Grandfather stated. I had been standing up before, but now I collapsed onto the blanket. I held back the tears. Phoebe flew to me and landed on my shoulder. She put her head on mine. She was my guardian angel.