She held out her hand and smiled back at me. ‘Come on then, let’s send my hero of a brother on one last adventure.’
At sunset, we stood before the mountains in a line. I held Michael’s urn in my hands and looked out at the breath-taking view before me. What a final resting place. Bright green, bright blue, bright yellow. So colourful. So Michael.
Taking a deep breath, I unscrewed the lid of the urn and dipped in my hand to take a handful of ashes. I passed the urn along, and once everyone had a piece of Michael, we prepared to say our goodbyes.
‘Okay, on three!’ I called. ‘Count with me!’
‘One, two, three!’ we all shouted, and when we got to three, we each tossed our ashes into the clear blue sky. Time seemed to slow, a tear crept into my eye, and pain gripped my heart as I watched the remnants of my husband scatter in the wind.
I saw his grin for the first time again, at school, saw his eyes beam as I walked down the aisle to him. Every memory of Michael flashed through my mind.
But, within moments, I couldn’t see a single speck of ash, a single speck of my husband.
He was gone.
Truly gone.
Taken by the wind.
Alive only in our memories.
In our hearts.
But what an adventure he’d given me.
‘Goodbye, Michael,’ I whispered to the wind. ‘I’ll never forget you.’
THE END
***
Thank you to everyone who made this book possible.
Whether you have designed my cover, helped me edit, watched me obsess over tiny things, planned my promotion, or simply held my hand through it all, it could not have been done without you.
And to you, the reader, thank you so much for joining Lina on her adventures.
All I Have Left of You Page 30