Sunday, September 23, 2012

My First Story for the Blog

Here is my most popular story, it's a few years old...not recent.  It's probably my favorite too. 

Time in a Graveyard
             It was a cool spring day as I walked into Mt. Emerson Graveyard, the birds were chirping and the sun was out, but it was not too hot. The monuments were huge, some were small, but the majority of them were very big and decorative. I found a little bench that sat under a tree. I sat there and just looked around, some people think it’s strange that I go and sit in graveyards just to sit there, but I find them very peaceful and a great place to think. They are not very scary to my mind, just peaceful.
As I was sitting there I noticed a small undecorated grave beside me, the name said Robert Bower, 1841 to 1863. It was one of those stones that were level with the ground; he had no fancy monument, just a flat stone with his name and dates. I felt sorry for the man, the grass had grown over the corners, and his stone was a little dirty. It was like a forgotten grave. I started to talk to him, tell him I would come and fix his grave next time and that I will not leave him forgotten.
Then I turned my head because I heard a sound, when I turned back there was a man standing on the grave. He was tall and thin, wearing a grey uniform. He had brown hair and a small mustache. I sat there and stared at him for a minute, he could not have gotten there so quickly I only turned my head for a second. His cloths looked like they were a civil war uniform, probably Confederate. He walked over to a big monument across the path in front of my bench. As he was walking I took another look at his grave, then I noticed the date, he was in the war. Then that man must be Robert. I looked across the path and saw him with a woman, she had black curly hair, was average height and weight. She was wearing a big fancy dress, probably from the same time period. They started to dance, it looked like ballroom dancing, but I heard no music. That’s when the music hit me; it was all around as if there was a small band playing right next to me. They danced for a long time, and then the music stopped. They looked into each others eyes and her eyes sparkled, then she disappeared and so did Robert. I looked next to me and there was Robert, looking toward the spot where the dancing went on. He seemed to be depressed and had his head hanging low, and then he just sunk into the ground. I sat there staring into space amazed by what I just saw. I got up to leave, but before I left I walked over to the woman’s grave and saw the name and date. Elliot Marian, 1840 to 1863.
I decided to come back the next day to see if anything would happen. I sat in the same spot for almost an hour, and nothing happened. I got up to leave, and there was Robert right in front of me. He had that sad look on his face again; he turned his head down the path and started to walk that way. I followed, interested in where he was going, and then he disappeared into nothing. I ran to the spot where he left and then the graveyard around me changed. I was now outside a big house, it looked like a plantation house. Robert was on the porch sitting on a bench; Elliot came out with another guy. This guy was wearing a blue uniform and was very muscular. He was probably a union solider because of the blue, and Robert was wearing grey. This man saw Robert, and pushed aside Elliot and started to yell at Robert, a few punches were thrown, and then he threw Robert off the porch and spat at the ground. Elliot was in the corner with a concerned look on her face, then the man took her hand and they walked down the steps and into a waiting carriage. The carriage went down the dirt road and dust was kicked up into Robert’s face. He looked upset, and just as I was wondering why he was even there, he pulled flowers out from under the porch. He dropped them on the porch in front of the door and left. Then all of a sudden time changed and there was Elliot getting out of the carriage and walking up the steps. She stopped at the door and picked up the flowers, wondering where they came from and walked in.
Everything vanished and I was back in the graveyard. Robert was not there either. I was beginning to wonder why all this was happening. I’ve been here before, but nothing like this ever happened. It all started when I noticed Robert’s grave, was I meant to see this and maybe fix something? I was not sure, but I was going to come back every day until I figured this out.
The next day I was there in the graveyard again, sitting on that same bench, waiting. Then after an hour there was Robert. He looked at me and started to run, he ran past his grave and up a hill. I followed him and then at the top of the hill everything changed again. This time I was in the middle of a civil war battle. Robert was rushing toward the union line. I noticed it was a Confederate charge. The union was shooting at them, bullets whizzed past my head and there was smoke everywhere. I ran to catch up to Robert seeing men fall beside me, when I did get up to where Robert was at, he got shot in the left shoulder and fell to the ground bleeding. I ran over to help, but my hands went right through him. I just watched as he laid there screaming in pain and blood all over his uniform. Then everything disappeared and I was on the hill in the graveyard. I stood there a while stuck with horror at what I saw, and then I just left.
It took a lot of debating to coming back the next day, but I decided to anyway. This time I stood on the hill, and after ten minutes, things changed and I was at that house again. Robert was on the porch, there was blood on the wood panels, and a piece of cloth was on his shoulder. Robert was alive. Elliot came out, it was a sunny day, and her curly hair shined in the light, even though it was black. She started to give Robert water when that union soldier from last time came out and kicked the glass of water to the ground. He yelled at Elliot then kicked wounded Robert. I could not hear any words, but what I got from the scene was that Elliot tried to help wounded Robert, but the man would not allow her to help an enemy. The man grabbed Robert and pushed him down the steps. Robert fell with a yell and lay on the ground holding his shoulder wound. The man spat on him and walked back in the house, yelling at Elliot. Elliot jumped up and followed. Then the change happened again. I did not want to wait another day, I wanted to see more. I wandered the graveyard hoping to see something else. Then at a big monument it happened. I was at a Confederate camp, and there was Robert sitting on a tree stump writing. I walked behind him and noticed it was a letter to Elliot, or more like a poem. I read what he wrote, when he finished I noticed that he was very good at poetry. Then he walked over and picked a few flowers with a sigh. He waxed the flowers to the letter so they would stay together, then he stared at the package with that sad look. I could tell what he was thinking. He was wondering why he was even trying.
Then things changed, but not to the graveyard. I was in a garden behind the house I’ve been to many times before. Robert was walking though this garden, trying not to be seen, when he runs into Elliot. They both look surprised, and then he starts to babble, she laughs, and he hands her the package. She smiles and reads the poem, as she read her smile left and I noticed tears on her face. When she was finished she smiled again tears rolling and gives him a huge hug. They hugged for a while, her hair waving in the wind and his jacket ruffling from the wind. I was back in the graveyard. I had a feeling this was almost over, so I had to come back the next day.
I came back, and as soon as I stepped into the gates the graveyard was gone, I was in the garden again. Robert was with Elliot and they were in a swing talking, flowers all around them in bright colors, that told me some time has passed, yesterday the flowers were only buds. As I was watching them I noticed something in the house, the man was standing in a window watching them. I looked back and Elliot was crying, Robert was trying to comfort her. What I got was that Robert was going to go into battle the next day, and Elliot was scared.
I was now in a battlefield. Robert was shooting down on union soldiers that were charging up a hill. I looked at the union side and saw the man from the house. He had an angry look on his face and was running faster than the rest of the soldiers. Robert noticed this, and started to load his gun. The man was now putting a bayonet on the front of his gun, charging up the hill yelling. Robert went to shoot but it was to late, the man ran him through with the bayonet. He pulled the bayonet out of Robert’s abdomen, with a smile then started to fight off other soldiers. Robert fell back holding his chest, with a lost look on his face. I then knew how Robert died.
Now I was at the house and saw Elliot receive the news from the man. She started to yell and cry, she hit the man and ran out of the house. She ran all the way to a nearby river and jumped in. The only other thing I saw was her hand floating down the river. Everything left and I was in front of Robert’s grave. I now knew the story of these two poor souls, but why was this showed to me, what was I supposed to do? Then I noticed it, the empty spot next to Elliot’s monument. I knew what to do.
I ran out of the graveyard and across the street to where the manager of the graveyard worked. I asked him if I could move the grave, and paid him a lot of my work pay. Then I went next door and bought a nice monument, which cost a lot also, but the cause was worth it. I came back a week later and walked to that bench. There across the path next to Elliot’s grave was a tall column with a point on top. The monument said on it:
“Robert Bower, 1841 - 1863. A man who died for his beliefs, and for Love. Who was forgotten but is now remembered and next to the only person who loved him. May he now rest in peace.”
I sat on the bench and smiled to myself, I helped a soul get what it needed. Then Robert was standing on the grave, he walked over to me and handed me a book, smiled and disappeared. I opened the book, and noticed it was a book of all the poems he wrote. I flipped though it, and at the end there was a little note.
“Thanks for helping me, it means a lot. Now Elliot and I are happy, I hope this book may help you in any future relationship you may have. Good lucky buddy.”
Robert Bower
The End

1 comment: