Epoligue

Kaihi

Many years later

Birdsong drifts through the warm air as sunlight spills across the wooden deck.
Insects buzz. A light breeze rustles the tall grass lining the quiet airstrip ahead.

I recline in a deck chair, letting the beauty of the world hold me gently.
The sky above is calm. It hasn’t echoed with the anger of war for years.

A few paces from the deck, still noble in her silence, rests Mazel - her silver paint dulled by time, but not forgotten. My bird.
She sits like an ancient sentinel, forever watching, her batteries full and ready.

Behind me is the house. From inside come the sounds of laughter - children's voices rising and falling, full of life.

I glance down at the photo in my hand.
Two people smile wildly from the deck of an airborne carrier.
One of them is me, younger, lighter.
The other, a girl with deep red hair and emerald eyes.
My throat tightens. My eyes sting - not like the dam they once were, just a shimmer now. A quiet ache.

The door creaks open behind me.
Laughter briefly swells, then fades again as it closes.
Footsteps.
A young woman appears beside me - brown-streaked hair, warm eyes the color of earth.
She rests her hand on my shoulder. Gentle. Present.

“Honey, are you alright?”

I nod.
But she knows I’m not.

“Thinking about the war?”

Another small nod.
She bends down and wraps her arms around me.
I hold her close, thankful beyond words for her understanding.

Eventually, she steps back. Her voice is soft.

“Just so you know - I will always be here for you. I’ll always love you. Don’t forget that.”

She kisses my cheek.
Smiles.
Then disappears back inside.
The children’s laughter trails behind her like sunlight through a window.

I look at the photo again.
Then at Mazel.

And I think.

About everything.
The choices I made.
The things I lost.
The things I held on to.

A smile finds its way through.
Faint. Honest. Unshakable.

And I think about the sky.