One Last Song

One Last Song

Song I: The Memories

When the children asked me to sing, I was almost too eager to oblige. A passionate song always had been something I could easily muster…

The music raced instantly into my mind springing from that strong vibrant melody that always played somewhere deep within me. Gathering the strings of notes into one, I tied them together forming a song. I merely had to part my lips and let the soothing rhythm flow forwarth like honey, sweet and slow. This was music. Nothing came more naturally to me.

Without even having to open my eyes, I knew that those gathered around had joined in with me. Easily I was swept away with emotion, trapped in my own melodic trace as the tempo quickened and swept me with it. The sweet caress of the song was my haven. I would sing until my immortal voice grew cold, yet even then I knew I’d be forever entranced by music.

My heart swelled with joy as the elation of being in this place and having the ability to fill it with my soul washed over me. My voice, so unearthly and strange, reverberated against the walls and echoed itself back to me in pure, intoxicating tones. Surely nothing like this had ever happened anywhere else. I was writing my own story, singing my own song…

Mixed with my own, I recognized the voices of the children rising with a melody of their own. One of them gently brushed into my cloaks as they spun around blindly with their arms outstretched. Truly there was something magical here. Our voices lifted together, each with a different noise, but every one of us had our own song to sing. Our hearts all expressed the emotions that we held most dear and they collided in different tones and tempos…yet one couldn’t help but notice the harmony in it all.

I cracked my eyes open ever so slightly to watch them for only a second. The children were sweeping their fingers through the air with grins on their cherub-like faces. With a small grin growing in my own cheeks as well, I let my view close once more, letting the music make the sights in my mind take bloom again. My voice rose to greet even the deepest of feelings in this room. I strove for the greatest notes I could muster, and together our voices rang through the skies like the calls of God’s most majestic birds in spring.

--

The music had died down slowly and only after each child gave in to his or her exhaustion. I smiled as my gaze fell upon them. They could be like angels themselves with their pure innocent hearts and whimsical thoughts. As I softly continued humming our song I carefully and gently moved them one by one so that they snuggled against each other. How could this be a sin? Surrounding myself with these carefree, mortal children and sharing their blue sky…What was there so dangerous in these little pleasures that a heavenly being like myself should shy away from it so completely? It made no sense to me…

They were such precious and joyful little creatures- oh how I wished I could stay just a while longer! It wasn’t long ago that I had learned of my power that let me travel through the dimensions to the little planet I was on. Even still, I had begun to fear that I had grown to love it all too dearly like one becomes addicted to air. But despite my newfound adoration, it was well known that there would be dire consequences for any of my kind if we made our presence known to mortals without a profound reason. This I truly didn’t understand. Was bringing joy and happiness not reason enough to be allowed passage to the human world without having to pay the toll?

I sighed.

Nonetheless, it was far time I leave, else my presence be missed in the astral realm. I unfurled my powerful, white wings and looked to the sky, slowly darkening with the approach of evening.

Behind me, the youngest girl of about eight years old stirred and called out my name, noticing my preparations for departure. I stopped and turned slowly as she left the others and ran to me.

“Setsuna! Please don’t go!” she cried as she clung to my robes. She looked up to me with pleading eyes. “Didn’t we have fun together? Why do you have to leave?”

A tender feeling swept through me as I paused and knelt to her eye level. I smiled, trying not to give away my own sadness of having to leave.

“I can’t think of a moment I’ve ever been happier than here with you and your friends,” I told her truthfully, brushing away the tears that had begun to accumulate in her little hazel eyes. She smiled a bit. I tensed slightly realizing what I’d just done. Now I dreaded the thought of breaking her fragile hope that had built up with just those few reassuring words.

“But…I have to…I have to leave for now,” I forced out at last. Her expression drooped quickly again into tears and she pushed past my hands into my arms. I felt her warm sobs against my neck and the wetness that dampened my skin as she refused to be pushed away. I pet her hair in hopes of some condolence, but I had no idea what I could say to comfort her. I really couldn’t just stay here, no matter how much I wanted to.

Finally I broke down and hugged the tiny girl in return. It was so new to me, this feeling of consoling someone by holding them close. Merely knowing you were there seemed so comforting to troubled humans. Even I could feel it. This touch of soothing magic that appeared with sharing warmth and caring with another.

It helped and yet hurt in a new way. It made for a painful good-bye as I rose to my feet with her still in my arms.

She hesitantly showed her face after having buried it in my shoulder for these last moments. Her eyes were reddened with weeping and she looked even more tired than before as she looked at the ground that I now held her over.

I offered to let her down to rest, but she shook her head vigorously and held to me tighter.

“You can’t go,” I thought I heard her murmur softly against my chest. I smiled a bit to myself at her childish stubbornness.

“You know I have to go, but I can’t very well have you hanging on me when I get there. Perhaps I’ll have to drop you off on a cloud somewhere along the way?”

With her tiny little chin I tilted her head to look at me as I tried to cheer her in some way. Still, she looked completely dismayed as I examined her watery eyes. I shook my head and was displeased with myself for giving in like this. Hopelessly, I relented.

“Alright then, what if I took you for a quick flight before I have to go? Would that cheer you up?”

She looked surprised at what I just implied, blinking a bit in confusion. I smiled and motioned to the air.

“You know, in the sky…” I looked up as if trying to further my meaning. The air was cooling with the gradually fading evening. This couldn’t last much longer…

She followed my gaze and witnessed two birds zoom overhead before looking back at me. For the first time, I think she took notice with a little surprise of what my wings might really be for.

“Fly…in the sky?” she repeated quietly. I nodded and finally her face brightened with amazement as she gave a nod.

“Hold on tight,” I told her quietly although she already clung to my robed like vines on a fence. Opening my wings again, with a single powerful thrust we sprung into the air. She gasped. I smiled.

May God himself help me when I got back to heaven...