Hushed Willows oh, where are you now, pussy willow that smiled on this leaf?

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera wanted to drop her mouth open in shock. She wanted to revel in her shock and surprise and awe at how much a thing came to be. She wanted to feel the great leap of adrenaline, the voice in her head that simply couldn’t believe reality, or the small part of her that spontaneously started believing in God. But, none of that happened when the universe miraculously revealed itself in the body of this lithe, shadowed man. Instead of surprise, she felt deeply pleased and satisfied — almost smug. Of course another Elysium child had meandered through the world and eventually found their way back to the willows, all at around the same time. Of course! 

“You don’t say!" Eleuthera, despite herself, could not help but beam at this funny, coincidental occurrence. She took a step closer, wondering what he was feeling right at this moment — she did not know him, knew absolutely nothing about him, but knew that if his mother was buried here, he was likely experiencing no small amount of trepidation. It seemed that’s how they all had been — the children who came seeking their mothers' ghosts — small, fearful, in the midst of great change and seeking the comfort and validation of home. Luckily for this familiar stranger, the unconditional love that he once knew underneath the willows, still very much existed.“Who were your parents?" she questioned brightly, with a cant of her ashen crown.

“Perhaps we might be siblings."