Ellie takes in her surroundings before resting her gaze on me. “Curious, that’s all. I wonder if Mama Holler still has fish? It seems like forever since you’ve taken me there.”
I squeeze my eyes shut to stop the tears from falling.
“Listen,” she says in a tender voice, “I know how hard this is for you, but I want you to have the peace of mind of knowing you’re doing the right thing.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and nod.
“That island is the place where life really began for me, for us, so it’s only fitting that should be my final resting place. There I’ll have unobstructed views of the heavens so I can always see the stars.”
“Ellie—”
She reaches for my hand. The touch of her skin against mine causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. “Once, you told me that God chose only the strongest to carry the heaviest burdens. I don’t know why he chose you, but he did. Which is why I know you can do this.”
The roar of a passing boat draws my attention. When I look back, the seat is empty. Scanning the horizon, I find my destination and draw a steadying breath.
Landing the boat is simple, getting out is the challenge, but I manage both with little trouble. Now on the beach, the ground has a familiar feel beneath my feet. I grab the bag from the boat and cross the beach toward the woods.
The first step is the hardest, but after that they come thoughtlessly, automatically, and before I know it, I’m standing in the clearing. It is quiet here, making it easy to hear the ghosts whispering in my ear.
To my surprise, the arbor, weathered from decades of wind and rain, still stands. My spirit soars, if only for a moment, as I recall the night we got married. I find the poplar tree with our initials and run my fingers over the deep cuts in the wood, and the hair on the back of my neck prickles.
“I know you’re here,” I say as I lift my eyes. “I can feel you.”
As if on cue, the wind whistles back.
After composing myself, I do as Ellie directed and scatter her ashes, a little here, a little there, but all in places with unobstructed views of the heavens. Upending the urn, I breathe a sigh of relief. My work here is done.
I turn to leave and notice something off to my right, glittering in the sunlight. Drawing closer, I can hardly believe my eyes. “How did you get here?” I ask, feeling light as a feather. I kneel beside Ellie’s memory box and lift the lid. Inside, there is a letter with my name on it, along with the arrowhead, and the bottle of sand I had once given her.
My beloved Jack,
We meet again. If you’re reading this letter, it means my time on earth has reached its end. Gone? Certainly not. I’ve simply flown away for a season, just like the mockingbird you once told me about. What, you didn’t think I’d let you get to heaven first, did you?
Right now, I know you’re hurting, but do not despair, for our adventure has only just begun. I suspect by now you’ve noticed the gift I left for you. No doubt you’ve turned the house upside down looking for it. It’s funny how an object, even one as small as an arrowhead, can come to mean so much. Seventy years ago, at this very spot, you unearthed it for me. It’s been around the world and back again, but it’s now where it belongs. I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like you to return it to the earth so that someone else will come along—perhaps another young couple in love—and discover its magic. Maybe it will mean as much to them as it has us.
Thank you for all the adventures and all the memories, which I will carry with me into this next great journey.
You were right all along. Our fate is not determined by the universe, but by us. We are the authors of our own destiny. And I thank God every day that he made you my keeper of stars.
Until we meet again,
Ellie
I step out of the darkness and into the light. At the bottom of the hill, I give one last glance at the trees, and knowing this will be the last time I set foot on this hallowed ground, I thank God for the opportunity to have discovered this place.
Back in the boat, I start the engine and ease away from the island. Turning for home, I look to the west. The sun breaks free of the clouds, dispensing rays of golden light that spill over the surface of the water. Riding south, away from the island, I smile through blurry eyes, knowing that the end is only the beginning, and the greatest adventure is still to come.
END
