Acacia

Carmen was a sweet little girl. She had long brown hair, beautiful green eyes and a little button nose. Just recently she had turned five and for someone her age she was pretty smart.

Mrs. Marion Van Hustler was the older widowed woman next door. She had long greying hair she always kept in a braid and her once ocean blue eyes where now paling with age.

Everyday Carmen went over to Mrs. Hustlers home to visit on the back porch and drink sweet lemon iced tea while sitting in the rockers strategically place to face a small clearing in the forest just beyond her lot. Mrs. Hustler loved visiting with the little one because she was always talking about the most unconventional things she'd ever heard from a five year old.

One particular warm afternoon she asked Mrs. Hustler a question that caught her off guard.
"Maremare, are you afraid of death?"

"Afraid of death? Little one, what do you mean?"

"Are you afraid or death? When you think about dying, knowing some day it will happen, does it scare you?"

"When I was younger I once was scared of death ; now I know it's apart of life and no matter how hard you fight it, it will still happen. Why do you ask, little one?"

"I'm dying."

"Dying? What do you mean?"

"I've known for a long time now but I have been slowly dying."

"Little one every day people die little by little, if either of us is close to dying it more myself than you. Your still young, there's still so many possibilities for you and so many things for you too learn."

Carmen put down her usual cup of lemon iced tea, looking at the other woman she memorized her face, every wrinkle, every birthmark and every hair on her head. Smiling slightly she got up from the rocker; walking over to the other one she leaned down give Mrs. Hustler a hug.

"Are you leaving already little one?"

"Yes, I have to return early today."

"Alright, I will see you tomorrow little one." She called out to Carmen as the little girl walked across the lawn towards her own home. Picking up the glasses she walked inside to clean up and eat.

~~~

Later that night Mrs. Hustler pulled on a pale purple flowered cotton night gown and climbed onto her bed; still thinking of the little girl she fell into a deep sleep.

~~~

"Good morning Maremare." Carmen called out to Mrs. Hustler from the small clearing just off of her lot. Though she did not know why the little girl was there and moved towards the small clearing. Lifting her foot she was about to take a step into the clear to be with the little girl but something held her back.

"Little one, what are you doing?"

"Maremare, you can't come in here. It's not quite your time yet." The small girl smiled at the older woman.

"Little one what are you talking about?" She asked, a hint of worry entering her voice.

Carmen lifted her arm, holding up a crown wreath made of flowers. "I'm making a crown, isn't it pretty."

"Yes they are very pretty, but what do you mean by its not my time yet?"

"Do you know what kind of flower this is?" Carmen reached out and moved her hand as if she was plucking flowers from the ground or a bush. Seconds later a few yellow and white flowers appeared in her hand.

"They look familiar but I can not say what they are."

"They are called Acacia, they symbolize friendship, concealed love, beauty in retirement, and chaste love. At the moment as I give this to you it symbolizes friendship." Carman stood up and walked to the edge of the clearing but not leaving the protection of it. Lifting her hand she held out the small crown for the older woman to grab, without putting her hand past the ring of tall grass but enough that Mrs. Hustler hand did not pass it either. "It alright Maremare, you can take it."

The older woman reached out and grabbed the wreath from the little girls hand. "Thank you little one. Now would you like to join me for a cold glass of lemon iced tea?"

"I would love to but it's my time to go. Thank you Maremare for being my friend, I shall see you again some day." The little girl turned and began walking away into the forest further and further, not turning around no matter how many times Mrs. Hustler shouted after her.

~~~

Jolting up from the bed, Mrs. Hustler was slightly disoriented. Reaching over to her side table to grab her glasses and turn on the lamp her hand brushed against something soft and smooth. Quickly turning on the lamp and grabbing her glasses she looked over to see a woven wreath crown made from the flowers in her dream laying on the small side table.

In her haste to get out of bed and put on her slippers, she knocked the wreath crown to the ground as she made her way out into the light of day, across her lawn and to the front porch of the little girl's home to see a woman sitting on the ground held close to a man as she cried into his shoulder.

"Caralynn, Bracen where is she?" The older women asked looking at the door to their home.

"Her room, an ambulance is on the way." Bracen answered, his wife sobbing too much to say anything. Racing inside as fast as her sore hip would allow she made it up to the little girl's room. Opening the door she peered in; she lay on her bed, her hair flared out around her. She looked so peaceful, like the small kitten curled into her side.

Walking over to the small girl she picked up a small cold hand in her own, crouching down beside the bed she said, "little one I'm sure we will meet again." As she crouched by the bed, she silently cried as she waited for the ambulance to come.