Nora woke up early. She put on her bathrobe, walked blurry-eyed to her kitchen, and made a cup of coffee. Warming her hands on the cup, she sat down at the small dining table positioned against the wall under the lead-paned window.
On the table, acting as a centerpiece, there was a tattered shoebox containing all the letters from her only son who was stationed somewhere in the South Pacific. She took out the last letter she had received, opened it and read all the words not hidden under the wide, black streaks made by the censors.
"When he comes home, he will tell me the hidden words," she thought. "When he comes home...."
Nora pulled aside the flimsy, old curtain and stared at the cloudless sky decorated with stars and a full moon. The soft moonlight fell on the delicate blossoms, buds and vines in her Spring garden. Knowing her son was living under the same moon was a small consolation.
Nora folded the letter, placed it back in the shoebox and glanced at the clock. Her job in the typing pool at the government offices downtown started in an hour. She rose and began her morning routine.
After applying her red lipstick, Nora heard a knock on the door.
"Who could that be?" she wondered as she walked to the door.
When she opened the door, a young soldier, bearing a very somber facial expression, stood before her. In his right hand, he held a small piece of yellow paper. She knew in an instant what it meant. He started to say something about being sorry for her loss, her son died saving four lives and he was a hero. She never heard the rest of the soldier's verbal message.
A feeling of extreme despair invaded her whole being. She grabbed the telegram out of the young soldiers hand, sat down at the table and placed the unopened telegram on top of the shoebox. Tears from her deepest core fell. The pain of heart was unbearable. Her head felt as if it would burst. Every cell in her body was in agony.
She slowly turned her head and looked out the window. The beautiful, colorful world had turned black and gray. A crack, originating on the ground, ripped through the sky. When the rhythm of her heart ceased, she peacefully flew towards the break in the infinite sky.
On the table, acting as a centerpiece, there was a tattered shoebox containing all the letters from her only son who was stationed somewhere in the South Pacific. She took out the last letter she had received, opened it and read all the words not hidden under the wide, black streaks made by the censors.
"When he comes home, he will tell me the hidden words," she thought. "When he comes home...."
Nora pulled aside the flimsy, old curtain and stared at the cloudless sky decorated with stars and a full moon. The soft moonlight fell on the delicate blossoms, buds and vines in her Spring garden. Knowing her son was living under the same moon was a small consolation.
Nora folded the letter, placed it back in the shoebox and glanced at the clock. Her job in the typing pool at the government offices downtown started in an hour. She rose and began her morning routine.
After applying her red lipstick, Nora heard a knock on the door.
"Who could that be?" she wondered as she walked to the door.
When she opened the door, a young soldier, bearing a very somber facial expression, stood before her. In his right hand, he held a small piece of yellow paper. She knew in an instant what it meant. He started to say something about being sorry for her loss, her son died saving four lives and he was a hero. She never heard the rest of the soldier's verbal message.
A feeling of extreme despair invaded her whole being. She grabbed the telegram out of the young soldiers hand, sat down at the table and placed the unopened telegram on top of the shoebox. Tears from her deepest core fell. The pain of heart was unbearable. Her head felt as if it would burst. Every cell in her body was in agony.
She slowly turned her head and looked out the window. The beautiful, colorful world had turned black and gray. A crack, originating on the ground, ripped through the sky. When the rhythm of her heart ceased, she peacefully flew towards the break in the infinite sky.
