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It was reaching the end of the fall season. The once colored with beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows trees were now bare with only a couple of leaves clinging to the almost empty branches. The chilly autumn breeze was now more of a winter chill as it swept the dead leaves off the ground. Alice could tell it was overcast with how the whitish-grey clouds loomed over the sky. It almost looked like snow. Alice hoped it would snow, but she knew that was much too happy for a graveyard. Besides, Pa said that it was too warm for snow. It didn’t feel like it was, not to Alice. Fog trailed around her as she walked down the dirt path. The crunching noise coming from under her boots would have entertained her if it didn’t depress her. She stopped.
Here lies Margret Francis Shaw nee Williams
April 7th, 1863 - November 28th, 1909
A loving wife, a caring mother, and an independent daughter
She wished there was more on Ma’s gravestone. It didn’t seem fitting for there to be basically nothing. Alice sat in front of Ma’s grave as she rested a pink camellia on the ground. Ma loved this time of year. She often talked about how it symbolized change. A clean slate forms for the cycle to start all over again. Alice missed Ma’s long talks about the weather and nature. She missed her a lot.
Alice stared past the gravestone as she watched two crows fight over something shiny. It was her fifteenth birthday. Her eldest sister, Peggy, is baking a cake for the celebration. She’s probably doing it to get her mind off what today also meant, the day Ma had died. How could a day meant for so much happiness become so dreary?
The fog started to build up as it circled around Alice and Ma’s grave. It was probably getting time to go, but Alice felt compelled to stay. Something about the fog made her feel warm, like the warmth Ma gave her on these cold fall nights.
“Are you really in the ground, Ma?” Alice asked out loud, talking to nobody. Maybe she was asking herself? Like it was fate, a cold wind blew past her. It was colder and faster than the previous breeze as her golden hair waved in the wind. Her teeth chattered loudly, regretting not taking the gloves when Anna offered.
“That depends. Do you believe that she is?” A voice, which sounded like a young boy, called out. The leaves crunched loudly as Alice got up. She didn’t see anyone else when she walked past the gate. She squinted into the fog as she rubbed her arms. Alice couldn’t tell if she was cold or scared, but her whole body shook like her brother’s old baby rattle. It didn’t matter; she still couldn’t see anything past the fog. “Who… Who is there?” Alice asked past her clenched teeth.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” A boy emerged from the fog. He was holding what looked to be a black sailor hat. The hat’s color-matched his black roundabout that was buttoned up. His bright striped pants stood out against the dark colors. What caught Alice’s attention was that he was not wearing any shoes or socks. He then tipped his head, causing his ruffled brown hair to cover his eyes. “Joseph Jones, at your service,” Alice was stunned as Joseph placed his hat back onto his head.
…
You could cut the silence with a knife. The two looked at each other until Joseph spoke again. “You usually introduce yourself to someone new,” He mumbled.
Alice’s face flushed with embarrassment as she quickly curtsied. “Alice Shaw. How do you do?” She scolded herself for forgetting her manners.
“The best you can do at a cemetery.” He took a few steps toward Alice. “What about you? Is that your mother?” Joseph asked as he scanned over the text engraved on the stone. She rolled her eyes at the boy’s insensitive question. How could someone ask something so rude? “That is her gravestone; This is where Ma was buried.” Her voice was stern as she looked at the carvings on the stone. It felt weird saying it out loud. “At least, that’s what Pa says,” she mumbled.
“That’s what-” Alice quickly interrupted Joseph, poking at his chest. “And what makes you think you can ask something like that? I swear, boys have no manners! If I wasn’t taught to be a proper lady, I would put you in your place!” She was seething. Who is this boy to think he can just prance over here and-
Joseph placed his hand under Alice’s chin, slightly tilting her head up. All Alice could do was stare into his brown eyes. A shade of which could be compared to dark chocolate or maybe the soil right after it rains. “Proper ladies don’t raise their voices,” Joseph remarked, a sly smile on his face. She thought that his voice was just above a whisper, but maybe it was the sound of her heart beating in her ear. His hand slithered away as Alice’s face heated up. The nerve! Alice crossed her arms and let out an angry hmph. He snickered at her reaction. “Awe, don’t be like that. Besides, I apologize for coming off rude. I just wanted to know why you were here all by yourself,” Alice glared at Joseph, not fully believing his apology. It didn’t even sound like a true apology. Her thoughts drifted off to the scene from a few seconds ago before she flushed an even darker red. “You better be sorry, you- you- buffoon!” Joseph barely flinched at her insult, instead, his eyes looked over to Ma's grave. He sat in front of it. It made her all the angrier.
She took a deep breath in, hoping that a change of topic will shift her thoughts. “I was celebrating my birthday with Ma. It’s not the same without her,” she explained, examining the camellia she placed. There was silence between the two once again. Breathing was the only sound filling the empty space. No crickets chirping. No leaves being crunched. Not even the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Was it possible for the fog to block sound? The thought crossed Alice’s mind. She might ask Pa about it later.
“You said it was your birthday?” Joseph broke the silence. “Why isn’t your family with you?”
A beat passed between the two. Alice was trying to decide if she should tell the boy she had just met. After a small argument in her head, she sat next to the boy. “Pa had work today. Peggy is baking my cake. She told me that I should go outside since I’ve been locked in my room lately. Anna is watching my little brothers,” Alice sighed as she crumpled leaves in her hand. “Everyone thought it was too cold to play today,” Somberness was the only thing Alice could muster.
“I understand that feeling,” Joseph mumbled while he drew circles in the dirt. Alice watched him, thinking about what she should say. He understood? Alice didn’t really explain a feeling. Maybe Joseph is going through a similar situation? Should she comfort him?
“That‘s a pink camellia, right?”
“Hmm?” Alice was snapped out of her train of thought. She looked to Joseph's face for a moment. His eyes were soft as he studied the pink flower. “Oh, yes, it is. It was Ma’s favorite flower. I thought it was strange that I saw one on the way here,”
“Why do you say that?” He asked, gently picking up the flower to examine it better. Alice almost smacked it out of his hand but decided against it. She might harm the pretty thing in the process. “I just don’t expect a flower like this to be around here. They are a Fall and Winter flower. The earliest they blossom is October,” Alice sighed, staring at the flower in the boy's hand. “That’s what she said at least,”
Joseph’s lips barely moved as he muttered something into the pink flower. Alice noticed how Joseph seemed to close his eyes when he was deep in thought. His chestnut brown hair still slightly hung over his face. Though, it seems some clumps of hair were stuck to his face due to dirt and filth. It framed his face in a way. Showing his softer cheekbones but sharp jawlines. It was feminine yet masculine. Alice’s friends would call him a pretty boy.
Joseph turned his face toward Alice. “Is there a reason why she liked this flower?” All of Alice’s thoughts came rushing to her at once. A light shade of pink covered her face as she avoided eye contact. “She called us her Camillas. Always blooming in weather like this,” She stuttered, a nervous laugh covering her embarrassment.
Thoughts of Ma took over her mind. Moments of when they both used to sit in the field.
Alice’s little brothers ran through the tall grass, playing some sort of tag. Being a little too rough with each other. One always ended up crying.
Her sisters were picking flowers. Making bouquets and flower crowns to pass the time. Giggling and whispering, talking about everything and nothing. Maybe they will make Alice one. A crown made of the Marigolds would be awfully pretty. Ma agreed. She said they meant warmth and happiness. They also brought good luck.
“A perfect flower for a perfect Alice,” she’d said. A warm smile on her lips as she fixed Alice’s hair. “My little camellia.”
Alice laughed softly as she looked past Ma’s grave. “All my siblings were born around this time of year. Always after the blooming of the first camellia. Ma actually would pick the first camellia she saw after our birth. Saying it was meant for us.” Her smile was soft. The book with her siblings' flowers sat on the living room bookshelf collecting dust.
There was silence once again. A warm silence. Calming and comforting. Much different than the one from earlier. Maybe it was just Alice, but she felt safe. Secure. Protected.
Joseph’s voice broke her train of thought. “Earlier, you asked if your mother was really in the ground. You didn’t answer my question. Do you believe that she is?” Joseph slowly looked at Alice to scan her face. Did she really have an answer to that? Alice glanced at the ground before looking back up to Joseph. “Pa says she is, but I don’t believe him. It can’t possibly end with just death. An emptiness of nothing. And I felt so cozy earlier sitting by my Ma’s grave. It was warm. Warmer than it had been when I entered. It felt like she had her arms around me, telling me everything would be okay. When I asked, she even responded with a breeze. Or… I believe that was her,” She took her time with her response. A space between every sentence to make sure she had the right words. Maybe she just sounded insane.
“It could have been,” Joseph said rather methodically. He grabbed Alice’s hands, catching her off guard.
“What are you-“
Joseph interrupted her before Alice could reject. “I know this might sound a little crazy,” He took a deep breath. “But,” His pauses scared Alice. Why couldn’t he just spit it out!
“Do you believe in ghosts?”
…
What?
She was frozen.
The fog was heavier. Colder.
Closer.
It was like standing in the eye of a hurricane. Quiet, yet too loud for Alice to handle. She didn’t let that show. She couldn’t, her body barely moving. What was happening? Why couldn’t she say anything? Why couldn’t she move?
It wasn’t the first time Alice had heard the question. Sometimes some of her peers at school would mention it. When her older sisters would mess with her. The paranormal was sometimes mentioned in the books she liked.
The funeral was the last day she heard that question. Clarence, Alice’s younger brother, asked while holding Pa’s hand. He was 7 at the time.
Alice wanted to throw up.
“Well?” Joseph’s voice triggered Alice back to reality. There was a lump in her throat. It forced its way out of her mouth before she could swallow it. “No!” Left her lips, loud and audible for the person right across from her to hear.
The surrounding fog reverted back to the way it was when Joseph showed up.
Joseph was stunned. Alice could barely tell as she was horrified by her own response. ‘No’ was such a loud word. It’s a word you would usually hear when a child asks for a cookie before supper or when a sibling tries to mess with your things. Is that what Alice sounded like? Was she horrified because she was annoyed? That couldn’t be right. She said things earlier to Joseph that would have caused Ma’s hand to raise.
Defeat. That’s what Alice could sense when she felt Joseph’s hand draw away. He was either in deep thought or upset as his eyes were pointed toward the leaf-covered ground. Alice’s mouth opened to apologize, but it never came out. Was there a reason to apologize? All she had done was express a little common sense. Right? However, the look on Joseph’s face did not sit right with Alice.
She apologized. “ I did not mean to offend you. There are times…” Alice tried to frame her words in the best way possible. “Your question caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting for it to come up in conversation,” She dusted her dress out of nervousness. It was a habit she picked up too long ago. Patting her dress allowed her hands to be in a consistent motion, constantly moving to distract her from her own thoughts. Joseph was still looking at the grave. Maybe he wasn't upset, though his face was unreadable. The smirk he had was gone. The shimmer in his brown eyes was dull. He seemed… faded. His color looked dull to Alice. Even his outfit, which confused Alice, so she conjured it up that it was due to the aura the once vibrant boy gave off.
“Yeah,” Joseph finally said. It slightly scared Alice, but she shrugged it off. “I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.” He sighed and looked in the direction opposite of Alice, into the fog. “I guess I’ll see you later.” It sounded like a smile was in his voice, however, it was hard to tell with his face pointed in the opposite direction. Then he started to walk towards the fog. Why was he leaving? Alice didn’t want him to leave yet! She wanted to yell out to him, ask him to stay a little longer. Have him comfort her a little more. But all she could do was stick out a hand towards him like he was just in reach. “Oh, yeah,” Joseph looked over his shoulder, glancing at Alice one last time. “Happy Birthday, Alice.” Her heart skipped a beat when he said her name. If she wasn’t so upset she would have been incredibly flustered.
Alice blinked. He was gone.
No. “Wait! Joseph-” A huge gust of wind cut her off. It felt so familiar. It pushed the fog around, moving it in a circle around Alice. Closing in on her the faster it moved. The fog was suddenly harsher and sharper like it would bite her at any moment. She drew her outstretched hand closer to her chest, scared that the fog might hurt it. Inching closer and closer, Alice opened her mouth to scream. For everything to stop. For it to just go away.
The fog dissipated. Just like that, it was gone.
The bright overcast sky blinded Alice, the first time she saw something so bright in a while.
Wait… What time was it? How long was Alice out here for? The clouds covering the sun made it impossible to tell. Alice stood there for a moment. The air was completely dead. Not even a single breeze lifted a blond hair on her head. The fog was completely gone which left most of the gravestones looking rather lonely. Not a single animal was in sight. The graveyard was dead silent. It was a silence that could eat away at a person’s thoughts. A fuzzy feeling in her brain stopped that from happening. All she remembers is Alice, Ma’s grave, and the camelia carefully laid in front of the grave.
The camelia! It was still Alice’s birthday!
A sort of whine came out of Alice as she picked up the skirt of her dress and ran toward the entrance.
Hopefully, Peggy wouldn’t be too upset if she missed a few minutes of her own party.