201 Blissful Dreams

It was a fascinating and beautiful autumn day at Islafub. The smell of cinnamon and pecan pie whiffed through the air. The sky was so blue that you could drown in it and the varying shade of golden leaves falling from the trees was a captivating sight to behold.

Ella lay face up on the sweet-smelling grass, watching happily flapping migrating birds chant melodious tunes as they prepared for the coming winter.

She was deeply engrossed in the beauty around her that she didn’t notice Nana Esther approaching.

“Hello, pumpkin, I can see you are enjoying your time out here.” Nana Esther beamed as she slowly took a seat beside Ella.

“Miatisa!”

Ella’s eyes sparkled. She sat up and hugged Nana Esther.

“It’s so peaceful out here, I love it.”

“Indeed my child, it is!”

Nana Esther paused for a while to listen to the beautiful singing of the colorful birds in the sky.

.....

“Such harmony! They never have anything to worry about. I wish we could all learn a lesson or two from them.”

Ella followed Nana Esther’s gaze and nodded her head in approval.

“Miatisa, look!” Ella’s eyes widened as she pointed at Nana Esther’s glowing body with trembling fingers.

Nana Esther smiled at Ella’s reaction. She instantly stood up and stretched out her hand toward Ella.

“Walk with me!”

Ella quickly took Nana Esther’s hand and rose to her feet. She allowed Nana Esther to guide her toward the seashore.

When they got to the seashore, Nana Esther stopped and faced her.

“Ella, thank you for having a heart of gold. Thank you for choosing my family and loving my grandson. Thank you for these gifts in your womb. I will forever be in your heart.”

Nana Esther gently touched Ella on her chest with one of her fingers touching the emerald green amulet hanging down Ella’s neck.

“I’m about to cross over to the other side but my spirit would forever dwell in your heart. I will teach you a lullaby and you must promise me to sing the lullaby to your children and grandchildren when they are born.”

Tears slowly rolled down Ella’s cheeks at Nana Esther’s words.

“Miatisa, please don’t go now. I need you! I can’t do this all by myself.”

“Yes, you can! You are stronger than you could ever imagine. Do not forget, I will always be with you in spirit.”

Nana Esther gently wiped the tears from Ella’s eyes and kissed her on her forehead.

“I love you so much!”

“I love you too, Miatisa.” Ella beamed and hugged Nana Esther again.

“Now, the lullaby! If you forget the lyrics, it is written in the pink envelope I gave you.”

“Okay, Miatisa!” Ella smiled animatedly.

????

How long are the mountains,

How deep is the sea,

How long is forever,

That’s how long I love you,

My heart is beating fast,

I found your love like that,

And nothing can compare to your heart

and this sweet love of mine.

????

“Oh, Miatisa, I love it!” Ella said excitedly as Nana Esther concluded the lullaby.

“Beautiful! Now sing it.”

As Ella slowly sang the song, she saw Rex from a distance on a dazzling white yacht waving at her and beckoning at Nana Esther from a distance.

“Keep singing!”

Ella heard Nana Esther’s voice but was surprised that she was no longer by her side. She placed her hand over her eyes to shield off the sunlight and looked ahead.

Her eyes moistened as she saw Nana Esther and Rex together holding hands and sailing beyond the ocean horizon. They were both waving at her and she happily waved back at them while singing the song.

Knock!

Knock!!

A loud continuous knock on the door made Ella twist and turn on her bed for a while before she finally opened her eyes.

She stared at the ceiling for some seconds while trying to piece together what just happened to her.

“It was a dream?” She asked herself in a whisper. She sat up and rubbed her bleary eyes.

The pink envelope was lying close to her.

“It was a dream!” She said excitedly. What a beautiful dream!”

She was about to tear open her envelope when another noisy knocking rapped in her ears

“Ella!”

Ella heard Ivory’s voice shouting her name outside her bedroom door while knocking even louder.

“Hold on, I’m coming!” She lazily stood up from the bed, stretched out her aching muscles, and yawned before walking to the door.

She undid all the locks before finally opening the door and granting an anxious Ivory entry.

“I’ve been knocking for hours!” Ivory exaggerated, as she came in and shut the door behind her.

“You scared the hell out of me!”

“I’m sorry! But come on, for hours? It’s just past 7:00 AM.” Ella said jokingly as she walked back to her bed and sat down.

“Are you trying to tell me that you slept through the stormy night? I could barely sleep. I was scared out of my wit!” Ivory lazily sank into a seat beside Ella’s bed.

All the while she was knocking at Ella’s door, so many scary thoughts keep running through her mind. She even thought Ella had hurt herself due to grief or even run away into the stormy night.

Seeing Ella looking refreshed, well-rested, and surprisingly happy, brought warmth to her stressed face.

historical

“I think you need a proper rest, Ivory,” Ella said. She observed Ivory’s reddened eyes which were accompanied by dark circles around them.

“Yeah!” Ivory yawned and rubbed her itchy dry eyes. “I was busy worrying about you and here you were sleeping like a gentle lamb.”

Ella chuckled due to Ivory’s slurry statement.

“Come, sweetheart, you need to go back to bed.”

Ella rose and pulled Ivory up by her arms.

“Are you still mad at me?” Ivory asked sadly. She was worried that Ella saw her as an enemy.

“Never! You are not just my sister-in-law but one of my best friends. Yesterday was just a bad moment in our lives and I promise, I would never shun you like that again.”

“Thanks!” Ivory hugged Ella before leaving for her own bedroom.

Immediately Ella shut her bedroom door, she ran over to her bed, picked up the pink envelope, and tore it open.

However, the first few words she read from the letter made her freeze on the spot. Her hands started trembling vigorously and the letter fell from her hands.

At that same time, she heard an ear-piercing scream come from outside her bedroom.

Jolted by the scream, she ran out of her bedroom to the sitting room where the scream came from.

“N...n...n...n...” This was the only letter that a terribly shaken Monica could utter.