House of Frank

by Kay Synclaire

“On the contrary, I can’t offer very much. But what I can offer is a safe place to stay when you have nowhere else to go.

I step into the world where you once existed with an assurance that⁠—yes, you are gone, you are no longer here, but oh, how good life felt when you were. You once existed. And those moments with you still exist.

I close my eyes again, resting in the memory that’s disguised itself as a dream.

Phil’s translucent body shimmers in the doorway. He’s wearing a bowler hat. “I brought you something to eat since you missed breakfast.”

No, not a new cute hat, I'm not strong enough for this lol

I want you to remember one thing: the planting of the ashes isn’t an ending. It’s a beginning.”

My heart is so wet and heavy, it feels like I can’t breathe.

But if you’d like to stay, you are welcome to for as long as you need. And this house will be yours as much as it is mine.

Phil doesn’t join me inside. He tilts his little bowler hat and bobs off.

“She was a major part of you. Letting go of her would mean letting go of a piece of yourself.”

Her presence, although only in my mind, carried me through dark times.”

“She liked the idea of everyone being on equal ground, much like the arboretum. No matter who you are, witch or no witch, you’ll always be welcomed here.”

Since coming to Ash Gardens, it feels like my life has come to a screeching halt, and I’m forced to look the reality of your death in the face.

“Would you like to work for Ash Gardens, Saika? Until you have the courage to plant your sister’s ashes. Or until your next great adventure. Whichever comes first.”

“Every morning, I sit out here to see the dawn of a new day. It’s comforting to know that it’s a chance to start over. Anything is possible.”

Be kind. Be hospitable. Be caring.”

Marionette doesn’t know where that road leads. She doesn’t know how much it costs to bring someone back, Fi. She isn’t willing to do it. But I am. I did it. I did it for you.

wha

will never regret giving my life to the cause of healing you.

whaaa

“Marionette doesn’t need Julianna’s love. She just needs to know that she is loved. And I have much to give.”

And, oh, how the sound of your voice is like warm sunlight on my face. Aching, and present, and reviving.

“It’s a fallen star. It has the power to change fate, you know. With it, you can cure sicknesses, and move entire mountains and seas, and . . .” You can even resurrect a life.

The star must’ve been keeping me together more than I thought. So when I used the last of it, it expedited the curse.

An anthology by an old, famous witch who lived centuries ago.

Taylor Swift?????

“What’s a gift?” “Life. Especially after seeing how fragile it can be. You’re broken for some time, yes. But then you pick yourself up again.”

“You pick out the fine linens, Saika. You pick out the extravagant fabric, and you wear them. You buy the expensive tea or the book you’ve always wanted. You eat the pie you’ve always wanted to bake, because after knowing how precious life is, those little moments start to feel quite damn big.”

It’s strange how grief works. I was content, walking these strange cobblestone streets, but then here you are. You lurk everywhere. You’re in my thoughts. You’re in my heart, so I cannot help but to find you everywhere.

But I’m not fine at all. In fact, I’m screaming on the inside, desperately pulling my limbs like a puppeteer just to show everyone else how perfectly fine I am.

I spoke the truth, and the world didn’t end.

“Feel how you’re going to feel. Cry as much as you’d like to cry. And when you want to speak to Phil again, do it. Write to him and thank him. Write him letters upon letters, telling him about your day. Tell him what you had for breakfast. Some small part of me feels like he’s still listening.”

Her forehead rests on mine, and we sit there for a moment. Breathing. Aching. Healing.

You consume my thoughts. Your absence actively shapes and colors my world. My memories of you are folded into my actions.

If you’d like a planting ceremony at the country’s largest arboretum sanctuary, come out to the newly rebuilt House of Frank (formerly Ash Gardens).