going to be okay. Annie was only 60 years old that was young. I had had keepers who had lived to be in their 90’s. I knew she would be okay. She had to be okay. I couldn’t be worried.
This family had turned into my family. Never before had a keeper stayed around for so long, never before had I bonded so deeply with people. I felt as if we were all a family. I had never had a family before. I had never loved anyone so much as I did them. I was a part of them, a part of their plan.
~~~
Noah stayed around for a couple days before finally going home to his own family. He had gotten married, and was expecting a child. A child that Annie would never meet.
~~~
After Annie’s death everything seemed different. His smile disappeared along with the stories. We spent all of our time in silence. Simon wasn’t the same man that I had known for the better half of 35 years.
Instead he was a shell of a man who wanted nothing more than to sleep and stare off into nothingness.
Days blurred into each other, and as much as I missed Annie, I also missed Simon. I became worried.
On the day of his death, a huge storm brewed over the sea, and the winds were louder than they had ever been. "Today's the day, old friend." His rough voice was softer than normal, and his walk was slower…weaker. He stood at the top of me, staring out into the vast waters. The lightening was striking down violently hitting the water with bright flashes, instantly disappearing.
"I'm going to miss you." His voice was soft and I held onto his words, this small moment in time that would pass as quickly as all the others. He coughed violently, like he usually did nowadays, and it took him some time to recover
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