Till Death Do I Rest

It was a dreary Monday afternoon, the gray clouds hovering overhead, but now rain fell upon this little Washington town. A silent tear slowly slid down May’s icy cheek; she’s been sitting on that bench for hours. May did not move. Still as a statue, she let the thoughts continue to sink in painfully.
“May,” a soft voice called from the distance. She flinched as the silence was shattered. The voice called again, closer now. Then, the body caught up with the voice. Avery sat next to May, wrapping his arms around his little sister.
“I’ve been looking for you, sister,” he said in relief. Avery disliked not knowing where she was. “May, are you alright?” He brushed her dark hair out of her face gently. May turned her head to him slowly, watery black eyes filled with agony.
“She’s gonna die.”
Avery’s pale eyes, the opposite of his sister, flickered from her left eye to her right in fear. “No, she isn’t. Valerie will recover, she’ll be fine in no time!” May was not easily swayed.  “But, Avery! I just know she’ll die, I know it!” A few salty tears were freed from her eyes. Avery didn’t want to argue. He sighed softly, and pulled his sister closer in a tight hug. His voice was as soft as rose petals when he spoke a few moments later. “Come, now. You’re going to catch a cold.” And with that, he lifted her into his arms gently, walking home as it started to drizzle.
Avery started making May some eggs- her favorite food –as May sat silently at the kitchen table. She looked down after a few moments; there she discovered a newspaper. “November 3, 2003. Missile Attacks in Baghdad,” it read. She skimmed through it. There was 379 U.S. solders dead. The word echoed in her head harshly. She wondered how many others have died- it only said U.S. solders. Just then Avery set a steamy plate of hot eggs, toast and bacon on the newspaper. May looked up at him. “Why do so many people have to die?” Avery sighed, scooping up a bit of eggs and blowing on them occasionally to cool them off. “It’s just how things are, May. Everything must go at one point or another, but it’s not bad, I think. I believe once we leave our bodies, our spirits get the rest of eternity to relax and make up for all the years of hard work. But Valerie- no, her body is still fresh. She’ll have to work many more years before her spirit can relax.” Avery was hinting at a smile, watched May process the words. “Could we visit Val after dinner?” She asked softly. “Of course,” Avery replied, and fed May the eggs with a smile.