| Branches of Memory |
| By atomride |
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That morning, I awoke with a start. Soft purple melted through the bedroom window, as the memory became stronger. My shoes were not far. |
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It was not hard to find the tree. Enough books had been written about it. Perhaps it was true, I thought, as the chainsaw's engine revved. |
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The branch was not too long, yet its unwieldy radius proved me a champion to haul back. I grunted often, but not once thought twice about a change of mind. |
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The bark went easy under the saw's claim. I needed three, maybe four pieces to harness the power of what had been read, memorized in the back of my mind. |
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The logs fell against each other in the fireplace. The rocking chair called to my aching back as the fire lit. I welcomed the seat and watched the mysterious flames writhe upward. And I waited. |
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I must have dozed off, and as I opened my eyes, the shadowy image of my cat cavorted in front of the fireplace, the cancer no longer impeding his mischievous ways. When the fire had died, I went back to my bed and slept, his memory once again at peace with me. |
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