Branches Book

BRANCHES

Jordan Benefiel

REQUIEM FOR A SUNFLOWER

I. The sound of shoes scuffling against a waxed floor riled me from my sleep. Where am I , I wondered. Lazily rubbing my eyes, I stumbled to my feet. Sunlight filtered into the room through rose colored blinds, driving most of the shadows into the corners. I took a step forward, taking note of the IV currently wired into her arm. She had gotten out of the car crash with only a few minor cuts and bruises. The worst of it was a gash on the side of her temple, currently wrapped in gauze. What really struck me was her once piercingly green eyes, now grey and unfocused. “Lillie…” I muttered in a shaky voice. She just kept staring. No change in expression. No words. II. A year had gone by since the time I saw her in the hospital. She was practically mute for six months after the accident. I visited her as much as possible. We wouldn’t do much; sometimes we would watch TV, sometimes we played cards. I was just happy knowing I could be there for her even if she didn’t open up. Since starting high school she hadn’t interacted with anyone except me. Honestly it was starting to become worrisome. I’m sure she will get better, I thought as I looked at her from my desk. I made up my mind to talk to her so I got up. “Lillie!” I yelled as I approached her. She looked up at me blankly and cocked her head slightly to the side before dragging herself out of her seat. I put on an encouraging smile and we went off to lunch. As we walked to our usual spot in the shade behind the main building, I noticed her acting a little weird. She kept staring at her shoes and fidgeting with her hands. I pretended not to notice as we sat down. The truth was the accident caused her severe mental trauma. So severe that the doctors didn’t even know the full extent. Strange behavior like this wasn’t uncommon, in fact it happened frequently. What caught me off guard were not the actions themselves, but the look on her face. In place of her normally blank expression was a pained look. “Hey…. Eric,” she said in a quiet voice, as if my name was hard to say. Opening her mouth to speak again, she stopped as if something was caught in her throat. She looked towards the ground in a bashful manner that was

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