The Silence Speaks. PART 3

28 February 1998

It was a kind of routine for Francis Macini to visit his mother at the big cemetery, every, last day of the month. It was the last day of February. So, Frankie had to go to the graveyard. Since five years or so, he had been going to visit his mother’s grave during the daytime. However, that day, he had plans to visit his aunt who was admitted in the city hospital. He recalled all the moments spent with his aunt after his mother’s death. She was the one who had treated him his extreme care and sympathy, who had loved him more than his own son. Frankie loved his aunt and she was in the hospital. Therefore, it was very important for him to go to the hospital and see her. He planned the cemetery during the nighttime.

At night…

 The screech of wheel was heard. Francis Macini parked his car outside the graveyard. He took out the bunch of flowers from his car, sighed, and moved on. A sudden, cold wind touched his face. There was something different in the winds that day, the atmosphere…

He walked up to his mother’s grave. The carved words were like “Mary Howlitt (1945-1978)”. He kept the bunch of flowers on the grave and sat near it. Two small drops of tears came out of his eyes. “You don’t know how much I love you, mother. People changed; time changed but my love for you has never changed. It is still there. Still longing for your arms to hug, for your lap to sit, for the sweet Christmas pie, you used to make. You left me when I was eight. Didn’t you ever think of the consequences? Dad married another woman and got lost… aunt Christina was the only one who, actually, cared for me. But… she can’t take your place. Right? I do not know why and how all this happened. But I miss you so much. I love you, mother. I love you.” And soon his small tears changed into an outburst. He kept on crying for the next fifteen minutes. After a while, as he rose, he heard a voice behind him.

“People come. People go. But a man should never lose hopes.”

Frankie fell on the ground as he heard this. When he entered the cemetery, he was all alone. Then who’s was the voice behind him? He got very scared. A faint image of a ghost was made up in his mind. He thought of all the horror fictions he had read. He turned completely white. He obviously, never believed them but that time it was night and he was inside the cemetery. So all this was very natural. He turned back…