MidReal Story
Sunflower Legacy: A Grandfather's Gift of Memories
Scenario: A grandfather passing away but leaving a surprise gift of an el Camino filled with Sunflowers for his only grand
Create my version of this story
Emily Carter
the granddaughter, relationship with her grandfather, slender with long brown hair, introspective and nostalgic
Sarah Jennings
Emily's best friend and confidante, no direct relationship with Henry, vibrant with short red hair, energetic and supportive
Henry Carter
the grandfather, relationship with Emily, elderly with a warm smile and wise eyes, gentle and thoughtful
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor.
My eyes were dry, but I couldn’t seem to muster up any tears.
I knew they were there, just waiting to fall, but I was too numb to let them out.
It had been two days since my grandfather passed away, and I still couldn’t believe he was gone.
He’d been my rock for so long that I didn’t know how to go on without him.
I’d been living with him since I was ten years old, and he’d raised me as if I were his own daughter.
My parents had died in a car accident, and he’d taken me in without a second thought.
He’d been my everything ever since.
The door creaked open, and I looked up to see Sarah standing there with a tray of food in her hands.
She was my best friend and confidante, and she’d been there for me every step of the way since Henry’s death.
She set the tray down on the bedside table and sat down next to me on the bed.
“How are you holding up?”
“I know it’s hard,” she said.
“But it will get easier, I promise.”
I forced a smile, but it felt fake.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.
“He was a good man,” she said.
“He loved you so much.
You were lucky to have him.
I know you don’t want to talk about it, but how are you feeling?”
“I miss him so much,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Sarah squeezed my hand, and we sat there in silence for a few moments.
“I brought you some food,” she said, pointing to the tray on the table.
“Maybe you’ll feel like eating something.”
I shook my head and pushed the tray away.
I’d barely eaten anything since Henry died, and I wasn’t hungry now.
Sarah sighed and leaned back against the headboard, looking at me with concern in her eyes.
“I wish there was something I could do to cheer you up,” she said.
“I know you do,” I said, giving her another fake smile.
“Maybe we could watch a movie or something?
It might help you take your mind off things.”
I shook my head again and looked down at the floor.
“Come on, Em,” she said.
I could see that she was trying to be patient with me, but I didn’t feel like humoring her right now.
I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts.
She reached out and took my hand, squeezing it gently.
“Do you want me to get going?
I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“No, don’t go,” I said quickly.
“It’s nice having you here.I don’t want to be alone.”
She smiled and squeezed my hand again.
“Well, in that case, how about we watch some TV?”
She picked up the remote and turned on the television, flipping through the channels until she found something we could both agree on watching.
We sat there in silence for a while, watching some stupid reality show that neither of us really cared about.
Sarah kept glancing over at me every few minutes, and I could tell that she was worried about me.
I knew that she was just trying to help, but there wasn’t anything she could do or say that would make this better.
Henry was gone, and nothing would ever change that.
As if reading my mind, Sarah reached out and put her arm around my shoulders.
I leaned into her side and let her hold me for a while as I stared blankly at the TV screen.
It felt good not to be alone for once.
But no matter how hard she tried, Sarah couldn’t take away the pain of losing Henry.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, a feeling of loneliness settled over me again.
The room felt even colder now that I was alone, and the walls seemed to press in on me from all sides.
I missed my grandfather more than I could put into words, and my heart ached with the pain of losing him.
And yet it felt wrong to be sitting here all by myself in our old house as if nothing had changed.
But everything had changed.
And I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get used to it.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and the door opened before I could say anything.
Sarah poked her head around the door frame and gave me a bright smile.
“Hey,” she said, “did you forget about breakfast?”
She was holding a tray of food in her hands, and the smell of bacon and eggs wafted into the room behind her.
My stomach growled at the smell of food, and I realized that I was actually hungry for once.
The past few days had been such a blur that I’d forgotten to eat most of the time, and the thought of food made my head spin with dizziness.
“Sorry,” I said.
“I was just lost in my thoughts.”
She crossed the room and set the tray down on the bedside table.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said.
“Here, I brought you some breakfast.”
I started to protest as she picked up the tray again and set it down in front of me.
But before I could say anything more, Sarah was gone.
I sighed and picked up my fork.
“Eat up,” I heard Sarah calling from the living room.
I shook my head as I speared a piece of bacon with my fork and took a bite.
“You need to eat something,” she said.
“You can’t live on sunflowers forever.” She’d fallen back onto the couch and was flipping through a magazine mindlessly.
I rolled my eyes.
It had only been two days since Henry died, and I hadn’t been in the mood for food until now.
It felt good to finally have an appetite again.
And it was nice not to have to worry about cooking for myself for once.
Henry had always been the one to make meals for us when he was still alive.
My heart clenched at the thought of him, and I put the fork down on the tray, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore.
Sarah glared at me over the top of her magazine and sighed loudly, as if she were annoyed by my lack of appetite.
“What’s wrong with you, Carter?
“You’re acting like you haven’t eaten in days.”
I shrugged and thought about telling her that I probably hadn’t eaten anything decent since Henry had died, but I decided against it.
She’d only worry more, and the last thing I wanted was for her to hover over me like a mother hen as if I couldn’t take care of myself.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“I guess I’m just not that hungry.”
“Well, you have to eat something,” she said, setting down her magazine and getting up off the couch.
The last thing I need is for you to get sick on top of everything else that’s going on.”
I sighed and picked up my fork again.
“Yes, Mother,” I muttered under my breath, loud enough for her to hear as she sat back down on the couch.
As soon as Sarah left, I put the fork back down again and pulled the blankets up over my head, finally letting myself cry in earnest.
It had only been two days since Henry had passed away, but it felt like an eternity.
The pain of losing him was still fresh and raw, consuming me in a way that nothing else ever had before.
I could feel a physical ache in my chest, a hollow emptiness that wouldn’t go away no matter how hard I tried to fill it.
As much as I hated to admit it, I knew that he was really gone this time.
And there was nothing I could do to bring him back.
I cried until my eyes were sore and red, until there were no more tears left to cry and all that was left was an overwhelming sense of loss.
I tried to ignore the feeling, but it was impossible.
It followed me wherever I went, filling every room with a glaring silence that seemed deafeningly loud after so many years of having Henry’s voice there to fill it.
I stayed in bed for what felt like hours, long after Sarah had given up trying to get me to eat and left the room again.
I didn’t want to get up.
I didn’t want to face the day or any of the days that would come after it.
But I knew that I couldn’t stay in bed forever.
Eventually, I would have to get up and face the world.
Even if I didn’t want to.
I sighed and pulled the blankets down from over my head, trying to prepare myself for the day ahead.
When I got out of bed, I was surprised to see that it was still early in the morning.
The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, casting long shadows across the floor.
I’d been awake for hours but had lost track of time while I lay there crying.
It was strange how time could pass so quickly when you weren’t looking.
I sighed and got up off the bed.
Maybe Sarah was right.
Maybe what I needed was a change of scenery.
A walk around the property might do me some good.
If I was feeling up to it later, maybe I’d even go down to the barn.
It had been one of Henry’s favorite places to spend time when he was still alive.
I hesitated for a moment as I got dressed in a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt that I’d grabbed off the floor.
But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
The thought of leaving the house and walking across the yard that Henry had spent so much time taking care of made me feel sick to my stomach.
I just couldn’t do it.
Not today.
Not yet.
I sighed and walked back into the living room, where Sarah was still sitting on the couch, engrossed in another magazine that she’d found on the coffee table.
“Hey,” she said as I walked in.
I rolled my eyes as she set the magazine down and turned to look at me.
“You need to get out of this house,” she said.
“It’s not healthy for you to be cooped up in here all the time.”
“I know,” I said.
I just don’t feel up to it right now.”
She nodded in understanding and got up off the couch to come over and give me a hug.
I’m just worried about you,” she said after a moment.
“I know it’s hard for you right now.
