Operation Forever Love: Fandango Flash Fiction Challenge

The guilt gnawed at him, but he wasn’t eager to visit her grave. He’d tried explaining to his children that he needed to pretend that she was still there and that he was still trying her patience.

But his kids told him that he had to face the pain, and the only way was to confront her grave and properly say goodbye to his love of nearly sixty years. Being a former Navy Seal, he decided to caption the event: Operation Forever Love.

In the past, he could get through anything, as long as he stayed focused on the operation and the game plan. So, he dressed in the last suit that he remembered her picking out for him, gathered flowers from her beloved garden, and made his way to the cemetery. With the guitar that she loved hearing him play, he set out to complete Operation Forever Love.

He entered the cemetery, found her nearly fresh grave, and he sat down and started to play the songs that they had both loved. As the music played and he sang, tears of deep grief and loss flowed over his gray beard.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a female kingfisher with her blue-gray coat and rust colored belly came and alighted on his guitar, seemingly delighting in his music, and then flew to the flowers he had laid on her grave! They had been her favorite birds, and she had once told him that she would find a way to return to let him know that she was alright.

As he watched the little bird, he felt the presence of his beloved and knew that her spirit lived on! He walked home smiling and feeling lighter, knowing that she was in a good place and that, God willing, he would see her again!

Fictional Story written for Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #100. Fandango prompt is Operation. Ragtag prompt is Gnaw. Your Daily Prompt is Eager. The Daily Spur prompt is Patience. Word of the Day Challenge is Picking.