Reading: "Oracles Mysterium" from EVENFALL OF THE HELICAL (A.Glass 2022)

 

“You have nice hair...” Camila Adayln says, reclining in a lounge chair, overlooking from a window, the garden area of the UCLA care facility for people with Alzheimer's. “...A beautiful dark brown.”

Saffi, sitting in a chair opposite her mother smiles. Seeing that her mother, whose hair length drapes down from her shoulders, is now mostly gray with only the ends dyed dark brown.

“How are you?” She asks, her expression caring as she looks at her mother.

“I am well, thank you. Have your family returned from San Francisco?”

Saffi doesn't reply, pouring her mother a cup of tea, she carefully places it onto the meal board in front of her.

“You look well,” Saffi says, sipping her tea, her thoughts, although difficult at times to comprehend her mother's illness, have reconciled the reality of dealing with dementia.

“Thank you, I'm going back to work tomorrow. Hopefully, I will see my parents again. I haven't seen them in such a long while.”

Saffi nods. Closing her eyes briefly, as she fees a sadness within her thoughts begin to materialize. Breathing slowly, she opens her eyes, as her mother looks out at the Cherry Blossom tree with a bird on it, studying her mother’s expression she sees her smiling.

“Do you need anything?” Saffi asks, checking that her mother's nails are neatly cut and shaped and that she looks clean and cared for.

“No, I'm fine. They really do look after me here.”

Standing, Saffi holds out her hand.

“Give me your hand,” she says in a caring and calm manner as her mother Camila Adayln holds out her hand, as Saffi, gently caresses it with her right hand.

“I love you mom,” Saffi says, releasing her mother's hand, she turns and walks toward the exit, as her mother nods without saying anything. While continuing to stare from her window at the blossoming tree with the bird perched upon its branch.

Sitting in her car, Adayln wipes the tears away from her eyes. Placing her sunglasses back on, she lets out a sigh. No more suffering, she then looks down at the three diagonal scars that run across the top of her left wrist representing from Buddhist lore the three marks of existence. Checking her appearance in the rear view mirror, placing her keys into the ignition, she starts the car.

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Reading: "Oracles Mysterium"  from EVENFALL OF THE HELICAL (A.Glass 2022)