The Most Beautiful One

Ellie always told me that she wanted “the most beautiful one.”
Whenever she said that, she would be pointing to the pictures of Prom in my yearbook. She’s always say she’s have to have the perfect, prettiest dress.
It’d have to be pink, frilly, and have tons of sparkles.
Little did she know she’s never wear a Prom dress.
*****
One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was sit in her funeral.
But the hardest thing I’ve ever done was stand alone at her grave.
A solid, grey stone.
Cold.
Hard.
Like the rest of them.
I unzipped my backpack and turned it upside down. Shiny cloth, pink ribbons, and glitter glue tumbled out.
I took the cloth and wrapped it around the stone. I tried to avoid it, but occasionally my fingers would brush against the cold granite.
Then I realized that I had to do this. I had to touch Ellie’s gravestone. My eyes filled with tears at the thought. I wiped them away with the back of my hand.
Emotions swirled around me, overwhelming me as I sat in front of my sister’s grave. But then the thought returned.
I had to touch the stone.
My fingers seemed to feel the shock, and they froze. I urged myself to reach out, but my arm was petrified.
Again, tears welled up into my eyes. This time, I let them fall.
One fell onto my hand and slowly slipped between my fingers.
Suddenly, I jerked my hand forward and slammed it into the gravestone.
The tears burst out of control and freely slid down my cheeks. My hair fell over my shoulders as I faced the ground.
A passerby asked me something, but, lost in my thoughts, I shook my head. They went away.
Inside, I was glad, but somehow I wanted them to stay.
Now the only things that were still with me were my thoughts.
My sister, my own little sister…
Memories surged through my mind.
Ellie laughing, Ellie coloring, Ellie pointer at her favorite pictures of…
Stop. I had to stop thinking like that.
I took a deep breath and, after regaining myself, continued decorating her gravestone.
I made it pink, frilly, and sparkly.
Just like the wanted.
Yes, indeed, Ellie did have “the most beautiful one.”