Chapter 59 - THE MEMORIAL TREE
On Elena's birthday, the family planted a tree beside the foundation.
Lily was older now.
Ava stood beside Ethan.
Mara brought flowers.
Noah and Claire joined by video call.
Emma placed the first handful of soil around the roots.
Lorenzo watched silently.
“What kind of tree is it?” Lily asked.
“A maple.”
“Why?”
“Because it survives seasons.”
Lily nodded.
“Like us?”
Emma smiled.
“Exactly like us.”
Everyone added soil.
Then Lorenzo placed a small plaque beneath the tree.
Elena Moretti
A woman remembered not for what she possessed,
but for the lives she changed.
Emma read it slowly.
Then she looked at Lorenzo.
“You wrote that?”
“Yes.”
“It sounds like her.”
“That was the point.”
The wind moved through the young branches.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Lily whispered,
“Hi, Elena.”
Emma smiled.
May you like
“I'm sure she heard you.”
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