Bab 217: Heart and Soul.
Elena looked around, trying to recall the right direction. She had not been to this cemetery for about six years and did not expect that everything had changed so much here. In fact, here and before that, a lot of unusual things happened, which was a bit strange, given the features of the place.
Every year, paths along the graves were planted with new flowers, creating beautiful compositions from them, not without the attention of professional landscape designers. The benches for the visitors were also individually handcrafted, as was the lighting throughout the territory - lanterns, lampposts and even mortuary urns - each element, albeit insignificant, could compete for the title of a work of art.
Lee had a separate crypt in this place, where urns with the ashes of family members who had left this world were stored, and it was located almost in the center, which was the reason why many paths to other graves somehow passed by it.
Either this was a logical consequence of this, or simply by coincidence, but it was this place in the whole cemetery that seemed the most well-groomed and beautiful. Everyone who came to visit their relatives who were resting here lingered in front of the crypt, admiring the beauty of flowers and the sophistication of the fence.
All this served as a reassurance for the hearts of people that were filled with sorrow and helped them to believe that their loved ones were in a better world or, at least, rest in beautiful surroundings.
"Do you remember where to go?" David asked his wife when she looked around thoughtfully.
"Yes, I remembered! We need to walk along this path for about two hundred meters," Elena showed her hand and went forward.
"Oh shoot, I'm sorry; I need to answer this call. You go ahead; I'll catch up with you in a minute." David's phone rang unexpectedly, and the caller was very persistent in his desire to chat with the man.
"Of course, no problem," Elena nodded her head and headed toward the family crypt. In her hands was a small bouquet of white callas, she did not know why she chose these flowers, but as soon as her eyes fell on them, the woman felt that this was exactly what her mother would like.
The low forged fence surrounding the crypt was decorated with curly roses and the entrance behind the fence was made in the form of a high arch, which was also strewn with flowers symbolizing love.
Elena stopped for a moment, admiring the beauty created by nature. Who would have thought that flowers can be so bewitching? A woman went inside the family crypt to lay flowers at the place where Liu Yang's ashes were.
But now she knew that if Liu Yang was alive, then these ashes belonged to none other than her mother.
But what she did not expect was that a sweet, subtle aroma similar to vanilla would meet her at the very entrance to the room.
"Oh my god," Elena whispered. A picture appeared before her eyes, even more bewitching than a flower fence outside the crypt.
The whole floor was strewn with white callas; there was not a single free space that would remain uncovered by flowers. It seemed that if you take a step forward, then you step on a cloud of snow-white flowers, symbolizing tenderness and purity.
On the wall, in a small slot, there was a beautiful porcelain urn and a candle was burning next to it.
. . .
"Daddy, daddy, why didn't we call mom with us?" little Elena asked, the child's speech was clear, but some sounds still seemed a bit difficult for her to pronounce, but even so, for her two and a half years old she was a very talkative little girl.
The man squeezed the girl's palm in his big hand, "Because we have to make a surprise for mom. It's her birthday today," he explained and led the child into a spacious, bright room.
The baby opened her mouth in admiration when she saw a sea of flowers as if she had fallen into a fairy world. Flowers were everywhere - on the walls, on the ceiling, on the floor.
"Wow, how beautiful!!!" the girl clapped her hands and joyfully jumped, "Dad, what kind of flower is this? I've never seen one like this," Elena picked up a white calla lily from the floor and handed it to her father.
The man took the flower in his hand, sat on the floor and put the little girl on his lap, "Oh, this is a very interesting flower, it is called calla. Your mom loves them the most. Do you want me to tell a legend about how this flower appeared?"
"Yes! I want!" Elena shone, dad often told her various interesting stories, and she did not go to bed until she listened to at least a couple of them.
"Well, then listen," the man sat down his daughter more comfortably and began his story,
"In fact, there are two legends that tell how this flower appeared. According to one of them, a long time ago in Africa lived two people who loved each other very much. But they could not be together, as their tribes were fighting with each other."
"They were like Romeo and Juliet?" the girl interrupted the story with her own question.
"Wh-what? Hey, how do you even know about them? What kind of fairy tales does mommy tell you?" The man laughed and pinched his daughter's nose, but on the whole, she was right,
"Although yes, a bit like Romeo and Juliet. So, the girl's dad loved his daughter very much, so he agreed that the beloved would get married, and peace would prevail between the tribes. The girl was so happy that the simple flowers on her hood turned into beautiful snow-white callas. This is the story."
"And what is the second legend?" Elena asked.
"Oh, the second one...," the man scratched his nose thoughtfully, wondering if it was ok for the ears of a child to hear it, "I'll tell you if you promise not to talk about it with mom, otherwise she will scold me." The little girl nodded her head and moved even closer to her father, the man smiled, watching her bright reaction.
"According to the second legend, the leader of one tribe who was evil and merciless fell in love with a girl from another tribe, but she refused him. He did not give up, attacked her tribe and captured the girl, after which he ordered to start the wedding. The girl did not want to become the wife of such a tyrant, so she threw herself into the fire in her white wedding dress and turned into a beautiful calla."
"I don't like the second story, the first is better," the baby muttered and folded her little arms on her chest in protest.
"Ahaha, my princess, this is just a story, but even such stories teach us something. For example, to protect your love, as the first couple did, and not give up until the very end, as the girl from the second story did," the man explained. Still, such conversations were too serious for such a young age.
"Dad, dad, do you love mom so much too? And who do you love more, me or mom?" the girl suddenly asked, which caused her father a slight confusion. How could he choose between the two, when both of these people were the only ones who filled his life with at least some meaning?
He squeezed the child in his arms and got up with her from his knees. Elena grabbed her father by the neck with her small arms and pressed against him, this gesture was the one the man loved the most.
"Listen, Elena. You are my heart, which beats only in order to know that you are alive and healthy. And it won't stop beating until I'm sure that nothing threatens you in this world," the man stroked his daughter through her silky hair and kissed her little forehead with tenderness.
"And your mother... Your mother is my soul. Therefore, if suddenly your mother isn't here anymore, my soul will disappear after her at the same moment..."
. . .
A bouquet of flowers slipped out of Elena's hands and fell to the floor, the woman swayed, but was able to stay on her feet. Blurry images from childhood with strange memories, like a stormy stream, poured into her head.
She looked at the burning candle, its wax silhouette was still long and graceful, the flame steady and calm. It was lit recently.
Elena ran out of the crypt and began to look around, but there was not a soul around. A heart pounded in her chest as if she felt the presence of something important nearby, something that her eyes could not notice.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked around again. At the end of one of the alleys, a silhouette of a man was visible; he walked leisurely in the direction of the exit. He was tall and his broad shoulders were visible even from afar, but the long coat and hat on his head did not allow the woman to see him better.
Although she did not need it, she already knew who he was.
Elena opened her mouth, but her voice was treacherously silent as if she could not speak at all. The woman wanted to take a step forward, but her legs were chained to the ground by an unknown force.
"D... Dad!" Elena cried out, and at that moment it seemed to her that it was like she said her first word in her life, it took so much strength to pronounce these three letters.
The man in the distance instantly stopped, his shoulders tensed. The woman saw from his movements that he struggled inwardly with himself, deciding whether to turn his head or not, until he slowly began turning in her direction.
"Elena!" The woman shuddered from an unexpected scream, David grabbed his wife by the elbow, in his eyes were uneasiness and anxiety, "What's wrong with you? I am calling you like for the fifth time, but you are not answering."
"Huh? What?" she was taken aback and looked at her husband, but when she turned her head back to the side of an unknown man, the last one seemed not to be there.
"Are you okay? What happened?" David asked a second time, he always didn't like it when Elena was so unnatural.
"Yes, everything is fine, don't worry," she ran her hands over her face, trying to put her thoughts and emotions together, "Have you finished with your call?" The woman smiled back and the wrinkles on David's forehead relaxed noticeably.
"Yes, I have. But the news are not very pleasant," the man frowned. To say that they were unpleasant was an understatement, in fact, they were disgusting. David sighed, under the gaze of his wife, he could not hide anything.
"Marcus made his move. And this time everything is much more serious."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Anya_Nesh
Anya_Nesh Side question here: Dear readers, is there anyone among you or anybody you know who can draw webcomic? Currently, I'm looking for an artist who would be interested to make The Numbers into the webtoon format.
You can contact me on Telegram @anyanesh or Discord (see the link in the novel's synopsis) to discuss the details. And yes, it will be paid work. :D
Take care, everyone!
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