The window box outside was blooming with color that last spring
The air fresh and wet with a hint of rain
The sidewalks filled with people
Voices and birdsong filtered through his open window
Bittersweet reminders of the world outside his fortress
But the spring was gone from his step
A cold metal walker served as his faithful bodyguard, dictating where he could go, what he could do
It was summer when he summoned her
Grown-up now with two princesses of her own
And a job in DC that kept her busy
A life that no longer revolved around coming home from school and setting the table for dinner with Mom and Dad
But here she was, her oldest now the one to set the table for the family
He watched the blur of energy of his grand princesses
Building their own fortresses of pillows and couch cushions
Asking Granddad to move his feet off the ottoman
They needed it for their little empire
Aware of his daughter’s quiet energy
Calling the doctor, arranging the appointments
Remembering the details he just couldn't keep anymore
Arranging an aide to stay with him when she left with the girls to go back to school
It was fall already when he fell
His faithful bodyguard skittering away across the floor, retreating like a coward
His aide in the kitchen rallied to action by his call
And so his fortress shrunk further
They closed the windows and turned off the lights
Packed up some photographs and moved him away to a white room with a hospital bed and a roommate who snored
He couldn't remember her number and he couldn't remember when she called
And so he built up his defenses
Determined not to let his captors know about his princess hard at work in her important tower in the city
And she built her own walls, bracing herself for the days when she'd visit and he didn’t know her
As the days got shorter his days got shorter
Sometimes she listened to him tell a story of his beautiful princess who was still a little girl and loved rapunzel and the color blue
And sometimes she’d hear the story of two young princesses building a castle in his living room
And sometimes she’d just sit with him and listen to his roommate snore as the snow fell outside
janainaart
yousharknotpass
theartofmadeline
dededos
