Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep And if I die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take
She dreamt she was sitting in a field of wildflowers. It stretched out all around her, as far as the eye could see. The pattern of color on her sundress matched the colors around her, various hues of pinks and blues and yellows. The wind brushed through the stalks, making them quiver. It pulled at her hair, and she had to brush it behind her ear to see the old woman beside her.
“Tabitha, my dear, it’s good to see you,” the woman said.
Tabi smiled faintly. “It’s good to see you too, Grandmother.” It had been several years since the matronly Meadowes had passed, but Tabi thought of her often, remembering how the woman had taught her how to knit and bake. She looked the same now as she had back then, as though not a day had gone by.
“Tell me, are you satisfied with how your life has been?” Grandma Meadowes asked, a small smile on her wrinkled face.
Tabi had to think for a moment. “In some ways I am,” she admitted. “But I am a little disappointed.”
“Why is that, dear?”
Tabi bit her lip. “I know it’s stupid and shallow, but I always wanted to experience true love. I read about it in books all the time, but I’ve never experienced it.”
Grandma Meadowes’s smile widened. “Are you sure you were not loved truly?”
Then, beside her, there was Doe, smiling as she took Tabi’s right hand in both of hers. “I love you, Tabi,” she said softly.
Before Tabi could reply, Sturgis sat down on her other side, taking her left hand. “I love you, Tabi,” he said, and she could feel the tears beginning to fill her eyes.
Quirinus knelt in front of her, leaning forward to touch his forehead against hers lightly. “I love you, Tabi,” he whispered in a tremulous voice, and Tabi couldn’t stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks. She pressed her forehead back against his, closing his eyes and feeling her chest ache.
When she lifted her head, she spotted Lucy, Marlene, Mary, and Max a little further away in the field, waving to her, all smiles. “We love you, Tabi!” Max stepped over to her then, sitting behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, his forehead pressing against her shoulder lightly.
Tabi felt somewhat overwhelmed. Although she’d always known that she had friends and people that cared about her, she’d never put two and two together in this way. She looked over at her grandmother, who still smiled at her.
“Look at all these people who care for you; who love you. Do you really think you need more than this?”
Tabi had to shake her head. “No, no I suppose I don’t,” she admitted softly, looking from Doe to Quirinus to Sturgis, feeling Max at her back, the warmth of him.
“Thank you. All of you,” she said softly. “I love you all too. I love you all so much. Thank you for being here for me, and for never complaining about having to take care of me. I-I’m going to miss you all so much.” The tears continued to fall, and Doe reached up to wipe them away.
“You don’t need to thank us,” she said tenderly. “We were all privileged to simply have you in our lives.”
Tabi wrapped her arms around them as best she could, and the four huddled in a group hug, until Grandma Meadowes placed her hand on top of Tabi’s head.
“Are you ready to go, sweetheart?”
Tabi swallowed hard, looking at the beloved faces around her, before slowly nodding, reaching out to take her grandmother’s hand.
“I’m ready.”
When Madame Pomfrey entered the hospital wing, she made her way down to Tabitha Meadowes’s bed. The girl lay still, a small smile curving her lips. As the madame placed her fingers against Tabi’s neck to feel her pulse, the nurse sighed softly, her expression falling. She gently pulled the sheets up over Tabi’s face, before turning to call the Headmaster.
