Could we maybe get Mama Walker and a reader insert doing a little craft with the boys? Like they make bracelets to help remember their mom by.
When I got this ask, I had asked if the reader insert should be my own, like how Mama is a reader/character insert or a reader insert from one of their own stories. We settled on a reader insert from their story series 'CoD Ghosts Cryptid Hunters'. I quite like it, and it's fascinating to read,,
Anyways, the reader's name will be left unsaid, but the nickname will be Val, for @brokenpieces-72 story reference.
However, to make this closer to my story-making, I'll be putting in a bit of a change. I also don't want to Copywrite (I don't know if you even can do that on here, so in case you can, I'm not risking it.) anything from their story, so that's why I'm making these changes as well,,
I hope this is close to what you had in mind, and I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted,,
I'll stop rambling now so you can read,,
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"What was she like?"
David froze at the question, his body stopping like time had stilled. Logan seemed to do the same from where he sat at the table, colored wool strings and beads of all kinds spread out on the wooden surface.
Val, the boys' friend for about three weeks now, stared at the picture of Elias's wife. It was one of the few taken on their wedding day, and it was clear, even though the darling dress made her look so elegant, that she was pregnant with David. The white fabric draped over her body looked like a marble sculpture. The white flower embroidery was like vines etching against the see-through sleeves and layered skirts that hid her legs and followed her in a three-foot drape. Her shoulders were bare, and the sleeves that ended at her wrists had a ribbon-like strap around the ends of the light, baggy fabric.
A loose, single braid wrapped around her head acted as a crown, with white flowers set in the crooks and the bends. The rest of her hair was set in a low bun with a few more flowers set in the beautiful fluffy mess. A few strands of hair framing her face made her youth at the time even more apparent.
Elias talked about that day a lot, even when Mama was still alive. He talked about how she smelled of Jasmine and Ylang-ylang. How her makeup was so perfect that it made her glow twice as much. He spoke about how her pregnancy that day was kind to her, how she hadn't had any pains other than the given back pains, and even that was merciful on her that day.
David took in a breath, his green eyes (a hue that his Mama's would constantly change to no matter what lighting she was in) glanced over towards the picture that sat comfortably on the table Logan was at. The mahogany frame had swirls and intricate designs that matched the photo's elegant uniqueness. The glass that protected the photo was thin and had a clear coating to it that left no smudges when someone were to touch it. Elias took extra care of that photo, even before her death.
"What was your mom like?" Val questioned once more, turning her head towards the two and pausing as she eyed their frozen bodies.
David let out a silent breath, pushing it out for the sake of his lungs. He didn't need them to feel like they were going to blow because he couldn't find the energy to breathe again. He couldn't take his eyes off the picture, and from the corner of his vision, he could see Logan curling in on himself.
"She- uh. ." David started, brushing off his sweaty palms on his pant legs. He cleared his throat slightly, the sting of hot tears appearing behind his eyes. Even though it's been about three years since her death, he still couldn't get over it. Not fully. Questions about her always made him want to cry. "She was kind." He pushed out, his throat feeling tighter by the second.
Logan nodded from where he was, his fingers pinching the strings that were typically used to make homemade bracelets. He'd generally stopped talking after Mama's death, but sometimes he'd let out a peep or two, just to let his vocal cords feel useful once more. But he'd mainly do that alone.
"She used to do a lot of things." Logan managed to let out, his gaze downcast as he felt the eyes of his friend and brother on him. "She used to be a hairstylist when we were little."
David felt a tightness in his chest greaten at his brother's voice. It was shaky and raspy from misuse and emotion, but it was his voice. He took in a sharp breath through his nose and moved to sit down with the two, taking a bead from the pile Logan had made and inspected it, his eyes scanning the little bird that was printed on the white surface of it.
"She had a lot of hobbies." David started, his lips turning up into a soft smile at the memories that sprang to mind. "Like bird watching. She'd go out in the mornings and just watch the birds, saying that was the best time to watch them because they were just waking up with their kids."
Val looked between the two from where she sat, her eyes saddening at the sight of the two returning to their depressive states. She didn't mean for them to regress. Honestly, she didn't. She just wanted to know more about the famous woman who birthed her two best friends.
She took in a breath and looked down at her pile, eyeing the assortment of colors and sizes of beads, a few of them having bird pictures on them as well. She picked up a white thread, eyeing it like it could solve life's secrets in one single word.
"What," she started, her words trailing off just as they slipped from her lips. She took in a breath and glanced up at the two, noticing how they looked at her. They weren't looking at her like they wanted her to stop talking. They were looking at her like they wanted her to express themselves. They must have gotten that from their mother. She'd seem like the type to have people express themselves instead of bottling up their emotions. "What kind of colors did she like?"
It didn't take long for the two brothers to lighten up. Making things for their mother was something they always loved to do. Getting their dad to buy her stuff on Valentine's Day was how they gifted her expensive items when they were little, and when they got the chance in school, they'd make her anything. Cards, books, pictures, poets, bracelets, necklaces, shirts, jackets. Things that she'd be glad to have and/or wear.
Making her a bracelet of all her favorite colors and patterns reminded the two of her personality and her clothes. For example, a solid pink bead and a white one with a fox head picture reminded the two of when Mama used to dress up in onesies, especially a pink fox, whenever she'd build pillow forts with them. A white bead with a picture of the sun was a memory of her taking David and Logan to a park where she and Elias would sit on a bench and watch the two play. A solid black bead and a white one with the picture of a squid were a reminder of times when they'd go to the aquarium, specifically for the squids so they could try and spot them from where they would be hidden.
David managed to tell the story of her funeral. She used to be a medic in the army (apparently, she'd done everything) and met with a group of soldiers who showed up at her burial. A captain, a lieutenant, and a sergeant. They had said she was the best person anyone could ever work with/for. The sergeant wasn't one to talk, but the boys knew sign, and he had stated how their mother used to treat him like a son before she had left the service when she got pregnant.
Val ended up learning so much about their mother that she honestly wished she had met her. She would have loved to have a mother like that. So involved with her kids and so happy to see them smile.
Mrs. Walker sounded like someone who would have adopted her if she could. She honestly wished that was something that would have happened instead of her meeting her fate at such a young age with boys who weren't even old enough to know what death was and a husband not ready to lose the love of his life.
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I am so sorry! I never meant for this to get away from me! It was fun to make, but I'm still so very sorry for taking so long!
Taglist: @brokenpieces-72 @rerejunebug