When Lily’s mother passed away, she was devastated. Her grandparents took her in, and they took her to her mother’s grave whenever she asked them to. One day, when she was there alone, she suddenly heard a voice saying, “Hello, Lily.” It startled her because she thought she was alone, but when she turned around and saw who had spoken to her, she gasped. This could not be real, or could it? Lily spent the day by her mother’s grave, reading and eating cookies, like she often did. When it was time to leave, she said, “Bye, Mommy, I’ll come to see you again soon, okay?”
She had no idea that there was someone there with her, watching her. It was already dark now, and she knew that her grandparents were waiting for her at home. She was just about to leave when she suddenly heard a voice coming from behind her: “Hello, Lily.” She was confused at first, but when she turned around and saw who had greeted her, her eyes widened with surprise. Lily was absolutely shocked, and she didn’t know what to do. This couldn’t be happening. She needed to hurry home, but there was no way she could just leave now. Who was this person who greeted her? How did they know Lily’s name, and what were they doing at the grave?
Lily smiled as she took a bite of the cookie her grandmother just gave her. “Can I take these to Mommy’s grave today, please? She loved these cookies. They reminded her of her mother because she used to make them all the time.” However, that time was over now. Since Lily’s mother passed, she had been living with her grandparents, Martha and James. She never knew her father; he left her mother as soon as he found out she was pregnant. But, of course, nobody ever told Lily that. She was better off not knowing yet, and she might not understand anyway.
Lily was devastated when she realized she was never going to see her mother again, but her grandparents were very good to her, and they helped her with everything they could. They helped with her homework, cooked for her, made her lunch for school, and, more importantly, they shared stories and memories about her mother. They took Lily to her mother’s grave almost every day. The three of them were all dealing with loss and heartbreak, but together they made it through every day.
After a few weeks of going with Grandma and Grandpa, Lily finally started going to the cemetery alone. It was close to their home, and she knew the way now. Recently, she started spending more time at the grave. She sometimes brought a book with her or her homework, a puzzle, a coloring book, or her Walkman. It made her feel closer to her mother, like she was actually there, reading or listening to music with her. This day, she brought the cookies her grandma had made and a book. She also brought some flowers to put on the grave to make it look pretty again.
When she arrived at the gates of the cemetery, she stood still for a few seconds and took a deep breath. Despite having visited her mother’s grave numerous times, it never became easier. She stepped through the gate and made her way to her mom’s grave. She still had no idea that it was going to be an eventful day and that she was about to meet someone very special there. On her way to the grave, she saw many familiar faces. She had spent so much time here now that she started to recognize other people who came to visit their loved ones, and they recognized Lily as well.
“Hello, darling,” an older woman greeted her.
“Hello, Mrs. Smith,” Lily replied.
“Oh my, what have you got there? Are those for me?” Mrs. Smith jokingly asked about the cookies, to which Lily replied, “No, these are for me and my mommy, but here, you can have one if you want. They’re delicious.” Mrs. Smith stroked Lily’s hair and told her she was just kidding.
“Are you going to visit your husband again?” Lily asked her, and the woman nodded, telling her that today was their anniversary.
“What is an anniversary?” Lily asked again. She didn’t remember hearing that word before.
After they were done chatting, Lily continued to her mom’s grave. When she finally got there, she placed the flowers by the headstone and sat in silence for a while, just thinking about things.
“Hi, Mommy,” she eventually said. “I miss you. Look, I brought you cookies. They are exactly like the ones you used to make for me.” She placed the box of cookies next to the grave and laid one on top of it by the headstone. She also took one out for herself and took a bite. “One for you, one for me.” She was enjoying the cookie when suddenly she received an unexpected guest, and it wouldn’t be the only one of the day.
A small bird had flown to her and hopped around on the grass next to her, eagerly picking up the cookie crumbs that had fallen on the ground.
“Hello, Mr. Bird. Do you like the cookie? It’s delicious, isn’t it? My granny made it. It is a very special family recipe.” She thought she saw the little bird nod, and she took that as a yes. “Don’t you have any family, Mr. Bird, or do you live alone?” she asked him.
When the bird failed to reply, she continued, “You know, I live with my grandparents now. They are very sweet, and my granny makes these delicious cookies, but I still miss my mom. That’s why I come here, so I can be with her.” She looked at the grave and back at the bird again. She saw that the bird had eaten all the crumbs that she had dropped, so she reached back into the box.
“Do you want another cookie?” She handed the cookie to the bird, and the bird took it in its beak and tried to fly away with it, but it was too heavy. Lily spent a few minutes watching the bird and how it nibbled the cookie until the piece left of it was small enough for it to take away.
“Bye, Mr. Bird! Make sure to come see me again next time,” she yelled out when the bird flew away. “That was a funny bird, wasn’t it, Mommy?” She sat in silence for a while and then started telling her mother about anything she could think of that was worth mentioning. She told her about her math homework, a new teacher at school, her friend Lisa’s new puppy, and the new pencils Grandpa had bought her.
When she was finally done talking, an hour had passed. She thought she should probably head back home again before it got dark, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave yet. She knew Grandma and Grandpa asked her to always be home before dark because it was dangerous to be out alone this late, but she just wanted to spend a little more time with her mom.
She took her book and started reading, and minutes later, she was completely absorbed by the story. It was a story about a pirate girl who traveled across the seas with her parrot. Lily marveled at everything the pirate girl experienced, the special creatures she met on her travels, the beautiful lands she visited, and the huge storms she survived. She turned page after page, not wanting to put the book down. She hadn’t even seen that it was getting dark until she noticed that it had become more and more difficult to read the letters on the pages in front of her.
“Oh no, I have to hurry now. I must get home before it gets too dark. I’m sorry, Mommy, but I have to go.” She packed her things and stood up, turning to face the grave to say goodbye. As she felt her eyes fill with tears, she told herself, “Grandma told me it’s okay to cry. I’m still a big girl even if I cry.” And she let the tears stream down her face. She stood there for a moment, letting all her feelings out. After a while, she put her hand on the tombstone and wanted to turn around when something caught her eye. Was she really seeing this right?
She crouched down to take a closer look, and she couldn’t believe it. This had to be a sign from her mom, telling her that she missed her too and that everything was going to be okay. You see, Lily had spotted something special right next to her shoe, something that made her believe her mother could hear everything she said: it was a four-leaf clover. Back in the day, whenever she and her mom found one of these, they gave it to each other as a sign of love and good luck, and her finding a clover beside her mom’s grave now? It could not be a coincidence.
She thought of plucking it and taking it home with her, but instead, she decided to leave it there.
“You can keep this one, Mommy,” she said, and she knew it was really time to go home now. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard a voice: “Hello, Lily.” She looked around, wondering who had said this, but then she heard the voice again.
“I’m right here,” it said. Someone was with her. Lily finally turned around and saw who had been speaking to her, and she couldn’t believe her eyes. She gasped and jumped up, unsure of how to react. How was this even possible?
She stammered, “What? How are you real?” and blinked a few times as if to make sure she was really seeing this. She couldn’t take her eyes off the woman in front of her. The woman just smiled and said, “Of course I am.” She stretched her arms out in front of her, showing Lily she wanted to hug her.
Lily hesitated for a moment, but then she ran right into her arms
and held her tightly.
“Come, there is something I want to show you,” the woman said to her, and she took a few steps away from the grave. However, Lily wasn’t sure about following her, and the woman noticed.
“What is it? Don’t you want to come with me?” she asked.
Lily explained, “Granny and Grandpa are waiting for me. Or, well, for us.” The woman smiled and told Lily, “I already let Grandma Martha and Grandpa James know that I would pick you up, and they said they would meet us later. It’s okay, you can trust me.” At that moment, Lily realized that this woman simply had to be speaking the truth. How else would she know her grandparents’ names? The worried look disappeared from her face and turned into a smile, and she grabbed the woman’s hand, ready to go with her. She still had no idea where they were going, but she was very excited.
“Can I ask you something?” she said, looking up at the woman.
The woman nodded and smiled, saying, “Of course, darling.”
So Lily finally asked the question that had been on her mind since she saw the woman.
“Who are you?”
Lily’s eyes widened as she heard the woman’s reply, and she was left speechless. Her eyes filled with tears as she hugged the woman again, not wanting to let go.
“I knew it! I knew it was a sign from my mommy,” she said.
Immediately, she trusted the woman. She didn’t know yet that this was a big mistake. You see, the woman had told her something that she knew would help her win over the girl’s trust instantly.
“I am your guardian angel. Your mom sent me to watch over you.”
This was obviously not true, and the woman was using it as an excuse to get Lily to go with her. She took Lily by the hand, and together they walked away from the grave and out of the cemetery. Lily had no idea where they were going, but she did not feel afraid at all. Well, not yet. She would soon realize that this woman was not who she was pretending to be.
Meanwhile, Martha and James were getting very, very worried. Lily was already supposed to be home an hour ago. At first, they thought she was probably just a bit late and she would get home soon. They didn’t want to be dramatic about it, but they kept looking out the window to see whether she was coming. When it had gotten really dark outside and Lily still hadn’t shown up, Martha said, “This is it, I’m going out. I need to look for her. I have the feeling that something isn’t right.” She was already outside before James even understood what was happening.
“Martha, wait!” he exclaimed. He quickly walked over to her and said, “No, wait. One of us should stay here in case she comes home, and you shouldn’t be out there in the dark all by yourself either. How about you stay here and wait for her, and I’ll go to the cemetery?”
Martha took a moment to think about this, and in the end, she agreed. Her legs weren’t working properly anymore, and like James said, it was just as important for someone to stay home and wait for her. So, they made a plan and divided the tasks. James was going to go out and walk to the cemetery, and he’d make sure to take the same route he knew Lily always took. You see, she didn’t take the shortest route, but she always made sure to pass by a pond with ducks, even if it took some more time. Martha would stay home and keep an eye out on the street, and when — or if — Lily came home, she would immediately call James to let him know. Of course, if he found Lily, he’d also call Martha right away.
They were both worried sick. James still had hope that he was going to find Lily by his daughter’s grave. He assumed she was just having a bad day and a hard time letting go of her mother. He was walking extra fast, and during the whole way to the cemetery, he saw nobody that even looked like Lily. When he finally arrived, she was nowhere to be seen. He triple-checked whether he was standing by the right grave, and he definitely was. But then, where was Lily?
He looked around, a bit confused and in disbelief. At that moment, he realized that his granddaughter was missing. He didn’t want to call Martha just yet. It would break her heart to hear this horrible news, and besides, it couldn’t be true. He was determined to keep looking for Lily and find her. He didn’t care how long it would take him, but he was not going home without her.
After James gave himself this pep talk, it was time for action. But where could he even start? He was an old man, and he was already quite tired from walking to the cemetery. He sighed as he realized that he couldn’t do this on his own, and he grabbed his phone from his pocket to call the police.
“Rosewood Police Department, how can I help you?” the dispatcher asked when answering the phone.
James explained that his granddaughter was missing, and the dispatcher said she would send an officer right away. The poor old man couldn’t stop the tears from falling down his face as soon as he ended the call.
A few minutes later, a police car arrived at the cemetery gate, and an officer got out and approached James.
“Good evening, I am Officer Martin. I understand your granddaughter is missing?” he said.
James nodded, and he explained everything that had happened that day in detail. “This is very unusual for Lily. She often goes to visit her mother’s grave all by herself, but she always comes home right on time. This is the first time something like this has happened,” he added.
Officer Martin understood, and he told James, “Sir, we will do whatever we can to find her.”
James realized that he really could not keep this from Martha anymore. He needed to tell her what was going on. Officer Martin offered to drop him off at home, but he politely declined.
“Thank you, but it’s more important that you start looking for Lily as soon as possible.”
And that was what he did. James slowly made his way back home while Officer Martin went looking for an employee of the cemetery he could speak to. He approached a security guard sitting in the office and explained that a little girl had gone missing there earlier that day.
“Could I have a look at today’s security camera footage?” he asked.
The guard told him, “Of course, right here,” and he took a seat behind his desk. He replayed the footage, and Officer Martin recognized Lily when she appeared on the screen. James had sent him a recent picture of her.
“There, that’s her,” he said.
They continued to watch the rest of the footage, and in the end, they also saw the stranger who had approached Lily and left the cemetery with her.
“Who is this woman?” the officer asked himself. He was about to find out soon.
Before tracking down that woman, he dropped by James and Martha’s house. James had arrived home by now, and he was trying to console his wife, who had obviously not taken the news well.
“Officer, did you find her? Did you find our Lily?” Officer Martin shook his head and said, “No, I did not find her, but I did see something interesting in the security footage. Please take a look at this and tell me, do you recognize this woman?”
He showed them some pictures he had taken in the security guard’s office, showing the woman holding Lily by the hand as they walked away. Martha and James gasped as they saw the photos, jumping into each other’s arms.
“No! That cannot be real!” Martha exclaimed.
James tried to calm her down, but he wasn’t doing a very good job at it. Officer Martin was confused, and he wondered what was going on here.
“How did she find her? We need to do something immediately!” The officer took Martha’s hand and looked her in the eyes.
“Miss Martha, you have to tell me what’s going on. Who is that woman? Do you have any idea where I can find her?” he asked.
Martha replied, “I need a glass of water,” and she stood up and went to the kitchen, wiping her tears with her sleeve. She didn’t seem ready to talk about it yet.
James approached the officer and explained who the woman was, and then everything became clear. It all made sense now. Officer Martin got in touch with his team back at the police station and asked them to track down this woman. James had given him a name, and luckily, that was enough. Apparently, she had been in contact with the police before because her file popped right up.
The next morning, Lily was back home again, safe and sound. Officer Martin had managed to find her, even though her kidnapper had done a great job at hiding her. As it turned out, the woman had planned to take her for a long time already. The woman was her aunt, Carla. She had gotten out of touch with her family after committing various crimes. Her parents, Martha and James, had tried everything they could to get her back on the right path, but she didn’t want to hear anything from them anymore. However, years after she cut all ties, she tried to steal Lily from her mother one day while they were playing in the park. Lily’s mother found out and immediately called the police on her, and that was the last time anyone in the family had ever heard from her — until that day.
Carla had heard the sad news of her sister’s passing, and instead of contacting her family, she saw an opportunity to finally carry out her plan. She had always wanted a daughter, and now that her sister was gone, why couldn’t she just take hers? This was absolutely ridiculous, of course, but Carla was not aware of that.
Luckily, James and Martha had done the right thing and contacted the police right away when they noticed something was off. Lily was returned home safely, and Carla was arrested and sent to prison. Lily continued to live with her grandparents, and they forged the best relationship they could possibly have. They still visited her mother’s grave as often as they could, but from that day on, they always made sure to go together. They were a family, and they were a team.
