There is a grave on the corner of west and third. It has no name, in particular, all the money was spent on saving its occupant. It is bland, cold, and simple. 

If you listen, I'll tell you how it got there. 

The next five months had come and gone painfully the last three, on Fred orders were spent at home in bed. 

Ilios to her horror wasn't allowed to go to school. She wouldn't be able to stay at Gustaves, she wasn't able to see her beloved aunt. 

It was driving Autumn mad, being chained up in this house all day, with nothing to do. 

Eli had begged and pleaded with every member of his family for weeks.  

No one would listen. 

Why would no one listen? 

Why could no one else see the silence that was driving her mad? No one else hears the music that was crescendoing into a disaster. 

No one would listen. 

Why wouldn't they just listen?

"Gustave," Autumn had said slowly one night as the moon shined down on them through the open window. "Gustave, if I don't-"

"Shhh," Gustave sighed, pushing the thought from his mind. 

"Gustave, we have to discuss this," Autumn said tearily eyed. 

"No, we don't. Elis has been putting ideas in your head." Gustave said bitterly shaking his head.

"Eli noticing facts and stating them truthfully isn't what caused this," Autumn whispered resting a hand on her husband's wet cheek. "Gustave, even if I'm gone. if I'm out of sight. When you look around, there's still good in the world. I'm still there, in your heart." 

"Corny," Gustave laughed through sniffles. 

"Stop," Autumn smiled through her tears. "Remeber when we taught Luke to ride his bike?" 

"I remember." 

"You know how he kept falling, and it hurt him, so he gave up? The bike was in the attic for weeks."

"Autumn," Gustave said shaking his head vigorously. 

"No!" she said starkly "No Gustave I have to say this."

"But I don't know what to say!" Gustave stated firmly right back. "I was going to stay with you forever. Don't even think of saying goodbyes, we've only just gotten started you and me. We'll deal with it when the time comes." 

Autumn let tears stream down her face until her eyes were red and stung with salt. 

Silence settled comfortably between them, Gustave getting her tangled hair gently as if she were some precious gem, hidden to all but him. 

Kissing her lovingly, stopping the words of protest, she slowly gave in to his touch, feeling his hands strong on her waist.

"Gustave," She choked pulling away, "I'm sorry."

Gustave gave a small sad chuckle, "For what?"

Autumn broke into scared sobs of pain, a hand to he abdomen.  

"No," Gustave said rising and running his fingers through his hair. "No, it's too early. No." 

"Gustaves, there's nothing to bed done,"  Autumn said meekly eith a wince sitting up and placing her slippers on. 

"Fred, I'll go get Fred," Gustave said firmly grasping her hands. 

"Don't leave me," Autumn gasped. 

Gustave clashed his lips to hers and pried himself away, rushing out the door without another moment's hesitation.

Autumn barley made it to the door before the darkness overwhelmed her. 

-------------

She awoke weak and tired, dizzy and confused in a bed that was not hers, surrounded by strange nurses and faces whispering overhead. Desperately she opened her mouth to speak, to scream, but no words or noise came out. 

Finally, one nurse turned her attention to the invalid, and noticing her eyes, gave her a smile of pity. 

"Don't strain yourself," The woman said softly.

Autumn gasped for air, "Who are you?"

Autumn thought for a moment that the woman looked injured as if she was supposed to know who she was. 

"Rest dear," The woman said softly.

How strange.

Slowly memory started creeping back into her thoughts, moments of pain, cries and terrified yells for Doctors and water and help. 

"Gustave," She finally said abruptly startling every other person in the room. "Where is my Husband?"

A strange, handsome man came over and placed his hand in her, "Autumn, I'm right here."

"My name isn't Autumn," She said shaking her head painfully, "I don't think it is. I-I don't know I can't remeber." 

"Shhh," he whispered brokenly, taking her hand tighter, "I am Gustave. Gustave Destler. And you are my wife." 

Autumn nodded, for some reason she trusted this man, this stranger who claimed he was not only familiar but close to her. How much she ached all over, a strange slow beating in her chest growing duller. 

"The time, has come," Gustave laughed tearfully as a doctor gave him a strange glance, with strange words Autumn didn't quite understand. 

Autumn looked from him to the strange room, slowly pieceing together her mind. "And Luke? Where's Luke?" 

Gustave bit the side of his cheek, "Please don't let her remeber, God keep this pain from me." he lamanted inwardly.

"Luke is fine," Gustave assured her, "Just relax, calm down and take deep breaths." 

"Am I going somewhere?" Autumn asked slowly. "They were talking about me leaving?"

Gustave turned away, holding strong despite his pain, "No dear. You'll stay right here and me beside you."

Gustave slowly leaned in and gave her an embrace, memory flooded back to her as their lips met, sunny days, laughter, tears: And a little boy in an opera house that had captured her heart. 

"The baby," she said frantically, "Where is she?!"

"You remember?" Gustave choked. 

"Gustave is she-"

"No," Gustave sniffed, "She's beautiful, an angel, just like her mother." 

"Can I see her?"

Gustave bit his lip and shook his head, "No darling, she needs special care." 

Autumn winced as the throbbing slow and steady in her chest tightened and grabbed a better hold on her heart. Everything was such hard work. 

"Autumn stay awake," Gustave said urgently, desperation in his voice. 

"Oh." Autumn nodded, her eyelids barely open, "I see now."

"No," Gustave chided, "No you don't see. Everything going to be fine." 

"I see," Autumn whispered hoarsely.  "My heart doesn't know what to say to comfort you."

Autumn laughed teary-eyed, "I'm so tired Gustave, it's so hard to speak." 

"Don't speak." Gustave said firmly, "Rest. Rest and tomorrow we'll go away, just as two. Trouville! We'll go to Trouville."  

Autumn closed her eyes and Gustave seized her shoulder. 

"Send them in love, I'm alright, let them in." 

Ilios and Luke were sent in from the waiting room, they had always been the closest to Autumn.

They were also the only ones who were willing to say goodbye. 

The others feared Autumn desrined gone, and as Ilios looked on her friend, her sister though in law, she knew it to be true. 

Autumns eyes, barely open had lost all color, all sparkle, dark black circles lay under her eyes. She didn't look human, she barely looked alive. 

"Come, child," Autumn said softly to Ilios took her hand. 

"Thank you for teaching me lessons," She laughed, and giving a glance to Gustave whispered, "Thank you for listening to mine." 

She gave Luke a loving look that brought tears to her eldest sons eyes, "You- you know how to ride a bike now don't you? Don't give up." 

"I won't Mother," Luke nodded. 

"No tears," Autumn said gasping through her own.  "Please be good. And don't you forget me Ilios."

She began shaking, her frail body lurching uncontrollably making Ilios heart freeze in terror. 

"Children," Gustave said quickly forcing them from the room. 

Autumn clutched her chest.

"Autumn," Gustave lamented holding tightly to her hand, "My God do not leave me here alone. I don't know what I'll do, I don't know how to live without you." 

"You'll learn," the unearthly tone replied.

He tried desperately to keep her talking, to use every second, every excuse to the full. The only responses he received were glances and hysteria. 

Autumn scrunched her face, trying to listen to his every word, but her hearing was becoming dull and rigid, only a few words breaking through the icy silence that was slowly dripping like cold freezing waters across her mind. 

"Let me come," Gustave begged, "Let God take me too. I can't so do this. Don't you leave me, Autumn, don't you dare. Let me come."

"No," Autumn stated, "You can't come with me."

"Then stay," Gustave begged.

"I wish I could," Autumn sobbed, "I know it's hard-"

Gustave shook his head violently.

 "Let it end." he thought to himself, "Let this suffering be over, put me out of my misery, this torture." 

Autumn used the last of her strength to place a hand to his chest, feeling his heart beat steadily and strongly in contrast to her own. 

"I'm right here," she said firmly, "Forever. I won't be seen, won't be felt, I'll- still here. Love. Always darling, Love deep."

Gustave turned away as his wife coughed violently and fells still. 

"Gustave," she whimpered, "Let a little of the moonlight in."

Gustave raced to the window, pulling the curtains open as nurses and Doctors flooded out of the room. 

Gustave stared to the corse and unchanged moon. How could it watch? How could it bear?

"Come," Autumn whispered delusionally. "Stay."

Gustave felt like screaming, closing his ears with his hands and rushing from the room. 

The four walls became deathly silent, the pitter patter of the rain on the windows pane lulling Autumn deeper into the sleepiness that was consuming her. 

She gave one last gasp of air, Gustave rushing madly to her bedside, crying out in horror that isn't expressible by words. 

"Sunshine," Autumn gasped. "Just across the River."

With that, Gustave felt her small hand go numb, and the cold spread slowly as the minutes passed through every inch of her veins. 

He rose, solemnly, his eyes fixed blazing on the woman in front of him. He had seen what happened to his Father, what love does, it destroys, it breaks, it kills. 

Luke pushed his way past the Doctors and nurses. 

"Let me come!" he screamed, "Let me in! Wheres my Mother?! I want my Mother?!"

Gustave forcefully made his way through the door, pushing Luke aside. 

"Stay!" Luke sobbed grabbing his Fathers arm. 

Gustave ran out the door, leaving his broken son behind. 

Ilios entered the dark room, the cold sending a chill down her spine. 

"Luke," she ctied gasping for air as she tore at her chest, "Luke I think I'm gonna be sick." 

Luke stared deftly at the occupant of the bed, tears running down his once pink cheeks. 

"Come back," Ilios cried approaching the beside, burying her head in the bed covers, "Come back." 

Luke felt something changing within him. A new feeling of solemn responsibility, one his Father had always occupied in the past. He would never let his sister feel like this. 

Never. 

There is a grave on the corner of west and third. It has no name, in particular, all the money was spent on saving its occupant. 

A girl who couldn't be saved. 

It is bland, cold, and simple. 

Icy and monumental for a life so full of light, so full of sunshine. 

Now you know how it got there. 

There are often people who visit it, little girls with light in their names and eyes, sons, fathers, brothers and Mothers. 

But there is one man who will never pass it, who will never willingly see it until the day he is placed beside it. 

He is a broken man. 

He was a good man. 

But the question is never what happens in the story, what leads to the solemn rock in the ground. 

It's how we keep alive after, how we touch and effect, leaving our legacy once were gone. 

It's what happens,

After the End.