Hi everyone! This is the last chapter for May and Julia! Please, let me know what you think in the comment section and if you have any ideas for stories. I’d love to know what you think! The image which I used was painted by a Russian artist named Vadislav Nagornov. I highly recommend checking out his work! His paintings are absolutely beautiful! 

           Poor May! What had been marred couldn’t be made clear. May knew that frostbite often left
permanent marks on the face of a victim, like her. But May started walking
again. She must find December. December was bent studying the curves of
snowflake designs when May arrived.

He
turned around and gasped. Before he could utter a syllable,

May
said, “December, I’ve fulfilled my part of the promise. It’s your turn.”

December
went over to May and said, “You poor soul. How did this happen?”

May
sighed again and said, “I believe that it was your children.” December winced.

May
knew that December felt half-guilty for not discipling them better. They
wreaked havoc wherever they went, leaving a dark shadow of misery in the places
which they had fled.

December
took May’s hands in his own, very gently, and said, “For your heroism,

I am not one to give compliments
readily, I will keep my promise. You can be sure of that.” May looked up
into December’s face and gave him a smile of deep sincerity.

Perhaps,
May thought as she walked back to her favorite spot under Julia’s window,
December does deserve my respect after all. Then again, May
thought, who doesn’t? She smiled.

Her
smile was radiant even though it was covered in scars. Her smile was even more
radiant a few months later as she looked down at the sleeping form of Julia. The
house was quiet.

Julia’s
parents hadn’t woken up yet. May was glad that she had Julia all to herself. She
put her head close to Julia’s, to kiss her friend’s soft cheek. As she did so,
she noticed that Julia’s skin was cool. Her fever must have broken in the
night! May gently shook Julia by the shoulders until her friend’s eyelids
fluttered open with a motion similar to a butterfly exercising its new wings.

            Julia stared at her friend, as
though she didn’t understand why she had been interrupted in the pink, dewy
land of dreams, until she took a breath. Julia didn’t cough! Julia’s eyes and
mouth simply gaped. She was incapable of speech. Then, with a glad shout, she hurled
herself into May’s open arms. May held Julia close to her heart and smiled
deeply. The joy of this moment more than repaid her hours of labor among her
woodland neighbors and the mask of ugliness which had overtaken her beauty.
When Julia’s parents came into the room, a flurry of embraces and kisses
followed. But, out of caution, Julia’s parents mandated that their daughter
should rest inside the house until she gained enough strength in her legs,
which were shaky from disuse. When May came to visit, Julia laughed and said
that she walked like a new-born fawn.

Although
May felt keen disappointment at the thought of waiting to watch her friend
bound outside, especially after the long separation, she didn’t argue with this
decision. She kept up with spring, causing bees to weave songs of pleasure in
their work, as she had the year before.

The
year passed away on the dying embers of winter. Wreaths bowed down to the
springtime.

When
May met her friend outside, she saw that Julia’s hair, eyes, and skin looked
healthy again.

But
one thing had changed. The curiosity in Julia’s eyes, which used to shine like
morning glories when she played in greenery with her friend, had died away. It
was replaced by an expression that almost seemed cynical. May frowned; this
didn’t seem like Julia at all.

            When May tried to touch her, Julia stepped
backwards. May sucked in her breath, as though it hurt her. Why was Julia
acting like this? Julia didn’t give any clue when she looked down at the ground
and traced her foot where there had once been a rabbit burrow. All the
fuzz-covered babies had grown up and left by now. May remembered how much Julia
had laughed when she had first seen them. Now, Julia looked like she couldn’t
laugh at anything.

Julia said, “May, I don’t wish to
appear rude, but I believe that it is time that I stopped paying so much
attention to fantasies. I’m too old for them, including you, I’m afraid.”

May’s
temper began to rise. Would her friend actually desert her after all that she
had done?

            May felt her jaw become rigid as she
said, “Julia; this isn’t fair. You’re acting like a…”

Julia
tapped her foot impatiently and said, “May, I’ve made other friends.”

            May pointed to herself and asked,
“But what about me?” Julia didn’t answer.

She
merely looked away. Just as May was about to offer an argument, she heard a
noise.

It
was the sound of children’s voices. Julia looked at May, half-guiltily, and
said,

            “I’m sorry, but I have to go; my
friends have invited me to play on their swings.”

            “But Julia…” May said in a smothered
voice. But Julia merely ran in the other direction.

As
May watched Julia play with her friends, as though the world had just been
born, tears filled her eyes. After all that she had done, her sacrifices were
not appreciated. It made her bitter.

But
just as May was about to raise her voice, to scold Julia, her eye caught sight
of the cherry tree. They still smelled like fresh apricots and their blossoms
flamed pink, like a sunrise. May

wiped
away her tears. Friendship could never be renewed by impatience. Like the
flower of a cherry tree, it would only be bruised with force. She turned from
Julia’s window and went home.

Over
the years, May was occupied by duties. She drew silver on leaves and brought
furry infants into the world. It didn’t seem as beautiful without Julia. However,
one day, when May was standing under Julia’s window, out of habit, an older
version of Julia walked up. Her face looked different. Tears glistened in her
eyes as she said, “May, would you ever forgive me? I’ve been so foolish and…”
Her voice broke. May took Julia into her arms and held her tightly.

Julia
explained that she had made friends with cousins during her recovery as a
child.

They
didn’t believe in fairy tales and had openly taunted Julia when she told them
about May.

Julia
wiped her tears, looked up into the face of her friend, and said,

“I
know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness but please…” May held up her hand,

and
said, “Of course, I forgive you. How could I reject my beautiful friend?”

Later
that day, Julia and May stood in front of the cherry tree and pointed out new
leaves.

So, that’s the end! I hope that everyone enjoyed it! I love you guys, and Jesus does too! A very joyous Sabbath to you all!