‘I love this place,’ she mused. ‘It’s hauntingly beautiful, and an oasis of calm in such a busy city.’
I’d never really thought of a graveyard full of dead bodies as peaceful. But as I said, this was what she did. She made me see things throughhereyes.
Although, I couldn’t resist teasing her. ‘Haunting, yes. Beautiful? Hmm, I’m not so sure about that.’ I cast my assessing gaze over the multitude of headstones and mausoleums. She was right about it being an oasis. Even though we were in the heart of the city, it somehow felt like we were somewhere miles away. No road noise, no car fumes, no people. Well, none that were rushing around us, anyway.
She let out a wistful sigh. ‘I love coming here. The atmosphere of the place changes throughout the day, and some of my best images have been captured here.’ Enthusiasm radiated from her like sunlight, and I found myself caught up in the moment, appreciating the intricate stone carvings and the loving care that people clearly still took over the resting places of their loved ones.
I mentally went through the catalogue of Star’s work that I had seen, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember seeing any pictures of this place.
When her gaze returned to mine, I linked my fingers with hers. ‘It doesn’t look familiar to me. I mean, I don’t recall any of your work based round cemeteries and gravestones.’
Star released one of her hands and reached out from where we stood on a path that curved round the large open space.
She lightly ran a finger over the top of the nearest stone. ‘Ah, well that’s because they’re a work in progress.’ She pursed her lips and paused for a moment. ‘I’m not really sure they’ll suit everyone’s tastes.’
She tugged at my hand and led me farther in amongst the graves. ‘I love the serenity here. The feeling of time standing still… the history.’ She stopped and turned towards me. ‘Have you never been here before?’
Being a native of Edinburgh from the start of my life, I could honestly say I had indeed never been there before. In fact, I was blissfully unaware of its existence.
I cringed, conscious of the fact that she was an interloper here and I wasn’t. ‘Erm, no this is definitely a first for me.’ I laughed lightly. ‘Can’t say that visiting a graveyard was on my list of things to dobeforeI die.’ I pointed to our surroundings. ‘Obviously,whenI die, this is my go to place.’
She giggled, and my heart skipped at the wonderful sound.
We walked around for another hour or so, Star snapping away every so often when something caught her eye. I watched in awed silence as she tilted her head this way and that, trying to capture the image just right in her mind.
She read many of the stones, telling me: ‘It’s important to read the stones that look a little neglected. These were people too. Loved once. They should be remembered fondly, even when there’s no one alive who’s connected to them.’ A look of melancholy graced her features as she spoke, and she stooped to pull some weeds away from one such stone.
I found myself clearing my throat, taken back by the emotion I experienced on listening to her reasons for taking her time to visit the less well-kept resting places. I vowed then and there to return to do just that.
Suddenly she stopped again, and her hand covered her mouth as she gasped. The stone before her was leaning and cracked. ‘Oh wow, Fin. Look.’
I walked over to stand beside her and read aloud the wording on the stone. ‘Forbes Hunter. Gone but not forgotten. 1889 to 1916. Loving son and brother.’
She placed a hand over her heart. ‘He was only twenty-seven when he died. That’s so sad.’
I took a deep breath, emotions knotting my stomach.He could've been my ancestor. ‘I bet he died in World War One, looking at the dates.’
‘Yeah, maybe. Gosh, Fin, that’s the age you are now.’
I shook my head and re-read the wording on the stone.Loving son and brother. That was me once.It was clear that no one had tended to the grave in many years, apart from the caretakers at the cemetery. No evidence of flowers left by loved ones. But at somepoint, he had been loved and missed. My heart ached at the thought that I couldn’t say the same about me as far as my parents were concerned. An overwhelming sense of loss tugged at me. What it must have been like to have been loved so dearly. A lump lodged in my throat, and I imagined my own grave looking the same way, but mine would be due to neglect.
Star grasped my hand and tugged me away from Forbes Hunter’s final resting place. ‘Come on. Let’s go get some ice cream. I think we need it.’ As we walked away, I glanced over my shoulder and found myself hoping the Forbes’ family healed after his death.
We headed for the wrought iron gate once again, and I felt a sense of inner calm that I possibly wouldn’t have felt had it not been for Star bringing me to this place. She truly was an enigma. This quirky, pink-haired American with a heart as big as the world.
33
Fin
Nate from the band called me at home a couple of days after my visit to the graveyard with Star. He announced that Mr Hyde had our first official bonafide gig. His call threw me for a loop and sent my brain into a tumultuous spin. Okay, the band rehearsals had been going great, but the thought of actually performing on stage with the band hadn’t been a firm reality.
Until Nate’s call.
‘So, we’ve said yes to the show, pal. The guys are all psyched up and ready. And we know you’re ready. You’ve knocked our bloody socks off, man. Anyway, extra rehearsals until the gig on Saturday if you’re free. If not, we’ll just go with the flow.’
My heart pounded in my chest. ‘Y-yeah, sure. Sounds great. I... I can do extras.’
To say I had been given very little notice was an understatement. I was absolutely bloody terrified. Star insisted it was a good thing that I had less time to dwell on it and build it up into something scary and negative. She did her best to calm me and take my mind off things for the whole week, but the gig came round far too quickly after a run of solid rehearsals.
