Lovers in Death

Aspen's POV-     It was a day like any other, except for one simple detail, it was my birthday. I was finally turning five, I was so excited for some cake. Most of all, I was really hoping my parents had bought me the Jasmine Disney princess doll that I had been asking for.          I got home off the school bus, and with my Minnie Mouse book bag in tow I started running as fast as I could to my house. My tiny legs were getting tired, but once I saw the bright yellow door that hid my cake and presents behind it, I received a surge of energy and barged through the door. I could see my parents sitting at the table, they looked sad for some reason. My mom's mouse brown hair was up into her usual messy bun, her makeup was smeared as if she'd been crying but tried to clean up, and failed miserably. Her bright earthy green eyes met mine and she smiled at me, when I ran up to her she looked surprised, as if she didn't think I would.              "how are you my gorgeous girl!?" she asked me.  "I'm good!!...... Are you okay mommy?" I asked her back,          She looked over to my dad with a confused face, he looked back at her with a look of sheer terror on his face. "I'm fine baby girl, how was school?" she continued.          "It was okay, veronica was mean again today, but I didn't care much cause its my birthday today and we're gonna eat cake together!!" I exclaimed excitedly.     "yes we are my sweet baby! we forgot your candles though, is that okay munchkin?" She said sadly.      "of course mommy!" I replied. My dad was awfully mood today, I didn't know why, and I didn't care, it was my birthday I wanted to be happy.          Eventually my dad got out of his funk and started celebrating with me. I opened my presents and screamed out loud I was so happy. My very last present was my Jasmine doll that I had been begging for. I played with her for a few minutes while my parents were at the bar in the kitchen discussing quietly amongst themselves, when a knock came at the door.      My parents immediately stopped talking and looked at the door in horror, before my mom got up and came to me. She had an ocean of tears flowing from her beautiful green eyes, she placed her hands on my shoulder and it flashed through my head.  They were in the car, they were on the way to get candles for my cake, when an eighteen-wheeler ran a red light and t-boned them at 80 mph. The glass shattered, the metal folded up as if it was paper, my mom was crushed like her bones were that of a soft cotton material. My dad was thrown from the car, and his entrails sliced out of his body by the shattered windshield. Dead on Impact.      I snapped back to the present, my mom was looking at me, tears still streaming. I looked at my dad, he was crying too. I had never seen him cry before. Now that he was, he was dead.       "did you hear me Aspen?" my mom said scared and still hysterical.  "no mommy, I'm sorry..." I replied.         "I said we love you with all our heart, I hope you never doubted that, never forget-" she was cut off by another knock at the door which caught her attention causing her to turn her gaze towards the voice. "Police, open up!" said the other side of the door.     "never forget how much we loved you baby." she said and wiped her tears. "I'll never forget, I promise." I replied.  My dad then walked over and hugged me up in a huge embrace along with my mo who also began to hug me.  "I'm didn't care about the stupid candles this much..." I said into their ears and began to cry as well.  They both pulled back and looked at me with faces full of surprise,  "I love you guys, it'll be okay." I said and I walked over to the front door.  When I opened the door, everything was dark, I guess a storm was coming. How fitting. I was taken to the police station and given a blanket and some hot chocolate.         A woman in uniform came over and started to talk to me.  "Hey sweetheart, how are you?" she asked me.          "Is this about my parents dying?" I blatantly asked her.  Her eyes grew wide with shock and disbelief.  "Has someone already come to talk to you?" she asked me.            "No, they came to see me, then they showed me." I said.  Being a little kid, they just brushed it off as trauma, and entered me into the foster care system. It didn't register until I was much older and all the details of my parent's accident was released to me, that I celebrated my birthday with their ghosts. That's why my dad was in a funk, and why they were surprised to receive acknowledgement from me.                                                                  I was such an ignorant child.