Chapter thirteen: Summer’s End
    “I’m leaving tomorrow.” Those were hard for Basil to hear. But it was true. Kohana was leaving tomorrow. So Basil decided to make the best of it. She gave her little friend a tour through the manor, took her to the beach, and took her shopping. Kohana enjoyed her last day at the manor.
    When the sun rose the next morning, Kohana and her nanny were packed up and ready to go. Joobarausagi-san and the servants watched them leave. Basil had all ready said sayonara before the nanny woke up. She was watching her little friend leave from a tree when she remembered…. “I forget to get daddy’s medicine!” she thought. So she quickly climbed down and ran into the city.
    Basil got back to the manor by late evening. She was soaking wet from the heavy rain. The place was dark. Basil quietly snuck in the open window. She ran upstairs and opened her Joshu’s bedroom door. Her father was still awake. “Daddy. I’ve brought your medicine!” Basil exclaimed. Silence. That was all she got. She began walking closer. Joshu turned to her. His eyes were blank. Basil began taking out the brunt red bottle from the paper bag and opening it. “You didn’t have to….” Joshu said in a weak voice. “Shhh.” said Basil. Then she poured a little bit of the liquid in the cap. “Drink this.” she said softly as she slowly poured the liquid in his mouth. “Domo….. Ari…..gato……Bas…..il…” Joshu said at last. Then he went to sleep. “Just rest now.” Basil whispered. Then she fell asleep beside him.
    But Joshu never woke up. When the servants found out he died, they began making funeral preparations. The funeral was held at the lake. Basil wasn’t there. She was walking through the woods to her river. It would too painful for her to watch her father’s body eaten by the flames.
Basil:
    Momma kept daddy’s ashes in a jar in his office. Three days after his death, she began abusing me. I would hide in my cave. That summer was the last time I saw little Kohana-chan again. Finally, at age seventeen, I ran away from the manor, hoping never to return again. My childhood and summers were burned with my daddy’s body.
Owari
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Author’s note: After I saw the anime movie, “Grave of the Fireflies”, and heard the song, “I’m With You” by Avril Lavigne, I was inspired to write this novel. I also looked at some paintings to help me out. Plus the song “Ain’t Afraid to Die” by Dir En Gray helped me with the last chapter. Pretty sad ending, eh?