She's alone, never and always.

Prologue:

"Never again will a single story be told as though it's the only one"

                                                                      ( John Berger)

I could start this with a "Once upon a time there lived a twin, a pair of Siamese souls.." but I won't.

For this story is of then and now.Of the past and present merged imperceptibly.

This ain't a singular story.

This is the story of a universe, untold, hence forgotten.

It rains hard.

The lone, broken pillar shivers in the estranged silence of an empty churchyard.

Given company by the skeletons of a bygone era.

A lone figure sits by the epitaph. 

Nails trace a name over the freshly dug soil.

Centipedes crawl over the cold, wet marble.

Dandelions peep from behind shrubs.

Daffodils tiptoe towards the lake, and stare in silent admiration at their own faces.

Kiki loved Daffodils, thought Coco, as she observed the pattern she traced before her.

Ants scurry hither and thither, their trail washed down by the shower.

Ants don't mind the sister and she doesn't figure in their conversations.

An Earthworm nudges her head out of her hole and retreats back.

It's raining very hard indeed.

Coco loved the rains.

Kiki made her paper-boats using old scrap-book papers.

Coco labelled them and scribbled tiny messages on the sides.

The boats traversed towards unseen shores.

Leaving behind pairs of intent  eyes, naked anticipation and excitement written all over.

A Thrush sits on the white, bare scaffolding.

Turning around his neck, he assesses the situation.

Satisfied, he rests, preening his feathers, idly.

It drizzles silently. Cold wind walks by.

Kiki loved the cold.

Kiki loved everything cold.

Cold storms. Cold furniture.

Cold sundae on Sundays.

Cold metal bedframe.

Cold frappe in summers.

On Sundays, they rode to the ice cream parlour across the streets and had their favourite fudges.

Always, a peppermint for Coco and a blackforest for Kiki.

Only after that came the treat of pretzels.

The Pimpernel laugh, with eyes that watch what lay within as what lay ahead.

The heavy branches slowly waver in the low breeze, as life changes pace around the churchyard.

A Sparrow flies in low and pick at pips of pears and cherries.

Pears~that which Coco so dearly loved.

Sparrows, too.

Reminding of how Kiki used to feed them prunes over their patio, in the afternoon.

Only after their grammar.

Coco fell behind as Kiki rushed towards the sparrow, steady on her feet, calling out loudly.

"Over here, birdie!"

Sweat glistening over her brow, she chased all around the patio in an improptu jig, trying to scatter prunes around.

The happy face of Dahlia beams at the sight of the lone sister.

The twins have stopped by to say "hello".

The twins, she loves. The twins care about her.

The Ivy creeps into the yard through the old, wrought metal gate. 

The Ivy asks her of her sister.

"Really, why are you alone, Coco?

Where is your sister?"

Coco sighs.

The Centipedes and Ants stop their movements.

The Earthworm peeps out of the tunnel.

The Dandelions, the Daffodils and Pimpernel bends towards her, trying to listen.

The Thrush and Sparrow flock together and sit down by her feet.

The Dahlia looks down on her, her eyes empathetic, brimming with tears.

"I didn't wanna let her go.

But the four winds blew her away.

I didn't wanna leave her so.

But the four winds stole her away."

The Cold Wind rattled the wrought iron gates to the graveyard, his brittle teeth cackling in interrupted sounds of laughter.

It rains hard over the stones. That lie over bare bones.