Night Time Story: Grandma’s Magical Rocking Chair
Lily sighed as she helped her parents clean out Grandma Rose’s cottage. It had been three months since Grandma went to heaven, and the house felt empty without her warm smile and cookie-scented hugs.
“Look what we found in the attic,” Dad called, carrying down a wooden rocking chair. It was old and worn, with roses carved into the armrests.
“That’s Grandma’s special chair!” Lily ran her hand over the smooth wood. This was where Grandma told her the best stories.
“We thought you might like to have it in your room,” Mom said gently.
That night, Lily couldn’t sleep. She climbed out of bed and sat in Grandma’s rocking chair, wrapping herself in a quilt Grandma had made. She began to rock slowly.
“I miss you, Grandma,” she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek.
As the chair creaked back and forth, something strange happened. The room seemed to blur around her. Lily blinked, and suddenly she wasn’t in her bedroom anymore.
She was sitting in a sunny meadow. Wildflowers swayed in the breeze, and a young girl with braided hair was picking daisies nearby.
“Hello?” Lily called.
The girl turned, and Lily gasped. Though much younger, she recognized those kind eyes and gentle smile.
“Grandma Rose?”
The girl laughed. “My name is Rose. Who are you?”
Before Lily could answer, the scene changed. Now she was in a classroom full of children in old-fashioned clothes. Young Rose sat at a desk, secretly feeding a baby bird she had rescued.
The chair rocked again, and Lily watched Rose grow up. She saw her as a teenager, dancing at her first school party. She saw her meeting Grandpa for the first time, both of them laughing as they bumped into each other at the county fair.
Lily saw her grandparents’ wedding day, and later, Rose holding Lily’s father as a baby. Each memory was warm and bright, filled with the love that made Grandma Rose so special.
With each gentle rock of the chair, a new memory unfolded.
Lily learned things about her grandmother she’d never known – how she had once saved a neighbor’s dog from drowning, how she had taught herself to play piano, and how she had marched for peace when she was young.
When the chair finally slowed, Lily found herself back in her bedroom. The clock showed only minutes had passed, but she felt as if she had lived years of memories.
The next morning, at breakfast, Lily asked, “Dad, did Grandma ever rescue a baby bird at school?”
Dad looked surprised. “How did you know about that? She kept it in her desk for weeks until it could fly. Grandma loved that story.”
Lily smiled. “And did she really teach herself to play piano?”
“She sure did,” Mom chimed in. “But how did you know? We never told you that.”
Lily just shrugged. “Grandma told me last night.”
Her parents exchanged confused looks, but Lily kept her secret.
Every night after that, Lily would sit in the rocking chair and travel through Grandma’s memories. Sometimes she watched important moments, and other times just simple, happy days. Each trip helped her feel closer to Grandma Rose.
One night, as the chair rocked her through a Christmas memory, Lily noticed Grandma Rose looking right at her and smiling, as if she could see Lily watching.
“Remember, my darling,” Grandma’s voice seemed to whisper, “as long as someone remembers our stories, a part of us lives on.”
Lily understood then that the chair wasn’t just showing her the past – it was helping her keep Grandma’s memory alive. And as long as she remembered, Grandma would never truly be gone.
Years later, when Lily had children of her own, she would sit them in the old rocking chair and start to rock. “Let me tell you about your Great-Grandma Rose,” she would say. And as the chair creaked gently, the stories – and the magic – lived on.
By Morgan Winters
