Never Shall We Die (a short story)

"T! T!"
A little girl, looking to be about eight or nine, struggled up the grassy hill towards the huge oak tree at the top. Her free hand dug into the soil in order to speed up her climb - the other was preoccupied with a glass jar, seemingly empty.

The child finally reached the top of the incline, and continued without stopping. "Look!" The figures sitting at the base of the tree looked up just as she cannoned into its arms. "OOF," the woman grunted. The two started to laugh - the child's a bubbly giggle, the other's a rich, more relaxed sound. "Okay, okay, what is it?", the lady inquired. "Come on, Her, don't mess with me."

"Well, since it's your birthday, and you're lighting candles and everything, I wanted to give you something, so I went to the meadow!" Heroine tossed her sandy blonde curls, her brown eyes shining. "And I caught you these fireflies, look!" She held the jar out to her mother, who took it and peered at the little insects. Their light reflected in here green eyes, and she smiled. "Honey, they're beautiful."

"Tuna?"

"Yeah, babe."

The girl leaned her head back on Tuna's chest, holding her mother's arms around her. "When do I get to go to that forest we're from? I want to know why we get such weird names, like you and me and Mister Luxor and Mister Pheobus. And Trinket. Especially Trinket."

"You never do run out of questions." Tuna smiled, wrapping a strang of her daughter's long hair around her finger. She looked up at the three candles hanging from the oak tree. "I don't know, kid. Soon, I think."

Herione, previously lulled, suddenly shot upright. "I saw a flower that I wanted to give you too! But I couldn't carry it. I'll go get it." She raced down the hill, towards the patch of grass where Tuna had been watching her.

The blonde woman sat still for a moment, then stood up and turned to look at her candles. First you, Her. She's got your adventurous streak, that's for sure. Then you, Gramps...don't worry, I told her all the stories you told me. She stopped at the last. It, too, reflected in her eyes, now illuminating a pensiveness that hadn't been there before.

Footsteps behind her prepared her for a light touch on her shoulder. "I've been keeping an eye on her from the woods. It's hard to stay hidden - she's bouncing off the walls!" Tuna grinned, turning her head to look at the man as he moved around to stand next to her. "The gang will obnoxiously arrive tomorrow, presents and all. If you want, Trinket could babysit while we head over for a beer."

"I'd like that. So would she."

He noticed her stillness, and, carefully, put an arm around her shoulders. "You have an odd tradition," he remarked quietly. Tuna shrugged. "He's been gone for five years now. I didn't think I'd miss him like I do...then again, I didn't think one night could give me this much." She laughed quietly, her eyes on the third candle. Its dance was mesmerizing...

"You've changed so much." Key sighed, then craned his neck to kiss her on the forehead. "Happy birthday." She watched him depart, then looked back at the candles. Yeah, I miss you guys. But I know where to find you. Smiling to herself, Tuna closed her eyes and blew the candles out one by one.
---
A look into Tuna's (possible) future. Do you think I made it BLATANTLY OBVIOUS enough?

[edit] Bumped for the sake of shameless plugging.