Anais Nin: The Last Days

"On January 14, 1977...at 11:55 p.m. Ana s made the transvoyage into her 'World of Music.' Her passover was a blessing, relieving her of over two years of constant pain and misery. She wished her ashes to be scattered from an airplane into the Pacific Ocean where they will be carried to all parts of the world. She wishes you to celebrate her by reading."

When she died, the willow tree outside her window died with her. A few weeks later Rupert cut it down and dug up the stump. He never replaced the willow that had wept over the dark green pool, shedding its fragile leaves into the emerald water, while Ana s lay dying.