Never2muchpinkie

My mom had the same reaction. She said she was curios about where Saya's parents were, and thought it would end with her meeting up with them, but that whole possessed parents thing and pushing her and Thomas together to feast on his soul really threw her for a loop. Links to my other stories. http://mlpforums.com/topic/76964-brotherly-hate-brotherly-love/ http://mlpforums.com/topic/76962-the-last-goodbye/ Hope they meet your satisfaction like this one So what did you think of Saya's backstory? I think Saya's death had a little more meaning because she didn't just die of cancer. She got out and was just starting to find the joys of life before it was taken away trying to do a good deed for her former hospital mates. Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked the twist I threw in. Possessed soul devouring parents was something that threw my mom off too, and really got her into the story. Links to my other stories if you'd like to see more of my work. http://mlpforums.com/topic/76962-the-last-goodbye/ http://mlpforums.com/topic/76964-brotherly-hate-brotherly-love/ I'm not sure which part of the ending you TOTALLY didn't cry at , but I'm glad I could help inspire some emotions in you. I think Saya's backstory had a little more meaning because she didn't just die of cancer. She got out and was just starting to find the joys of life before it was taken away trying to do a good deed for her former hospital mates.

Thank you for your feedback. While I may have what I think is a simplistic writing style, I tend to write in a way that gets to people's hearts and is easy to relate to. I know my writing isn't perfect, but as long as people like my works that's good enough for me. I have two more stories on this site so check them out if you're interested. Thanks for reading my work

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! I have two other stories on this site so please check them out when you get a chance. I'm glad I was able to entertain you.

Thank you! Not exactly like changelings. It was more like their spirits were possessed by evil spirits. Glad you enjoyed it. I have some more works on this site if you're interested.

The girl at the window Part 1: The mystery Thomas Baker was walking home from school with his best friend Mitchell. They were both ten years old and in the fourth grade. They basked in the freedom that only comes from being free to spend the rest of the afternoon as they wished. They lived in a small town that was big on outdoor activities. As the two were walking along, joking and looking for some people to play ball with, Thomas happened to glance up towards the sky to look at the clouds. As his head went back down he noticed something in an upstairs window. At first he thought it was a doll, but then it moved and he realized it was a girl. She seemed to be scanning the street. He judged her to be about six to eight years old. Ordinarily he wouldn’t pay her any mind, but she had such a sad look on her face that he stopped and gave her a cheery wave, all he was really able to do. He mentally kicked himself for such a silly action, but he looked on with surprise as it actually seemed to do the trick. Her eyes stopped moving around and focused on him with excited surprise. She waved her hand really hard at him, looking almost ecstatic. Her action perplexed him. It was just a wave, after all. He was pulled away from thoughts of the blonde haired girl by Mitchell, who had turned around to see what was holding him up. Putting it out of his mind he ran to catch up. The next two days were weekend days, but Monday afternoon as they were walking home Thomas took notice of the house and giggled with amusement. “What?” Asked Mitchell. “What’re you laughing at?” “Oh, it’s nothing really. The other day I saw a girl in the window at that white house. I don’t know why, but I waved at her, and she reacted like we would if we were told there was no homework for the rest of the year.” “Well, that’s silly.” Glancing up towards the window he saw she was there again, still just looking around. As if she had felt him looking she turned towards him, waving very animatedly. Wondering if she recognized him as the boy from a few days ago he waved back automatically, once more finding her reaction odd. He went to point her out but some of their school friends came running up to them, asking them if they wanted to play some baseball. Heading home from school the next day his eyes habitually went to the window in the house. As usual she was there, and he took the initiative this time. She responded just as cheerily as she always did. He wondered why she was always looking out the window, but the answer seemed obvious. That was probably her bedroom, and she was waiting for her brother or sister to come home from school so they could play together. It became a daily routine for him. It only took a few seconds of every day, but a part of him always waited with a touch of excitement as he loved the joy he caused in her. Beyond that they had no interaction. One day after school, his curiosity aroused after a month of the little waving ritual, he went to his mom to see if she knew anything. Even though he had been living there two years he didn’t know that many people outside of kids from school. But his mom was a social animal, always anxious to meet new people and expand her circle. He described the house and the girl. His mother, Penny, was busy straightening up, but she took the time to think it over. “Hmmm. I’m sorry. It just doesn’t ring a bell. I’ve never seen a girl like you described. I don’t know everyone in town, you know?” “Not yet.” Thomas replied with a laugh. Handing her dishes to place in the cabinet she suddenly paused, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Unless I miss my guess, I thought that house was unoccupied.” “It can’t be. I mean, yeah, it did look a little uncared for, but I’ve seen her a bunch of times.” “Hmm. I’m going to have to check back with you on that. If that child is routinely going into an empty house there is something wrong going on.” The next day he waved to the girl as usual. When he got home his mom called him, not sounding happy. Setting his bookbag on the couch he went to the kitchen to see his mother, her eyes narrowed. “So, are you happy now, now that you’ve wasted valuable time that could have gone to something more important?” “What?” He asked, a perplexed look on his face. “I asked about that house you were telling me about, and I was told it’s been empty since the year before we moved here. Three years!” Thomas started to respond but she cut over him. “So I called the sheriff to investigate whether some kids are using it as a playhouse or some such. They told me it doesn’t look like anyone’s been in it for a long time, even in that upstairs bedroom.” “How could that be? I mean-“ Again Penny talked over him. “I don’t know what your intention was in making up such a story, but that officer could have been using his time on an actual emergency. Feh. You probably just wanted an excuse to go in there yourself. ‘Oh, I had to go in there to see why this girl was in there.’” “I’m not making it up!” Thomas said strongly. “I didn’t even know that house was abandoned until you told me about it.” “I can’t be sure. Now go do your homework.” Thomas was fuming as he grabbed his bag from the living room, doing his homework as quick as possible before leaving to go see who was around the park to play. He saw Mitchell playing soccer with a few kids and got an idea. Mitchell wanted to be a photographer when he grew up, and was always borrowing his parents’ camera, so they got him his own for his birthday. He waited for a little bit for the game to finish, then went up to him. Mitchell turned toward him as he called. “Hey, Tommy.” He called out, using his nickname. “What’s up?” “I need your help.” “With what?” “I need to borrow that digital camera of yours.” “No way!” “Come on! I’ll lend you one of my video games or something.” “You seem really heated up about something. What’s up?” “My mom is mad at me. She thinks I’m lying when I’m not.” Mitchell slapped his hand to his face. “Man, I hate it when that happens. So, what, you want the camera to prove what you’re saying?” “Yes! You know that girl in the window?” “Ah, your little waving buddy.” Putting on a goofy face he waved both arms like his life depended on it. “Oh, hewwo! I wike to wave!” He started laughing hard. Thomas playfully tackled him to the ground and they began wrestling. For a whole minute the two went back and forth, neither able to get a definitive edge on the other. “Alright, alright!” Mitchell said with a laugh. “You win! I’m far too weak and helpless to beat you.” “That’s right!” Thomas said. In a dramatic voice he cried out, “I am victorious!” When he loosened his grip, though, Mitchell took advantage of his lapse, knocking him back down. The two now took this match seriously, each of them trying their hardest to win until they were panting and sweating. They could feel the crowd of kids watching them, which only served to make them push harder. In the end, though, it was Thomas who came out on top. Tired from all the exertion he lay down in the grass next to his friend. “Better?” Mitchell asked. Turning his face slightly toward Mitchell he said, “Yeah.” He took in several more gasps of air before asking, “You let me win, didn’t you?” A sly look crossed Mitchell’s features. “Maybe. You’ll never know, will you?” Thomas raised his hand, then dropped it. “Oh, forget it. I’m too tired to keep going.” For the next few minutes it was quiet, the two of them trying to regain their breath and strength back. “Thank you.” Thomas finally said, breaking the silence between them. “Heh. You looked like you needed to get that anger out of your system. “So now, what about your little girlfriend?” “She’s not my girlfriend!” “Alright. Fine!” “You’ve seen her, right?” “I never paid attention. I don’t know why you do, either.” “According to my mom that house has been abandoned for three years.” “Ah!” Mitchell exclaimed loudly, shooting up. “So an investigation.” “Not hardly!” Replied Thomas, sitting up as well. “I just want to take a picture of her from the outside. I know your camera has a zoom function. My stupid camera is just a disposable so I need yours.” “Meh!” Mitchell let out a sigh as he leaned back onto the grass. “I thought this was going to be fun.” “It might be. My mom called the sheriff to check out the house, and he claims it looks like no one’s been there for a long time. So how could that girl keep being there if no one lives there?” “So what’s the plan?” A twinkle had returned to his eyes. “You wanna see if we can get inside the house to check it out?” “Well, go get your camera. I’ll see if she’s there. If she is I’ll take a picture and shove it right in my mom’s face!” Mitchell suppressed a laugh at the venom in Thomas’ voice. “If she isn’t…” A strange feeling began forming in his stomach, a mix of fear and excitement and anticipation. He didn’t want to just wait until the next day. He wanted to prove her wrong… right now! “Sure…we’ll try to find a way in.” Mitchell pumped his fist. “Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about. Let’s go to my house. My camera is in the bottom drawer of the red dresser. They don’t like me taking it out of the house without them around so I figure you can grab it and they won’t know.” “Sounds good to me.” When they arrived at Mitchell’s house they greeted his parents, saying they were only grabbing a few things before heading out again. Ten minutes later the two of them were standing in the yard of the house. “No sign of her.” Said Thomas. “Of course! Fine. We’ll have to do it the hard way.” “Hey! Did you hear that?” Asked Mitchell. “Hear what?” “I could have sworn I just heard a bang in there, like something fell.” Thomas let out a triumphant laugh. “Call me a liar, will she? She won’t be saying that soon, when I have proof. Someone is in there. I don’t care what the sheriff says.” As they hopped the small fence they began walking toward the house. “I wonder why the house has been empty so long.” Wondered Mitchell. “Three years. You’d think it would have been sold once the old people moved out.” “I don’t know. Maybe they still own it. Maybe it’s like…what does my mom call it? Sentimental value, or something like that.” “That makes no sense. Why would they let it get so messy looking? I mean, the lawn hasn’t been mowed in forever, there’s leaves everywhere, and look at all the garbage people have just thrown away.” “Well, who cares? It’s not important.” Trying the front door they surprisingly found it opened easily. Thomas gave Mitchell an arrogant smirk. “If no one is coming in here, why isn’t the door locked?” “I think you’re right. This is so exciting.” The pair entered the house, closing the door behind them. As it did the two of them got an eerie feeling, as all the natural light faded away with it. The windows were all covered with shades and the sun was going to set soon. Everything was still visible, but not as clearly as they would have hoped. “Tommy?” Started Mitchell with a small amount of trepidation. “Yeah, Mitch. I know. I’m a little nervous too. Let’s just go through the house quickly, see if anyone’s here, then leave.” Trying to bring a sense of excitement back to their little adventure he said, “Hey, let’s pretend like we’re secret agents.” “Okay. Sounds good.” Making a game out of it helped to get their minds off their fear. They creeped around on tiptoes, looked around corners before going down them. The house was relatively barren. Very little remained of what was likely a full house at its prime. They came upon a door that went to a basement. In a tone that made clear there was to be no argument Mitchell said, “I am NOT going down there! I don’t care if there is a light. Basements creep me out.” Thomas let out a little shuddering breath. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” Thomas closed the door, covering his mouth as he sneezed. “Ah, this dust is starting to get to me.” “Me too. Well, all we have is the upstairs left.” The two of them jumped, letting out little exclamations of fear as they heard creaking upstairs. Their hearts were racing. “I think we should get out of here. There’s definitely someone here besides us.” “No way!” Said Thomas strongly. “It’s got to be her. We’re getting that picture. Come on.” Going back to their stealth mode they went to the stairs. They were carpeted so they made no noise as the pair cautiously climbed up. “I think her room is this way.” He said, pointing towards one of the rooms to the left. The two jumped again as they heard movement coming from the very room Thomas was pointing at. “This is it. Let’s go.” The door was half open, and the pair inched towards it, Thomas stifling another sneeze. As he poked his head inside he saw nothing on either side of the room. Pushing the door open all the way the two of them walked inside. “I could have sworn I heard it coming from here.” The two were suddenly screaming as hands grabbed them both, a rough male voice saying, “Gotcha!” Part 2: Determination Penny gave out a big sigh, standing in the kitchen, her lips thin and her arms crossed as she looked down upon her son and his friend sitting at the kitchen table. “Thank you, sir, for bringing my son home.” She said in a curt voice. Thomas didn’t dare look up at the moment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the sheriff standing nearby. “It was no problem. After getting word that someone may have been going inside I decided to hang around for a little while today to see if anyone showed up.” “I see…” Thomas felt his mother’s glare on him. “Well, my son, the one in the red, was the reason I called you yesterday in the first place.” With a very obvious change in tone she said, “And did you find anything?” “Not today, and not yesterday either.” “There! You see, Thomas? There is NOTHING to be found in that stupid house. Are you satisfied now?” He didn’t bother answering. It was one of those questions that you knew you weren’t supposed to answer. “Well, I have to get back on the beat.” Said the sheriff, tipping his hat to her. “Have a good day.” Directing his words to the two boys he said, “As for you two, don’t go playing around in abandoned houses anymore.” “Yes, sir.” Said the two boys mechanically. Thomas waited once the sheriff left, knowing the boom wouldn’t be far away. “I cannot believe this.” Penny started. “After talking to you yesterday you still decided to go into that house. What were you thinking?” “I don’t understand why you’re so mad.” Replied Thomas. Big, BIG mistake. Penny had been restraining her anger to try to talk to him, but his careless comment pushed her over the edge. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You don’t UN-DER-STAND why I’m so angry? You don’t understand? Do YOU understand the danger you were in? What if you had fallen down the stairs? No one goes in there so no one could have ever told where you had gone. There’s all sorts of mold and dust and mildew all around that could have gotten you sick! What if that hadn’t been the sheriff looking around there? What if it had been some kind of insane lunatic? What if he was a rapist? You’re not usually this stupid! You have to be smarter than this. It’s not your concern whether someone was in that house. That’s why we have the sheriff in the first place!” Her breathing was getting sharper and shorter. “And you, Mitchell!” She snapped, now directing her words at him. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this scot-free. You went along with this plan of his. Get in the car. You’re going home. And you, Thomas, can tell them how you dragged your friend into this dangerous situation.” It wasn’t a pleasant rest of the day. After getting yelled at by his mom he had to explain to Mitchell’s parents, who were just as angry as his mother was, and the two of them got lectured again by both of their parents. A little later, after getting home, his father came home from work, and he got scolded again, his dad expressing clear disappointment in his choices. He wasn’t as loud or outwardly emotional, but his tone was obvious. He was told he was grounded for a week and would be getting a lot of chores. The next day Mitchell barely talked to him, mad because his camera had been taken away and he had been grounded too. After school, for the first time in a long while, Mitchell didn’t walk home with him. Without thinking about it he walked down the same way he always did. The way to Mitchell’s was a little out of his way. He found himself near the elusive house. Automatically his eyes went to the window, and there she was, as always. He found himself getting angry, and nearly just kept walking. With a sigh he thought that he shouldn’t take his anger out on her and gave her a quick wave, her returning it. After doing his homework and an hour’s worth of chores he went to his room. This mystery was driving him crazy. “I know I’m not making it up.” He said to his ceiling, lying on his bed. He thought of everything he knew about her. He could picture her clearly in his head. “She has blonde hair that goes to her shoulders, blue eyes, loves wearing a red shirt.” That was it. Tonight the mystery was going to be solved. He didn’t care what anyone said. He was going to solve this thing once and for all. He would wait until night, and find a way into the house. The sheer ridiculousness of that idea didn’t escape him. He knew if his mother found out he had been out in the middle of the night, going into that house again, he was going to be grounded for at least a few years. He just had to know. There was something…something compelling him to go forward with his plan. Going to sleep early he waited for his alarm to go off at one o’clock. When he heard it he quickly shut it off so it wouldn’t wake his parents. He jumped out of bed, still fully dressed in the blackest clothes he had. He threw on his shoes and opened his window. It was a slightly cool night, so he kept his jacket on as he climbed out. On the way there, partly out of curiosity and partly to distract himself from his fear, both of getting caught and of getting hurt, he asked himself the question that had been bugging him the whole day: If the house was empty, and no one was supposed to be in it, then why was she there? He had seen her too many times for him to believe it was just an illusion or a doll. Was someone pulling a prank on him? Was the sheriff in on it? He shook his head, thinking he was starting to jump to wild conclusions. No one told him to go in the house. And who would pull a prank like that? And why? To get someone in trouble? He stopped moving as a peculiar thought came to mind. Was she a ghost? ‘A real live ghost.’ He thought wondrously. He had never seen a ghost before. But was she really? It would explain why she was there, how no one had seen her, and solve the issue of needing food. However, he couldn’t give up just at that conclusion. As he snuck into the backyard of the house he promised himself that, no matter what he found, or didn’t find as the case may be, that tonight would be the last time he would go there. He would see if there really was someone in there, and then stay away from it. If he didn’t find anything he’d just have to accept that he couldn’t explain why he was seeing her. No matter how afraid he felt he would search the house top to bottom. He tried the front door, unsurprised to find it locked. He was pretty sure he had seen the sheriff lock it as they left. The back door and all the windows were locked too. He eyed a pretty big rock, but put it out of his mind. Abandoned house or not, he didn’t want to just go around busting windows. Nevermind the fact that the sound would draw attention to the house. As his eyes refocused he saw something that made him investigate further. Moving the rock out of the way his eyes lit up. There was another locked window, but the glass was cracked, pieces of it missing. If he just put his weight on it a bit he thought he might be able to get his hand in enough to undo the lock or just rid himself of the pane altogether. The glass was broken in pretty big chucks, and to his delight they came out easily, chunk by chunk. When all the pieces were out he stopped, his heart starting to speed up. Sure, now he had a way in, but he was heading right into the basement. He went into his pocket, taking out the flashlight, and stuck his head in the window, shining the light inside. Having seen several horror movies he half expected a clown face to be right in front of him, ready to drag him to his doom. The reality, of course, was different. There was no sign of life. Aiming the flashlight straight down he saw with luck that there was what looked like a work bench, along with shelves straight against the wall, giving him two footholds to get down on. “Last chance to back out.” He said quietly to himself. He moved the flashlight around one more time to be absolutely sure no one was around. It was deathly quiet. Turning himself around and laying himself flat on the ground he pushed himself backwards with his hands until he felt empty air beneath his feet. He continued until he could bend his legs and touch the top of the shelves. Edging himself further until his whole body was in he lowered himself to the top of the bench, then to the floor. The room was in the shape of a square, with the stairs in the middle, so there were parts that he couldn’t see. His heart now hammering in his chest he kept looking around as he walked. He let out a scream as he bumped into something, something that felt human, the flashlight falling from his hand and going out. “Oh my god oh my god oh my god!” He kept saying as he felt his breath catch in his throat at the raw blackness that had taken over the room. Getting on his hands and knees he quickly scrambled around for the flashlight. When he finally found it he quickly turned it back on, aiming it in the direction of the thing he had bumped into, expecting to see an eight foot tall madman. To his relief it was only one of the dummies that designers use to model dresses. Being down there was seriously getting to him. He made a quick check around, finding no one. He started to head up the stairs, but stopped, feeling like there was someone behind him. He quickly turned the flashlight that way, and there was nothing there. Then it felt like they were in front of him. Forgetting about being quiet he started running up the stairs, feeling he was going to have a panic attack if he didn’t get out of there. He closed the door behind him, panting hard, looking towards the slight bit of moonlight with a sense of relief. He checked the ground floor, a little less unnerved because of that little bit of illumination. Finally there was only the upstairs left. After this, no matter what, the mystery of the house would be solved. Was there, or was there not, someone here? He looked through all the other rooms, leaving the one he was certain he was always seeing her from for last. All empty. Finally…there was only room left. The last place she could possibly be. The only place he had ever seen her. Despite the risks he had taken in getting this far, part of him wanted to just leave right then, to not open that door, to not know the truth. If he left it alone he could always claim he was right in his mind, because he hadn’t proved himself wrong. If he opened it, and there was nothing there, he would have to accept that he had been mistaken, no matter what his eyes had been telling him all this time. That he had gotten his friend in trouble for nothing. The other half of him would accept no such thing. He had come this far. Why not go all the way? Why not prove he was not lying? He struggled with himself, but finally he came to a decision. He had already made a promise not to come back. If he left now, he would always wonder what the truth was. No matter what was behind the door, he would know the truth, one way or the other. Taking a deep breath he put his hand on the handle, anticipation building up as he twisted it, pushing it open…. Part 3: Nightly romps The door creaked as it swung open, the dull moonlight left the room nearly in shadow. However, in front of the window was a dark mass that quickly turned around. Standing there in front of him was the girl he had been seeing the whole time. Thomas was taken by surprise. After all the trouble he had gone through he hadn’t been expecting anything when he opened the door. She was real! He was seeing her up close. Thoughts of his victory were quickly cut short as her voice cried out, “Who are you?” She sounded frightened. “Whoa, whoa!” He said quickly, putting his hands up by his head like he was surrendering. “I’m not going to hurt you. What are you doing here?” “I should be asking you that! You shouldn’t be here.” She shivered as he took a few steps toward her. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I just wanted to ask you something.” She cowered as he approached. Her only response was to head towards the corner to hide. “Just go away!” “Come on. You don’t have to be scared of me. Don’t you recognize me?” She looked up at him quizzically, suspiciously. Standing near the window he was more visible, and the fear instantly left her eyes as recognition crossed her features. “It’s you!” She said joyfully, standing up again. “You’re the nice boy who always waves to me.” She ran over to him, throwing her arms around the surprised ten year old. In his head he thought, ‘She’s touching me. I can feel her arms around me. That means she can’t be a ghost. She has to be real.’ Besides that, in his mind he thought of the ghosts he saw on TV or movies. They looked white and pale, and instead of legs they had what was like a tail at the end. Awkwardly he put one hand around her, patting her back with the other. “So…um, what are you doing here?” Looking up at him mischievously she said, “I should be asking you that. What are you doing in my house?” “Your…house?” “Yeah. I live here.” He mentally shrugged. She used this place as a hideout for something, so if she wanted to call it ‘her’ house, then whatever. “Were you here today, when that other guy was here? I was trying to visit you but I got in trouble. I’m not even supposed to be out here. My mom would have a fit if she knew I was here again.” “Yeah, but I was scared so I hid.” “There’s something I’ve been wondering for a while. You’re always looking out the window whenever I see you after school. Are you waiting for someone?” That had apparently been the wrong question to ask, as the joy left her face as tears started brimming around her eyes. “I’m waiting for my parents.” “Your parents? Where are they?” Again, that was the wrong question to ask. The tears began streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t know! I don’t know!” She buried her head in his chest and began sobbing. “Um…there, there.” He started patting her back again. “Don’t cry. It’s okay.” After a short while she seemed to calm down, little shudders still rocking her body as her emotions began settling. She pulled back from him, looking him in the eyes. “Thank you.” “Um…no problem.” “I like you. Will you play with me? It’s been so long since I had somebody to play with. You’re the only person who ever waved to me. Everybody always walked by, but nobody ever came to visit, or waved to me. Everyone else just ignored me.” “Well, sure. Why not?” A gleeful smile came back to her lips as she went into the closet, pulling out some toys. For about an hour he played with her, when he suddenly remembered the time constraints. He had to get home and quick before his parents figured out he was gone. He also needed to sleep. If he was exhausted in the morning he was sure his mom wouldn’t buy that he had been reading all night. “Listen, um…” He suddenly realized that he didn’t even know her name. “My name is Thomas. What’s yours?” “I’m Saya.” She replied, letting out a laugh. “What’s so funny about that?” He asked, a smile pulling at his lips. “I asked my mom one time why she named me that, and she said it made a good joke.” “What’s the joke?” “She named me Saya because I make her sigh-uh.” Thomas let out a giggle. “That is kinda funny. Well, Saya, I have to go home now before I get in ever bigger trouble.” “Can you come back and play with me again sometime?” Thomas wanted to say no. He didn’t want to risk getting in such big trouble again. However, the sad, pleading look on her face, a fresh round of tears already starting to coat the bottom of her eyes as he hesitated in his answer…he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “Sure. I don’t know when, but I’ll come back again.” She clapped, that giant grin back on her face as she hugged him again. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright here by yourself?” She nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.” He headed back downstairs, with a touch of reluctance to the basement, and climbed the bench and shelves to get back out the window. He moved the rock back in place, but wasn’t sure what to with the glass pieces. If the sheriff started poking around again and saw them he would know someone had gone in there. Taking his coat off he slipped off his undershirt, putting the pieces on top of it and lightly tying the ends together, hoping his shirt wouldn’t get too holey. The next day was trash day, so he simply chucked the pieces in a garbage can before heading back home. Slipping his coat off he threw on a new shirt and lay in bed. He could hardly believe it. The girl was really real. However…he didn’t know what to do with that information. Nobody believed him. Even if he took a picture of her up close how would he prove that it actually wasn’t just some random girl, considering that no one else seemed to have seen her? He shrugged, figuring he would have to be content with knowing that he was right, even if no one wanted to believe it. The next day, on the way to school, Mitchell was taking to him again. “I’m sorry I was mean to you. I was just upset because I can’t use my camera anymore right now.” “That’s okay. I forgive you.” With a small voice he said, “It was fun while it lasted though. It was pretty cool to check out that house.” He considered telling Mitchell about breaking into the house and finding out the truth of the mystery child, but ultimately decided not to. His friend hadn’t really believed him before, only coming along for the excitement of checking out an empty house, so why would he believe now? On the way home he slowed down a bit, letting Mitchell get a little ahead of him before he waved to her. She responded even more enthusiastically than usual, probably wondering whether he would visit again that night. Though he didn’t intend to go that night, something compelled him to wake up in the middle of the night, and he couldn’t fall back asleep no matter how long he stayed in bed with his eyes closed. With that same sense of reckless excitement from the night before he decided that he might as well go, leaving his house and heading over to Saya’s. He was fortunate it was pretty close by, only about ten minutes away. Moving the big rock he saw to his relief that the way in was still unblocked. As he was backing into the window a sudden light from an approaching car got his attention, making him move too quickly. He fell off the top of the shelf, landing on the desk on his side. He rubbed his stinging arm as he climbed down off the bench and up the stairs. He wasn’t nearly as frightened as he had been the first time he was here. His investigation of the house the night before had shown that no one else but Saya was there. This time, knowing for sure someone was there, he knocked on the door before coming in. He saw Saya looking out the window as always, though she turned around when she heard the knocking. “Hey, Saya. I’m back.” “Thomas!” She cried out happily, leaving her vigil to run over to him, almost knocking him down as she crashed into him, looking overjoyed as she hugged him. “You came back! I was so scared you wouldn’t.” “It’s okay. Calm down. I said I would come back, and so I did.” “Let’s play!” She said excitedly, her face bright with energy. As they played their games Thomas couldn’t help but ponder all the questions going through his mind. He couldn’t bring himself to ask them, and ruin her fun. Where were her parents? Why had they left her in an unoccupied house instead of with a friend or relative? The kitchen had a sink, so a drink wasn’t a problem, but where was she getting food to eat? How long had she been there? It had been a few weeks since he had first noticed her. His mind started coming up with solutions for those questions. Maybe she was the daughter of someone important, like the president, and they hid her away so she wouldn’t be in danger. It wasn’t safe yet, so her parents couldn’t come pick her up. It was also possible that she had a stash of food hidden somewhere in the house for when she wanted to eat. Still, even if all that was true, he thought that it had to be incredibly boring being stuck in the house all the time. He hadn’t seen any TV’s left so he guessed she just read books during the day or something. Once more he played with her for about an hour before he left, Saya making him promise to come visit again. That became his new routine. Since the first time he played with her he would always wake up sometime in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep. There was a part of him wondering whether he was dreaming those times, but he didn’t think so. His memories of playing with her were very vivid, unlike with a dream where it would start fading away as soon as he woke up properly. Maybe it was just him, but the rest of the memory was rather fuzzy. His trips to and from the house seemed to not be there, and he found it amazing he wasn’t caught a single time. He found he was getting quite attached to the little girl, gradually staying for longer periods of time, feeling bad for her being unable to leave the house and always having to be alone. She was always so joyful when he arrived, and very upset when he had to go. One day he woke up feeling sick and run down. His mother woke him for school, and he could hardly muster the energy to get out of bed. He stumbled around in a daze, trying to get ready, but his mind still back in bed. He wondered why he couldn’t get his shoe on for a time, until he looked down and saw he already had a shoe on that foot. He asked his mom if he could stay home. She felt his head and took his temperature. He didn’t have a fever, but she could see the fatigue in his face. After confirming he didn’t have any tests for the day she agreed to let him stay home as long as he rested. If she saw him getting wild she was taking him to school. He agreed easily, throwing his clothes back off and going right to bed. As he began drifting off he wondered if his nightly excursions were taking their toll on him. He woke up to eat and go to the bathroom, but otherwise stayed in bed. At one point he thought he heard voices, perhaps coming from the TV, but they seemed close by and made no sense. “So what do you think?” Said one of the voices, a male. “Not bad, but not ready yet.” Said the other, a female. “I agree. Needs more time to mature.” “We’ll give it some more time and then send her in. She’ll make it all better.” “For now.” That sentence was punctuated with a laugh. “Yes, yes…for now.” The other one laughed too. “Soon it will be ready, the peak of perfection.” Though he stayed in bed and slept a lot, and his mom gave him some medicine when she became fully convinced he wasn’t faking, he still felt no better by nightfall. As midnight passed and a new day began his thoughts began drifting to Saya, wondering how she was doing. He already knew there was no way he could go visit her in his condition. Though it was a cool night, he felt like he was burning hot and couldn’t sleep. A few more hours passed and he felt like the worst of the hot spell had passed. He was drifting in and out of consciousness. He jumped with a start when he suddenly felt something moist and slimy on his forehead. To his immense surprise when he opened his eyes he looked into the face of Saya, who was placing a cold washcloth on his head. “Saya?” He asked incredulously. “What are you doing here?” “I had some visitors.” She said mournfully. “Visitors?” He asked. “Yeah. They came by about the same time you usually do, and told me that you were very sick and needed a friend to help you.” His brain couldn’t fully process that information. Who could it possibly be? Someone that both knew that Saya was in the house and that he went to visit her in the middle of the night. “Did you know these people?” “No, I don’t think so. I thought it was you at first. But they didn’t come far enough in the room for me to see them. When I saw it was two people I got afraid until they told me about you. After that they just left. I was worried, so I decided to come see you.” In his state of mind he couldn’t take trying to comprehend all the things that didn’t make sense, so he decided to just let it go for now. Giving her a weak smile he said, “Thank you for coming all the way here. It means a lot to me.” Her face lit up with happiness. “Of course I came to visit. You’re my best friend.” “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll be able to play with you tonight. I hope you’re not mad.” “Of course I’m not mad, silly!” She gave him a big hug. “I just want to spend some time with you.” He felt really touched she had went out of her way to come over. Every once in a while he had tried to talk her into leaving the house but she would refuse, worried about what her parents would think if they came back and she was gone. That she had come over regardless meant a lot to him. She stayed for a short time, trying to be little miss doctor, but she didn’t really know anything about it. Still, his heart lightened at her attempts. At the end of a half hour she decided to leave to let him rest and keep an eye out for her parents. Despite her meager doctor skills he felt better than he had before she had arrived, and he fell into an easy sleep. In the morning he felt good enough to go to school, guessing that he had just caught a bug or something, and went back to his nightly ritual, thanking her a lot that night for all her help. After about two more weeks he suddenly thought of a question, something he hadn’t been able to deal with when he had been sick. “So how did you know where I lived anyway?” He asked. “Oh.” She said, without a break in her playing. “Those two people told me.” That scared him a little. “So two people just came here, told you I was sick and where I lived, then just left?” “Yeah.” She responded easily, clearly seeing nothing strange about it. She noticed that he did, though. “What’s wrong?” “I thought you said that no one else ever noticed you? They had to know who you were, right? And that I was coming to visit you.” “I guess they did too. They didn’t seem like bad people. They didn’t hurt me or anything.” He felt troubled by this knowledge, but didn’t know what to do about it. His mother’s words finally began sinking in, about how a crazy psychopath or rapist could be lying in wait there. There were some unknown people who knew where he lived, that he kept leaving his house in the middle of the night, and that Saya and him were becoming really close friends. It gave him a really bad feeling, making him want to go home right then. It also made him worry about Saya. What if they came after her while he wasn’t there? What could he do if they came after her even while he was there? “Saya…are you sure that no one else has ever come in here besides me before? “Well…yeah. Except for those two people and that man I don’t remember hearing anybody for a long time.” He assumed ‘that man’ was the sheriff. “Listen. I think you should leave this house with me.” “Oh, I can’t do that. I have to wait for them. They’ll come.” “You can’t stay here forever. It will be better if we just get the sheriff. Your parents might be…” He stopped, unable to say the last word. “Might be what?” She asked. “Um…maybe they don’t know where you are?” He covered. “No. They should know where I’d be.” Though he wanted to pursue trying to get her to leave it slowly started seeming unimportant for some reason. Those people hadn’t busted him, and hadn’t done anything to either of them about it. What did it matter, really? It meant someone was still looking out for her besides him. He went back to his thought that she was the daughter of someone important. Maybe those two people were her protectors. They were supposed to be incognito, but decided to partly reveal themselves so she wouldn’t worry where he was. And maybe they knew where he lived because they had to investigate him to make sure he wouldn’t harm her. Having come up with the answers to his questions again he continued playing with her, but still remained a little troubled. He didn’t completely believe his excuses. He didn’t know what to do. If those people did have some kind of evil intention all he had to do was not come to the house anymore. But what could he do about Saya? Everyone else thought he was a liar. They didn’t believe him about the girl, so why would they believe that two other people might be after him either? Given the source of his information, he had no way of explaining himself. He woke up the next day with that run down feeling again, but he decided to try going to school anyway. As his mom tried to hurry him or he’d be late he felt like he was nodding off. He suddenly felt a heavy stab of pain that seemed to ring throughout his entire body, making him cry out. He panted heavily before his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell to the floor to a scream from his mother. Just before he was out completely he heard the same two voices again. “You fool! I told you not to do that! You’ll ruin everything!” “It was too much to resist! Besides, he was getting too suspicious. It’s time!” An hour later Penny was sitting in a chair in the waiting room of the hospital, bent over with her hands on her face like she was praying. A doctor came over to her, holding a clipboard. “Hello, Mrs. Baker.” Said the man. “I am Doctor Patel.” “Hello, Doctor.” She croaked, pulling her hands from the face to look at the man with reds eyes. “How is he?” “His vitals are stable. So far we’re not seeing anything that would cause him to pass out like this. What was he doing right before this?” “Nothing, really. All he was doing was getting dressed and getting ready to sit down for breakfast before I sent him to school.” “I see. Very well. Even when he wakes up I think we’ll keep him overnight for observation. With your permission we’d like to take some blood and test it for any abnormalities that may have played a part in this.” She nodded her head, taking the clipboard in his hand and signing her consent. Penny was directed to her son’s room. He lay there, breathing, but otherwise still. She had no idea when he’d wake up. If he’d wake up. She had no idea what had caused it. Hours passed but there was no change. He lay there as if dead, his chest movements and the beeping of the devices monitoring his vitals the only proof he was still alive. Dr. Patel returned, this time with another doctor. Dr. Patel pointed to the other doctor, saying, “This is Dr. Marston.” Penny greeted the two, then asked, “Anything?” “We’d just like to ask you a few questions.” “Of course.” She replied. “Has anything like this happened before, even if it was slight enough that you just let it go?” “No. Wait. Actually, yes. Just one time. It was less than a month ago. He seemed rather exhausted so I let him stay home. He just stayed in bed the whole day and rested, and was fine in the morning.” “Okay. Recently, within the past six months or so, can you think of anything that may have changed that may have caused this?” She put her mind to it. She couldn’t think of anything right out. Nothing of real importance had changed. But something suddenly came to her mind. “My son harbored a small time obsession with an empty house off Spruce Street.” “Go on.” “I was told it had been abandoned for three years. My son insisted that he kept seeing this girl in there with long blonde hair and blue eyes so one day him and his friend decided to break in to try to see what she was doing in there. Of course no one was in there, as confirmed by the sheriff. I could see him picking up some kind of contaminant from there. Who knows what kind of mold or bacteria he could have been inhaling.” “Blonde hair and blue eyes?” Asked Doctor Marston. “Are you referring to that white house with the fir tree in front and the red shutters?” “Yes. I told him no girl could be in there.” “Of course that girl shouldn’t be there. She’s dead!” Penny stared in surprise at that comment. “What do you mean…dead? There really was a girl there? I thought my son was just making it up. When did it happen?” “Much longer ago than your son claims to have seen her.” Dr. Marston replied. “It was three years ago, and that’s why that house is empty in the first place.” “What happened?” “The entire family died in a car accident. Her name was Saya. She died at the scene. The parents lived a little longer, just long enough to learn of their daughters fate. Damn drunk driver ran a red light, crashing into the back seat of the car where she was sitting. The house has been empty ever since.” “B-but…” She could hear her son’s words in her head. “My son claims he’s been seeing her for quite a while. After being caught sneaking around in there he stopped mentioning her. So let’s say he was telling the truth the whole time. What does that mean? He’s been seeing a ghost? Even if he was what does that have to do with what happened to him this morning?” “As a doctor all I can tell you is that medical science can find nothing wrong with him. His vitals are steady, his blood work and physical examinations show no abnormalities. As a man who has some belief in the paranormal it’s rumored that children are more attuned to the supernatural, maybe because they’re less skeptical and believe more in these things. What does that have to do with anything? Well…not all spirits are friendly.” ”So…what? Are you trying to tell me my son’s been possessed or something?” She asked skeptically. “I don’t know. Speaking as a doctor again there’s always the logical possibility that this is just an unfortunate experience caused by an unforeseen circumstance. Maybe overworking himself. There’s always the possibility that it’s something new that we cannot detect with a test yet. Right now all we can do is keep him here until he wakes up.” As she looked down at her son, still as death, the harsh thought of ‘IF he wakes up’ passed through her mind again, which brought tears to her eyes. After talking with her for a while longer the two doctors left, leaving her all alone with her thoughts. ‘My son has been seeing a dead child, in what was undoubtedly her bedroom when she was alive. The whole family is dead. Vengeful spirits? But he claims she was always so happy to have his attention.’ Taking a breath she tried to pull away from those thoughts, to insist to herself it was something normal afflicting her son, but no matter how hard she tried, the fact that her son had been seeing someone who shouldn’t be there wouldn’t leave her. Having never seen anything of the sort she had never given credence to people talking about things like ghosts. All she could say for certain was that her son had never had such intense fatigue spells before talking about this child. “Oh, Thomas. What’s happening to you?” She said in a quiet voice, the tears now falling freely. “Please wake up.” Part 4: Soul food The sound of crying echoed, seeming unnaturally loud. Who was it? Why? Why couldn’t he move? What was going on? Thomas felt a hand rubbing his head, the crying getting a little louder. He forced his eyes open, surprised at how difficult it was. His eyes tried to focus, only seeing blurry shapes for a short time. Finally, he could see clearly enough to make out the form of Saya. He could see her eyes and face were red, and he wondered how long it had been going on. Once more struggling he said, “Why are you crying?” She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. “It’s over.” She cried out. “W-what’s over?” He asked. He wanted to put a comforting arm around her, but he couldn’t move them, not a bit. “My parents finally came to get me.” “Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” “Yes…but they said we can’t be friends anymore.” She pulled back, sitting on her knees, looking ready to progress to full-on sobbing. “Tomorrow we’re going away, and they said I won’t have you as a friend.” As his love for her filled his heart he used every ounce of strength he had to put his hand on her head, giving it a little rub. “Well, that’s fine. I don’t want you as a friend anyway.” She looked crestfallen at his remark, but he wasn’t done. “I’d much rather have you as a little sister.” He said with a laugh. “They can’t take that away from you.” Happiness lit up her features as she hugged him again. “A big brother! I’ve always wanted one!” Movement came easier to him as he sat up, not having to work nearly as hard to get his body to comply, hugging her too, closing his eyes and enjoying the contact, the pain and exhaustion quickly slipping away. “My, my. Isn’t this cozy?” Said a familiar voice. Thomas jumped at the sound, looking for the source. Saya pulled away from him, looking a little distraught as she walked a short ways away to a set of people. “Thomas, this is my parents.” “Barbara.” Said the woman. “Anthony.” Said the man. Thomas studied the couple. Saya closely resembled her mother, with traits from her father. “Hello…” He replied, not sure how to feel. All the questions he had dismissed back then or made up his own answers for came to the surface. “Our daughter is quite taken with you.” Said her dad. “Too bad. I’m afraid that you have served your purpose and are no longer needed.” “What do you mean? Why did you leave your daughter behind? Wasn’t she important to you?” Anger was clear in his voice. Their only response was a smirk. That made him furious. “You think this is funny? It’s not! Why did you leave her there?” “Ah, foolish child. Did you really believe our daughter was your friend? She was only toying with you to win your affection.” “What?” Cried out Saya, looking heartbroken. “Thomas, that’s not true.” “Oh, isn’t it?” Said Barbara. “Darling daughter, it’s time you take your true form, and show this boy what you really think of him.” “Wha…what are you talking about?” She asked. The two of them extended a finger, placing them in the center of her chest by her neck. What looked like black mist began covering her body, spreading from her toes to her face. She let out a scream, sounding like she was in intense pain. Thomas gaped openmouthed, unsure what he was seeing. “What are you doing to her!” He yelled out. They turned away from her to him, and he stumbled back a few steps, feeling sweat come down his face. He heard a dark laugh and moved his eyes to Saya. He felt his breath catching in his throat. All three of them still had human shape, but they were clearly not human. They looked corrupted, tainted, rotting…the bare minimum of what a human should look like. It reminded him of a zombie. He shuddered hard, his heart hammering in his throat as his legs shook. “W-w-what…are you?” “We are the festering grudges of lingering dreams.” Said Anthony, though now his voice had a sinister hiss, sounding darker, deeper, angrier. “We hate living humans and all that they represent. We never got to have a peaceful end and fulfill our dreams, so why should we let others have the same?” “That’s right!” Said Barbara, her voice carrying that same twisted change. “We are doing this for revenge.” Thomas shuddered again at the glares they were giving him. “B-b-but I haven’t done anything to you.” “You’re alive!” She spat with venom. “That’s enough. Your living spits in the face of our deaths.” “W-w-what? You’re going to…to…kill me?” He backed up a few more steps. “Oh, no. Nothing so easy.” Despite his fear for himself he asked, “What did you do to Saya?” “Nothing. We told you that she never cared for you truly. She was only bait.” “You’re lying! I don’t believe you!” He thought of all the time they spent together, getting closer. How could all that have been fake? “Wellllll…” Said Anthony. “You’re partly right. The Saya you played with is not the same Saya here now. Neither are we her real parents. When people die holding strong unresolved feelings their spirits cannot rest in peace, and they drift in a space between life and death. These bodies were perfect. All of them felt strong feelings for something that went unfulfilled, thus those bright and colorful feelings were corrupted beyond repair when they met their end, leaving them full of rage, hatred, and regret. All we did was stir up those feelings. Playing with you gave her a friend, then we told her she was going to lose him, bringing her emotions right back where they were when she died, making it easy to take her over.” “L-let her go!” He said, trying to sound strong but he could hear the stutter in his own voice. They seemed to get immense joy out of that. “Ah, intense protective love, and a healthy dose of fear. Truly the salt and pepper of the soul.” “W-what?” “We told you before, we won’t kill you. You’re not even really here right now. You’ve never actually left your house to go to hers at night. All we’ve been doing is forcing a body and soul separation, which is why you couldn’t fall asleep afterward. A little bit of mental manipulation, and you felt something driving you to go to her every night. And just a little bit more when your thoughts became too smart for your age. We could have taken you at any time, but just like all food it tastes the best with the proper seasoning. It took some experimentation, but now we’re sure we know what works the best. Of course we had to test it. We held ourselves back to help cultivate your feelings toward this child, but we couldn’t resist a little nibble here and there to ensure it was coming along nicely.” Thomas felt frozen stiff, in disbelief of what he was hearing. This kind of stuff wasn’t REALLY real. It only happened in movies Barbara turned to her husband. “Oh look, honey. It looks like he doesn’t believe us.” “I do believe you’re right.” He replied. “You remember when you got ‘sick?’” Thomas gulped loudly. “I…I…I WAS just sick.” “I guess you didn’t find it strange at all that you only got better after this child came to visit you.” “It…it had nothing to do with her.” “On the contrary. It had everything to do with her. Just like love is the only cure for a broken heart, it also helps the soul to grow. We’d been feasting on you for a while, your growing love for her keeping you from being adversely affected much, though one time we did get a little greedy. Your life force was getting richer in flavor every night, and we lost sight of ourselves for a short while. “As we said before, you won’t die. Your body can survive without the soul, and it is the greatest way to toy with the living. Your body will lay there unresponsive for the rest of your life, all your loved ones wondering when you’ll wake up…and you never will!” All three of them laughed hysterically. Thomas was almost hyperventilating now, terrified of what was happening. He turned and ran, fearful tears coming down his eyes. He got about two hundred feet before he stopped with a scream, digging in his feet as they appeared in front of him. He fell to the ground and backed up, trying to run another way, only for them to appear in front of him again. “Oh, no, no, no.” Said Barbara, wagging her finger. “Bad boy. Do you think you can escape? Even if you run a hundred miles and managed to lose us…then what? Your soul is still trapped here. Your body will still be immobile and unmoving. We are the only ones who can send you back, and we don’t feel like doing that. So you see…now it’s time for you to go.” Thomas heard them sniffing, but it sounded more like a rasping breath, reminding him of mold and decay and making him retch. “You smell that, honey? That is the smell of a ripe soul. The scent of his fear is so mouthwatering I can barely stand it!” “Yesssssss.” Anthony replied. “It’s been so irksome to have to settle for appetizers. I’m ready for the full-course meal.” With that the two of them left the ground, flying straight at him. Thomas tried running again, the only thing he could do, but it wasn’t enough. Thomas felt a deathly chill and a volcanic heat go throughout his body, time seeming to slow down, before the two spirits emerged from his chest, landing once more. Thomas felt his vision blurring as he yelled out in pain. It felt like all the energy had all gone out of him, sending him to his knees. Anthony patted his stomach. “Mmmm, now that’s a meal!” “Delicious!” Said Barbara. “Go ahead, sweetheart.” He said to Saya, patting her head. “He’s weakened. You may have the last piece.” “Thank you, Daddy.” She said, speaking for the first time since they had touched her, her voice raspy and dead like the others. “You’re so good to me.” She walked toward him, a demented glee covering her corrupted features. “Saya!” He weakly rasped out. “Please!” She just kept walking, seemingly indifferent. He tried to get up, but his limbs wouldn’t obey. He felt so heavy and sleepy. “Saya!” He croaked out again, his voice cracking. “Please don’t do this. Wasn’t I a good friend to you? Don’t you…” He gasped in oxygen, feeling like he was fading away. “Don’t you remember all the fun times we had?” “So?” She replied. “It’s just like my parents said. I was never really your friend. They just wanted a nice warm meal. My first taste of soul.” She let out an excited giggle, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I bet it’s going to be amazing!” She was getting closer and closer, and Thomas had no idea what to do. He felt tears coming down his eyes, feeling regret for the way they had tarnished her. “I’m sorry, Saya. I said that I was your big brother, but I still let this happen to you. I don’t know if you can hear me anymore, but I’m not mad at you. I know you’re not really the one attacking me. I don’t know if you can still hear me, but…I love you, Saya!” Anthony laughed. “Will you listen to him? There is nothing left of this girl but hatred and revenge. Don’t you get it?” “Feh!” Snickered Barbara. “So those are your last words, are they, boy? I hope you’re content with them. Hurry up and finish him off, and we’ll find a new person to feast on.” “…Yes, mother.” She replied with a small hesitation. Saya left the ground just like her parents had, flying toward him. Thomas closed his eyes, knowing there was nothing he could do. He felt the impact of something crashing into him, then a complete emptiness. “What!” Cried out Anthony. Thomas and Saya had disappeared. “Where did she go?” “Cursed child!” Spat out Barbara, turning around slowly in a circle. “Where has she taken him?” Part 5: Chasing dreams “…mas? Thomas?” Thomas felt a return to consciousness, though he still felt exhausted, from the voice calling his name. He opened one eye, and he could see the upside-down face of Saya. She looked normal again. “Are you okay?” She asked with concern. He forced himself up, before pushing her as hard as he could away from him. In his weakened state he only succeeded in gently pushing her onto her side. “G-get away from me!” He sputtered coldly. “Is this just your next trap? What, did I not look delicious enough?” Tears streamed down her eyes. “I’m sorry, Thomas. I didn’t mean-“ “I don’t want to hear it!” He said angrily, pointedly turning away from her. She sat back, extending a hand toward him before changing her mind. Despite himself, Thomas couldn’t help but turn around at the sound of Saya sobbing. She was curled up in a ball on the floor, her head buried in her knees. He tried to ignore her, but it quickly got to him, his anger fading away as he crawled toward her, not having the strength to stand. He sat next to her, putting an arm around her. After a few seconds she followed suit, before quickly hopping onto his lap, holding onto him as tight as she could, apologizing endlessly. As her sadness brought out protective feelings from him he felt his fatigue and pain fading away as he held her too, trying to comfort her and tell her it was okay. After a time, when it seemed she had settled down, he asked, “What happened?” “I…I’m not sure.” She said at first, but then said, “I remember everything. I could see you being hurt, but I couldn’t do anything. That…that…whatever it was…it was making me move. I couldn’t stop. When you said that you weren’t mad at me and that you loved me, I thought of all the fun times we had together and then I could do what I wanted, so I got you away from them. I don’t know why it let me go.” Thomas thought for a minute, before the answer presented itself to him. “Those…things. They said that they take control of people who are very angry or upset. So maybe they can’t control you if you’re feeling a lot of love and happiness.” “I don’t care what it was. I’m just glad I didn’t have to hurt you.” She gave him a squeeze. “Me too. So I have a question for you.” “What?” “Are you…are you really dead?” Pain filled her eyes when he asked that question. She took in a deep breath before saying, “Yes.” “So were those things right? Was there something you really wanted to do before you died that you didn’t get to do?” “Yes…” She replied. “So what was it?” Her voice wouldn’t work properly. There was so much to say. How was she supposed to explain it all? An idea came to her. “When those two touched me they made me feel weird. I felt so mad and angry. They made me remember how sad and upset I was. I don’t know if I can, but maybe if I touch you I can let you see my memories.” “Okay. It’s worth a shot.” She took a steadying breath before extending her finger, touching him in the center of his chest just like the other two had done to her. All of a sudden Thomas felt a flood of images and emotions emanating from her, passing in front of his eyes. The more he saw the more he understood, understood how strong she really was. Her earliest memory was of pain. Intense pain. She had been a very sickly child nearly from the time she had been born, suffering from a cancer that had passed her mother’s genes by. She had spent most of her life in the hospital, always fragile, always near the brink. Her whole life seemed to revolve around pills and needles, pumping medicine into her body. There were always tubes and wires close by, monitoring her, making her feel like she was on an operating table for a robot. She could hardly move most of the time. She spent a lot of time crying, wanting the pain to go away. Her mother always held her when she was able, doing her best to show her daughter all the love she could. At night they would give her a mild sedative to help her sleep. Rarely, when it was daytime and the pain was so intense she couldn’t function, they would give her something stronger. She both lived for, and hated, those times most of all. She loved it because for a time her whole world changed. There was a blessed cessation of pain, her head began swimming in a good way. Everything become funny. On the other hand she hated it so much because she couldn’t have it all the time. She knew that it was only temporary, that once it wore off the pain was still waiting for her at the other end. Outside, nearby, was a park. Whenever the window was open she could hear the happy sounds floating up to her room. Sometimes she would look down upon the park, and she could actual see what was causing the noises: children playing, dogs barking, people on their cell phones, the splashing of fish from the pond. One day, when she was six, she asked her mom when she would be able to play outside like the other kids. Her mother quickly grabbed her, holding her daughter tight to her so she wouldn’t see the tears coming down her face. It didn’t stop the sounds though, and she could hear her mother crying, unable to answer her. Despite the fact that their daughter may never leave the hospital, except in a coffin, her parents did their best to teach her things she needed to know, like the alphabet and numbers. While most kids hate schoolwork, she loved it. Having something to do helped keep her mind off her condition, and she struggled to learn as best she could. She quickly learned to love reading. There were several times both the doctors and her parents offered to move her room, because of how sad she’d become whenever she looked outside, but every time she refused. Although she didn’t understand it consciously, looking outside reminded her of her greatest wish. It kept her goal clear in her mind, and that desire made her want to get out of the hospital. She wanted to play like regular kids. She WOULD get to play like the other kids. Then…one day…the miracle happened. Shortly after she woke up, a month after her eight birthday, she woke up to a strange sensation. Or, to be more precise, a strange LACK of sensation. A welcome lack of the agony that had been her worst enemy for the longest time! Her parents were overjoyed. All the treatments she had been through had finally worked. She finally got to have her dream of playing in the park. Her parents had to hold her hands throughout as her leg muscles were feeble from lack of use. She didn’t care. She could feel the warm rays of the sun, the cool air of the breeze, see the brown and orange and yellow of the autumn leaves. However, she wasn’t able to run around like she wanted to...YET! She did have to return to the hospital later. They wanted to keep an eye on her a little longer, to make sure her feeling better wasn’t just a fluke. After getting officially discharged a week later when she didn’t have a relapse she was sent to physical therapy sessions, to help build up her weak muscles. Her parents frequently took her to the park. Though it was out of the way for them now they always took her to the one by the hospital. Partly because it was where she had spent so much time dreaming of being, and the other part for just in case something went wrong. Once her strength had developed to the point where she could run short stretches on her own she came to her parents with her newest dream. Of all the things she had read and saw on TV or books, there was one thing in particular that caught her interest: Ballet. The cute dresses, the synchronized choreography, the music; It all appealed to her in a big way. Her parents were a little hesitant at first, seeing as she was still pretty frail and recovering, but her doctors were fully on board with the idea, telling them that something like ballet, which required a lot of working out and constant use of many parts of the body, would help accelerate her development, especially since her eagerness meant she would put in that extra effort. With that her parents gave up their reluctance, especially as they felt she had been in enough pain the past few years and couldn’t bear to give her any more, even if it was only emotional. They went to a ballet school, she hopping on the balls of her feet as she waited to speak with the teacher. So much excitement was going through her she just couldn’t sit still. Finally they were able to speak to the teacher, Miss Valencia. She had trouble containing herself as she eagerly explained that she wanted to be a part of the class. Her parents explained the special case of their daughter likely needing some extra help. Miss Valencia was very understanding. So it began, her new dream being fulfilled. A few days a week she would put on her dress, listen to the music, and danced with the other kids. Though she gave it all she had, her body fought her every step of the way. She often lagged behind the others no matter how hard she tried. Most of them were considerate, but there were two who were very discontent with her. They made no secret of the fact that she was holding them back. She paid them no mind. Their criticism’s only made her try harder, made her strive to new heights. She would become just as good as them. NO! Even better! Even when sweat was pouring down her face, even when her muscles burned as she worked them to their limits, even when she tripped and fell flat on her face, she never gave up her enthusiasm. She was finally getting a chance to do the things she really wanted to do. After two months of hard effort, adding in practice at home, she had improved significantly. She no longer needed the physical therapy sessions. Her parents were very proud of her, always giving her encouragement. Through her never-ending drive she had even won over her two antagonists. They had come to admire how hard she worked to make something of herself, and apologized for their attitudes. She even got to be in a small show, entertaining people. One day Miss Valencia made an announcement that there was going to be a ballet competition the following month. It was to be held at a theatre with various people, including a few talent agents who might be able to take the best of the class and make them into stars. Each of them was to pick one of the songs from a list and do their best dance, to show off their stuff. The winner would be given a trophy, and possibly more depending on if even the best of them were good enough to impress the agents. From that day forward it was like she was possessed. She practiced with a drive her previous one couldn’t even compare to. She trained harder than ever before. That was her next big goal. She wanted to win this competition. She HAD to win it. Her mother was growing concerned. Zeal was one thing, but her daughter was taking it too far. She was so unwavering that she would practice her dance moves until she literally collapsed from exhaustion. Her mother sat her down to have a talk with her. “Saya, honey.” She had started. “I understand how important this is to you, but I feel you’re going a bit overboard. You’re overworking yourself, and your body can’t keep up.” “That doesn’t matter.” Saya replied. “I just have to work harder. When I first started I could hardly move, but now I can do all the things the other kids can. If I get stronger then I can dance longer, right? I have to win this.” “Why? So you can rub it in the faces of your classmates?” “No! That’s not why!” Sitting down next to her daughter she said, “Okay, I’m listening. Why do you have to win? So you can prove that you’re strong, or that you’ve grown since back then?” “No!” She said again, climbing into her mother’s lap. “I have to win for everyone else.” “Everyone else?” She asked, looking into her daughters eyes and trying to understand what she was thinking. “I was very sick for a long time. I always wanted to be able to be like all the other kids. I wanted to play outside like everyone else, and now I can. Now my dream is ballet. It’s a lot of fun, and there’s a lot of great people there, but I’m not talking about them. If I win then I want to take my trophy to the hospital.” “The hospital?” Saya nodded. “Yes, I’m not the only child in the hospital who wants to get out of there and be like the other kids. I want to take it around to all the other kids I met and tell them not to give up, because one day they can do all the things they dream of too, just like I did!” Her mother’s eyes grew wet, as understanding came to her. “I see.” She said, holding her daughter tight. “So that’s why. You want to inspire all the other children who are also stuck in the hospital.” Her mother pointed out that if she worked herself so tirelessly without giving her body enough time to rest, she was going to make herself very sore, and that would cost her days of practice, and that would only harm her desire. Saya accepted that, slowing down her pace from then on. Finally, the day arrived. The day she had been waiting so anxiously for. As they got in the car, headed to the theatre, she envisioned what the day would be like; she would watch some of the other kids before her, the audience only giving polite applause, the judges bored. She would go up, and their faces would perk up, wondering who this lovely lady was. The music would start. She would start slow, getting their attention. The music would pick up, and she in turn picked up her pace little by little, before going at it with all she had. When she finished everyone would cheer and whoop and give her a standing ovation. Everyone else competing would look nervous; The one that already danced because they didn’t think their dancing measured up, and the ones yet to compete because they had to beat the standard she had set. When it was all over she would be declared the winner. As she received her trophy her parents would run over, crying their eyes out as they hugged her and kissed her and held her and told her how proud they were. She was pulled from her daydream as she heard honking to her right, the last thing she remembered seeing was a fast moving car coming right at her. As the last of her memories faded away Thomas couldn’t stop crying as he saw all the things she had gone through. He pulled her to him, crying on her. She held him back, crying now too. “I just can’t believe I died. All I wanted to do was win, to be able to show everyone how good I could dance. Now I never will be able to. After I died I didn’t know what had happened at first. I just knew I had missed the competition. I decided to go to my house because I thought my parents would show up someday to get me, but they never showed until a few hours ago.” Thomas said, “Well, your dream doesn’t have to be over completely.” “What do you mean?” “Well, I know I’m not as good as an entire theatre, and I don’t have a trophy, but I would love to see you dance.” When he looked at her he could see a deep blush had suffused her face. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “What’s wrong?” “Oh, no. I can’t!” She cried out. “Why not?” “Because I’m out of practice! I don’t even have my uniform, or my music.” “So? This is your dream! It’s what you always wanted, right?” “Wellllll…” She exhaled a quick huff, pulling away from him and standing up. “I guess.” She moved a short ways away from him, and hummed the beat that had she listened to a million times during her practice sessions. She slowly moved her body, self-conscious of his eyes on her. Her conscious thoughts of fear gave way to instinct, quickly leaving her current surroundings. In her mind she was back in the grand theatre of her dreams, her paltry humming was the real track, and the eyes of hundreds were upon her. And with that shift in thought came a drastically different change in the way she moved. The hesitance, the shyness, was gone. She was now prancing around, dancing, playing to the crowd. Her heart was completely in every move that she made. She went through her entire routine, not slipping once, before she came to a stop and looked out towards her solo audience member, noticing it was quiet except for her panting. Did he not like it? She glanced at him, unsure what he thought as he sat there, his mouth agape. “So…” She started shyly. “Did you like it?” Thomas moved his head back and forth a few times. “I’m…speechless. That was absolutely amazing. You would have won that contest easily.” Her heart swelled with pride as she clapped and jumped up and down with an excited squeal. Thomas laughed at her reaction, until he saw something weird happening to her. It looked she was sweating black drops of water profusely. It looked like what had happened before when the two had touched her, only in reverse. “Again?” She asked. “Huh…?” He asked dumbly, too focused on the darkness that had been dripping from her. “I SAID…again?” “Of course. I could watch you dance forever.” She laughed. “Okay, but only for you.” She went through her routine again, this time with full confidence from the very beginning. It was even more marvelous to watch the second time. As her heart blazed Thomas once again saw what looked like black mist falling away from her body. It was a little distracting, but he was sure it wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, as it happened, she appeared to glow just a little bit. Her body had certainly taken on a lighter hue. As she danced he clapped and cheered and whistled, spurring her to new heights. When she finished she took a bow as he gave her a standing ovation, whooping loudly. Her face took on an angelic tone as it looked like a whole flood of mist fled her body. She ran over to him, jumping into his arms and crying her eyes out in bliss. Thomas put his arms around her. “Come on, there’s no need to cry.” He said gently, him crying just a little bit himself at her jubilance. She sniffed a few times before saying, “I did it! I finally did it! I got to have what I always dreamed of.” It hadn’t taken the form she had wanted but, being a ghost now, it was the closest she could get to it. “Saya…” “Yes?” She asked “Not yet. If we find a way out of here, then I promise to finish your wish as your big brother.” “What do you mean?” “I’LL go to the hospital and talk to the other children about you, and try to inspire them for you.” “You will?” She asked in a hopeful voice. “Yes, Saya, I will.” “That makes me feel so happy. But how will you get out of here? Those two said only they can send you back.” “I have an idea now. Those two people really ARE your parents, but they were taken over just like you were. Your parents loved you very much. They watched you do all those dances, and your mom loved the idea of you going to the hospital and inspiring other sick children. I think they were just as upset as you that you weren’t able to do it. That’s why those things were able to take their bodies.” “So what do we do?” “You have to talk to them.” “Why? They’re just going to attack us again.” “When they touched you, I saw this black fog go all over your body, and you said that it reminded you of bad things, and made you feel really angry and upset. But when I told you I loved you, you felt happy and were able to break free. If you talk to them and tell them you’re happy now and you got your dream and stuff like that, then maybe your parents can break free too.” “Ohhhh.” She said, as understanding came to her. Tears started coming down her eyes again. “I would love to have my parents back.” “I know. We can do it.” “My goodness. How quickly you recover, don’t you?” Thomas heard the voice, like the sound of cracking leaves, sending a chill down his spine. He spun around to find Anthony and Barbara standing nearby. “How did you find us?” They both looked at each other, sneering and rolling their eyes. “How did we find you? Maybe because a certain silly, stupid little boy was screaming his head off.” He felt cold as he realized his cheering for Saya’s dance had lead the pair right to them. “So.” Said Anthony. “You’re already up and about already. Your love for her is much stronger than we thought. I never expected to have such a filling meal today.” Saya whispered to him, “You have to leave. I don’t think they’ll attack me.” “No way!” Thomas muttered back. “I’m not letting them do that to you again.” “Making plans, are we?” Asked Barbara. “It will come to nothing. You cannot take these bodies back. We set you up with that child so you would love her, and then we were going to rip you away from her to take advantage of her previous heartache. We just underestimated how much of an influence you would have on her. Even with the threat of taking you away, playing with you so much eased her loneliness and hurtful feelings and it made the bonding weak, allowing her to break free of our influence pretty easily. These bodies have no such weakness.” “Well, we had a lot of fun.” Said Anthony. “But playtime is over. Not only did we get a hearty lunch, but now that your soul has repaired we even get dinner too, and…” The two of them glared angrily at Saya. “A nice little desert to top it all off.” “What?” Cried out Saya. “Why so surprised? You betrayed us by aiding this boy, though we thank you for the extra food that came of it. Now you have no further purpose but to leave along with him.” As the pair started walking toward them he grabbed Saya’s hand, feeling her shivering next to him. “Saya, the plan! Talk!” He cried out with urgency. He knew they were only going slow to stoke the flames of their fear. But they wouldn’t wait forever. “Oh, um…right.” She clasped his hand hard. “Mommy, Daddy, it’s alright. You don’t have to be sad or upset anymore. I got to do what I always wanted.” Her voice was weak, fear taking hold. She continued talking, trying to get through to them. Thomas kept a close eye on them, and he was sure he saw little bits of black smoke falling away from them, but it was a small amount at a time, nothing like what happened with Saya. He suddenly felt Saya collapse on him. “Saya? What’s wrong?” “I can’t!” She cried out. “I can’t take it, My parents are trying to kill me.” “Saya, you can’t quit now! We’re so close.” He could feel her shivering like a leaf and crying on his chest. Thomas grimaced. She couldn’t handle it. There was only one thing to do. Pushing her away from him he said, “Get out of here!” “What? I can’t go.” As she tried to hug him again he slapped her hard, knocking her to the ground. “I told you I’m not going to let them hurt you like that again. Now go! Leave!” She stood up, holding her burning cheek, meeting his gaze with teary eyes before she started running away. Thomas put his arms out protectively. “Cute.” Said Barbara sarcastically. “Like that’s going to be enough.” The two of them disappeared. Thomas looked behind him. They were closing in on her, Anthony screaming, “You’re not getting away!” With a growl Thomas glared at the pair, and suddenly something happened. There was a feeling of intense disorientation, and for a split second a complete absence of everything. The next thing he knew he was in front of the flying pair, hearing Saya still running behind him. The two stopped, looking stunned and impressed. “Well, well. Your desire to protect her was so strong you even forced your spirit body to learn to teleport like us. This just gets better and better. We already got to taste the fruits of your fear. I wonder how your protectiveness will add to the taste of you now.” Thomas was just as shocked as they were. With the knowledge he had just gained he wondered if he could do all the things he had seen them do, if being a spirit allowed him to do things he couldn’t do with his human body. If that was the case… Focusing all his concentration on one thing, he felt his desire become reality, and his body left the ground a little bit. ‘I can do this!’ He thought. ‘For her, I can do this.’ Moving his feet back to the ground for a second, he pushed off with his legs to give himself some extra acceleration as he charged at them. Barbara couldn’t put her hands up in time as Thomas crashed into her, pushing her back several hundred feet as she strained against his momentum before she fell to the ground from his impact. He jumped on top of her while she was temporarily stunned and without a thought started punching her in the face. Thomas felt a finger lightly tapping his shoulder. Instinct worked against him as he automatically looked toward the tapper, stopping his assault. He saw a hand coming toward him. He felt himself go flying as the fist of Anthony knocked him away. Anthony helped Barbara up, her holding her head and stomach. “Damn brat!” She cried out. “I grow tired of this.” “He’s got spunk in him, I’ll give him that. He’s a quick learner, this one, learning tricks it took us a while to learn.” Barbara angrily hit Anthony. “Stop sounding so impressed, you moron!” “Oh, come on! Relax! The more he heats up to protect her, the richer his soul will taste.” “I don’t CARE about taste right now. I want this urchin gone.” Thomas stood up, also holding his face. ‘I just have to keep going, so Saya can get away.’ Barbara charged at him, Thomas not feeling nearly as scared as he had been. These new tricks he had learned might let him fight on a level playing field with the pair. As she approached he focused, feeling his body traversing space, and he was suddenly looking at her back, her stopping short where he had just been. He jumped toward her, saying, “Right here, stupid.” She turned around, her eyes widening as all she registered in her sight were a pair of shoes. She went flying again as he socked her as hard as her could, letting out cries of pain as her body crashed into the ground several times. “AARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” She yelled out, slamming her hands onto the floor. “You stupid bastard! You think you can just toy with me? You’re DEAD!” Anthony just laughed. “Really, you’re getting beat by a little boy? How did the prey suddenly become the hunter?” She glared at him. “You better believe you’re next.” Anthony shrugged. “If such is meant to be, but you know I’m stronger than you.” She growled, fixing her eyes back on Thomas. She vanished, Thomas just barely jumping out of the way as she tried to attack him from behind. She continued after him, Thomas straining to teleport again, barely succeeding a second before her hands reached him. She looked all around. “Where did you go this time, brat? You know you can’t keep hiding forever!” She didn’t see him anywhere. “I know you’re not just going to run. You want to protect that other brat, and you’re the only thing stopping us from going after her. So you better come out NOW!” Her eyes turned to Anthony as he cried out in pain, falling to his knees, holding his hands between his legs. As he fell it revealed the form of Thomas standing behind him, smirking at her. He stuck out his tongue and spit a raspberry at her. Fury blurring her mind she rushed at him full force. Thomas jumped out of the way, with the result that she crashed right into Anthony. The two fell to the ground in a heap. Anthony wasn’t grinning anymore as he got to his feet with a groan. Barbara seemed to have cooled off slightly, as she just glared at him quietly. “I agree, Barbara. I don’t care about taste anymore. I just want this child gone. Our meal is a little too feisty, but we did not spend all this time ripening him so he could get away. So we’ll do that.” “Right. Together this time.” They moved a little slower as they walked, appearing sore. Barbara took the lead, jumping toward him. Thomas started to concentrate when he noticed that he could no longer see Anthony. Before he could process that his eyes bugged out as he saw Anthony’s head and upper torso emerge from his stomach. “Way too gullible you are, boy.” He felt that same mix of extreme heat and cold as Barbara passed through him in his lapse of concentration. He fell to his knees, then to the ground. The pair stared down at him disdainfully. “So that was it, huh? I thought he’d have a little more fight in him. How boring. Oh, well. Let’s go look for the girl.” As they went to fly toward the direction Saya had run off in they heard a yell coming from their right side. As they turned to look they saw Thomas, knocking the two of them into each other again as he body slammed them. The two of them rose once more, decidedly slower this time. “What is this?” Asked Barbara. “He looks fine.” Thomas was panting, rubbing his stinging shoulder. They were stronger than him, so the only thing he could use to really increase his strength was momentum. “Did you forget already?” He asked with a small laugh. “You said protective love helps the soul to grow. You threatened to go after Saya, and that was enough to get me to rise. I’m not going to let you hurt her no matter what.” “I see…” She let out a sigh. “Well, this is annoying. It’s going to be difficult to destroy you if you can just keep getting back up because you care about the little urchin. Very well. Forget the girl. We’ll be sure to finish you this time.” Thomas kept his attention on the both of them. He couldn’t afford to be attacked from behind again. As the three got ready to move they were all taken by surprise as, yet again, the pair were suddenly knocked to the ground for seemingly no reason. “Saya!” Thomas cried out as she came to a stop, having decided to try the feet first method he had used. She quickly went to the stunned pair, touching them, before running to Thomas. “Saya! What are you doing here? I told you to run.” “No!” She said, a few tears coming down her eyes as she grabbed him tight. “I love you too much. I’m not going to let them keep hurting you. And I think I found a way to beat them.” “How?” “I already did it. You said that if we could convince my parents not to be upset over me anymore then they could break free. So I gave them my memories of all our time together.” “You think that’ll be enough?” “No!” Cried out a furious voice. From opposite sides the spirit pair crashed through the two children, both of them crying out in pain, sending them to their knees. “Feh! What is this useless crap you put into our heads?” Spat out Anthony. “What a pathetic dream you had. You deserve to be dead for that alone. All that fuss over a stupid dance.” “Sa…ya?” Thomas said weakly. She looked pale and her eyes were bleary and unfocused. “So what will you do now, boy?” Asked Anthony triumphantly. He glared at Anthony, gently moving Saya to the ground as he stood up. Barbara laughed. “As expected you got up quick. But how will you fight us with that shackle around your legs? You can’t fight us both and protect the girl. So your only options are to forget the girl and lose her and that feeling of protectiveness that lets you keep standing or you keep protecting her. Either way it’s over. She should have never come back. She just cost you the small chance you had to win.” Thomas glanced toward Saya, a grimace slowly taking over his features. They had a point. “Anthony! Barbara!” “No need to yell. We can hear you just fine.” “I’m not talking to you! I’m talking to Saya’s parents. I know you can hear me, because Saya could hear me when she was taken over. Your daughter needs you! She told me she showed you her memories. You’re her parents, but you’re letting these things hurt her. You’re the ones who should be protecting her. Please! Fight! I can’t do it all by myself.” The pair were cracking up. “Really, child.” Said Barbara condescendingly. “You just don’t listen, do you? You cannot break our control of these bodies. We’ve had quite a long time to establish a proper bonding with them.” Anthony said, “Are you done with your little speech now, or can we just move ahead to the part where we eliminate you?” “PLEASE!” Thomas cried out. “WAKE UP! Or your daughter will be gone forever!” “I tire of your foolishness. We’re going to go after the girl first to prove a point, then while her being gone weighs on your soul we’ll easily rid ourselves of you. If you care to stand between us and her it really makes no difference, as you saw just a little while ago.” As they flew towards him Thomas didn’t know what else to do. Saya could no longer move, and he didn’t know how to protect her anymore. “NOOOOOOO!” Yelled out Saya, appearing in front of him with her arms outstretched protectively. She still looked worn out. With sadistic laughter the pair drew closer, uncaring how many times they rose. The end result would still be the same. “STOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPP!” Saya screamed as she closed her eyes. Just before the two reached her they stopped, quivering in place before falling to the ground. They began letting out cries of pain and aggravated howls. Thomas looked with surprise. What had happened? “What…what is this feeling?” Cried out Anthony. “What’s going on?” Barbara slammed her hand on the ground. “What the heck is this?” Saya opened her eyes as she felt Thomas hold onto her. “NEVER!” Cried out Anthony, his voice sounding completely demonic now. “NEVER! You…will…never…WIN!” Barbara sounded the same way as she said something similar. They looked like they were fighting with an invisible opponent. This went on for a few minutes, Thomas and Saya just confusedly observing, neither saying a word. Suddenly there was a big burst of light, making them cover their eyes as a colossal dark wave dispersed over the area. When it faded there was the sound of heavy panting, and when the pair could see again the two of them gasped. “Mommy! Daddy!” Saya cried out, running to her parents, the two looking whole again. With heavy breaths the two grabbed their daughter, holding tight to her. “Oh, Saya!” Cried out Barbara, her voice sounding normal now. “Our sweet little daughter.” Said Anthony, closing his eyes and enjoying the embrace with his child. “Hold on!” Said Thomas, pulling Saya away from them. “How do we know this isn’t just another trap?” Saya looked up at him with teary eyes, smiling. “I can tell.” She said simply. “It’s them.” He accepted her explanation, sitting on the floor. He felt exhausted from the whole ordeal. The family embraced for a while. Barbara was the first to speak. “We have to thank you, Thomas.” “Huh?” He said, looking up toward them. “It was you who gave us the strength to fight them off. When you yelled out to us how we were failing Saya as parents it made us wake up a little more. Those memories Saya showed us came in fuzzy as they were in control of our bodies.” “Yeah.” Said Anthony. “But it was only after Saya screamed and we were about to destroy her forever that we felt able to fight them off. Those things really underestimated the power of a parents love for their child.” “So, Saya, would you mind showing us those memories again so we can see them properly this time?” “Sure!” She replied cheerily, poking both of them in the chest. They closed their eyes to watch before Anthony said with a laugh, “A big brother, huh?” Saya nodded. “Yeah! Is that okay?” “Of course it is. It’s obvious he loves you very much.” She just smiled and snuggled in deeper with a content sigh. “Thomas?” Said Barbara. “Yes?” “Come over here, would you?” “Sure.” He replied, getting up and walking over to them. Barbara gave him a strong hug. “Thank you…for watching over our child, and for stopping us from doing the unthinkable.” “It was…it was…” He couldn’t finish. He couldn’t say it was nothing, because he knew it wasn’t true. When she let him go the two sat back down, and Saya jumped over to him, hugging him as well. “You’re a great big brother.” She said. “Thank you, Saya.” Thomas looked around. “So what happens now?” Barbara responded, “We’ve seen all that we need to see. We were alive a little while after the accident, long enough to get to a hospital. We learned of her death, both of her and the dream she so strongly fought for, and…it made us give up as well. That’s likely why we were a prime target for those evil spirits. But that’s all over now. We’ve seen through her memories that our daughter is content with what she was able to show you. And you promised to do what she can no longer do.” “Yeah.” Said Thomas. “To talk to other people in the hospital.” He shook his head with a mournful sigh. “Don’t know how I’m going to do it, though. My mom doesn’t believe I was seeing anyone in that house.” He got a puzzled look on his face, then continued, “Well, since Saya is a ghost, I guess she was right. But she won’t want to take me. I’ll find a way though.” “In that case I have no regrets anymore.” “Same here.” Said Anthony. “And I’m just glad I have my parents back.” Saya added, holding onto both of them. “I have been waiting to hear these words for quite some time.” All four of them looked around for the source of the words. It sounded different from any of their voices. “Oh, what now?” Asked Thomas, wondering if those things were coming back again. A bright golden light shined down upon the black space, making all of them look up. From it emerged a holy looking figure who descended upon them. It appeared to be an angel. Large golden wings slowly flapped until it reached the ground. Thomas stared at the figure. Despite all the things that had happened, just seeing this being gave him a feeling of peace in his heart. He knew without even asking that this was a benevolent presence. “I am Sariel, the angel of guidance. For years we have been waiting to collect you, but your grudges and hatred weighed too heavily upon you for you to ascend to paradise. I feel those things holding you back are gone, so now I ask you to come with me to your final rest.” The voice was male, and it sounded so soothing. “I’m not scared.” Said Saya. “Because we’re together.” She held onto her parents hands. “Wait!” Said Thomas. “What about me?” The angel looked over at him, extending his hand and touching him. Thomas’ entire body began glowing. “You go back to your body. You are yet alive. There is still quite some time remaining until we come to collect you.” “And what about those evil things? Will they try to get me again?” “Nay, child. They are no more. The feelings you instilled in these two were strong enough to rob them of their power forever. They shall not return. “Now, when you are ready, simply concentrate, and you will return. For now, speak your final words to each other. Until the point in the future that you meet your own end, you and them shall exchange no further words together.” Thomas walked toward the family, and all of them hugged. It was the last time he’d be able to see her until he died. He didn’t want to let her go, but he knew…he knew he had to. She had to go to heaven with her parents. When they broke apart he looked at her, seeing tears coming down her eyes. “Oh, Saya.” He said, his voice shaking. “You don’t need to cry.” “S-speak for yourself.” She replied, wiping her face. “You’re crying more than I am.” “I know. But I can’t help it.” He grabbed her and held her again. “Oh, little sister. I’ll never forget you.” “Me, neither.” She replied, neither of them bothering to hide their tears anymore. “I love you!” “I love you, too!” They both squeezed hard, prolonging it as long as possible, before letting go. “I promise, Saya. When I die I’ll come find you as soon as I can, and we can play together like we used to.” She smiled through her tears. “Sounds good. Goodbye for now.” “Yeah…goodbye.” Thomas let out a big sigh. He wanted to keep talking, for as long as he could…but he knew if he didn’t make himself stop soon then he wouldn’t be able to. “I’m…I’m done.” “Very well. Until the day we meet again, human.” A golden light suffused the bodies of Saya and her parents, and all of them flew skyward. Thomas watched until, with another burst of light, the four of them disappeared. He watched for a while, tears still coming down his face. He closed his eyes and fell to his knees, starting to sob as he knew she was gone for good. After a few more minutes he got control over himself. She was at peace now, where she was supposed to be. And he would be able to see her again someday. He knew that for sure now. Wiping his eyes as the last of his tears tapered off, he said mournfully, “Goodbye…my sister.” Ready to go home he concentrated… Part 6: Final words Thomas’ eyelids fluttered as they opened, and he blinked a few times, stretching a bit before being startled by his mother crying out his name. She threw her arms around him, crying heavily. “Mom, what are you doing?” He asked, not having his bearings yet. “I was so worried about you, you silly child.” “Worried about what?” She pulled back, looking him in the eyes. “You don’t remember? You weren’t feeling well this morning, and you suddenly passed out.” Thomas glanced around, the scenery telling him where he was. “The hospital?” “Yes. I panicked. You’ve been out for a few hours. The doctors couldn’t tell me anything about what was wrong with you. How are you feeling?” “Oh, I’m…” He stopped, his eyes fading out, a flood of memories flowing through his brain, and he shut his eyes tight as tears started coming down. “Absolutely terrible.” He looked up at his mother, and he knew he had to tell her, even if she got mad. He was in the hospital already. This may be his one chance. “Mom, I have to tell you something. A lot of somethings. I know you’re not going to believe me, but I just have to tell you.” She wondered what had brought this about. “Okay, I’m listening. Say whatever you have to.” He let out a sigh as he stared at the bed, hoping she wouldn’t snap right away. “You remember that girl I kept telling you about?” “Saya?” Thomas glanced at her, a bemused expression on his face. “Y-yes. But…but how did you…?” “The doctor told me about her. She was a real girl who lived in that house, but she died in a car accident that took her whole family. Though I never really believed in those things, I guess you’ve been waving to a ghost.” That gave him a sense of relief. If she knew that much he didn’t have to tell her everything. He thought she might freak out if he mentioned soul devouring monsters who took over people’s ghosts. He simply explained it as Saya’s ghost being lonely, so she would come into his dreams and ask him to play with her at her house while she waited for her parents to show up. When they did she was happy they were together again. He explained about her life in the hospital and all the things afterward, ending with her final wishes as the angel came to took them away to heaven. Penny didn’t know how to respond to her son’s tale. She didn’t care for the supernatural. She didn’t know how much she believed of it all. The most important thing, she reasoned, was that her son was hurting. She had to take his words as the truth for now. An easy way to know at least part of it would be to ask that doctor they had talked to before. They had to let him know that Thomas was awake anyway. Penny hit the button to page the staff. A minute later a nurse walked in. “Yes?” She asked kindly. “How can I help you?” “My son woke up, so I would like to speak to Dr. Marston.” “Of course.” She replied, leaving. About five minutes later Dr. Marston came in. “Hello again, Miss Penny. How are you, Thomas?” “Fine.” He responded. “Dr. Marston.” Said Penny. “You said to me that you believe in the supernatural, so I believe my son can tell you what he needs to say.” “Yes?” He asked, interest sparking. So Thomas went through his experience again, once more leaving out the evil spirits. Throughout Dr. Marston looked fascinated, but when it finished he got a melancholy look on his face. He went to the window and looked outside. “I see.” He said in a quiet voice. “I remember that child, from back when she was alive. She had a very strong spirit. A lot of children are fortunate they never have to spend the start of their childhoods experiencing pain like she did. Children like her…they really do need someone to tell them not to give up. Mental state is one of the most important factors in recovery. If they believe they are weak and are never going to recover, their body obeys their thoughts. The harder they believe and the harder they fight the quicker that glorious period of normalcy comes. Though…for some, there can be no proper recovery.” Thomas stood up, going to the window as well. As he looked out upon the park he felt a powerful rush of feelings. It seemed so simple, to go play at a park, but for some it may as well be as far away as the moon. He tried to picture Saya, constantly wishing she could have it, but not being able to because she was too unwell. Not just her. There were likely quite a few of them just like her. “If you give me a little time I can set up things so you can fulfill her final wish. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Most of the nurses and doctors will remember her. Although…it would probably be for the best if you didn’t mention you got that message from a ghost.” “Yeah…” Thomas responded distractedly, still looking down towards the park. A few hours later Dr. Marston came to collect him and his mother. After taking an elevator to the pediatric wing he was led to a near empty room, except some chairs and the people gathered to hear his words. Her words. He thought of sitting down at the chair near the front, but he didn’t want to. He looked around at the other children, some of them not appearing fully conscious, some of them looking pale. He felt really bad for them. If these were indeed all the kids who had been in the hospital when Saya had been it meant they had been there for at least three years after Saya had left. He noticed quite a few nurses staring intently after him. He guessed that they were the ones who had played some part in taking care of Saya when she had been there. Taking a steadying breath he began, “Hello, everyone. I’m not sure how much you were told of why I’m holding this meeting, but…it involves a certain person who used to be in this hospital. Her name was Saya.” A flash of recognition crossed the kids features, and he saw increased attention go through the room. “I don’t know how many of you were told the news, but she’s dead. She has been for a few years.” The shock and hurt made it clear that the children had NOT been told. “Now, my name is Thomas. I was a friend of hers. Um…” He stopped, trying to come up with something. “I found out recently from a diary they found in her house that there was a message that she left for all of you. “When she got out of the hospital, the first thing she did was go to the park right by here, because she always looked out of her window at it while she was sick. After she got her wish of playing in the park she decided that she wanted to try ballet, one of the things she wanted to do most if she ever got out. She was weak from being in the hospital so long, and she needed a lot of time and practice before she became strong enough to be as good as the other kids. “Her final dream…was one she never got to complete.” He felt tears start coming down his eyes as her memories, her feelings, came to mind. “So I decided to do it for her. There was a ballet competition that was going to be held the day she died. She…she never made it there.” He took a heavy breath before continuing. “She said that she wanted to win no matter what. That was why she was trying so hard. If she won she would have gotten a nice trophy, and she had planned to bring it here.” “Here?” Asked one of the kids. “Why here?” Asked another one. “She was planning to leave it here for all of you.” Responded Thomas. “What she wanted the most was for all of you to NEVER give up. Even if you’re sick or hurt or whatever, she wanted all of you to keep fighting, because one day all of you will get out of the hospital too, and get to do all the things you dream of as well. THAT was what she wanted to do. Since she is no longer around, I knew I had to be the one to tell you.” Thomas looked around the room, to see if his words had any impact. He could see the nurses were crying pretty hard, doubtlessly because they had known Saya almost as well as her parents. As for the children, he could see that they had all perked up some. They likely didn’t feel too optimistic after being there so long. “I sure missed Saya.” Said a boy. “It’s too bad she’s gone, but she’ll always be with us here.” He pointed to his heart. “Yeah.” Said a girl. “She didn’t forget about us. She wanted to help us.” As chatter continued amongst them Thomas could just feel the mood in the room had changed. He could feel…the flower of hope blossoming. He didn’t know if it would be sufficient to get them better enough to get out of the hospital, but it was a perfect first step. The hospital wanted to keep an eye on him just in case, so he knew he wouldn’t be leaving that night. When his mom asked if he was ready to go back to his room he started to say yes but then he changed his mind. As he glanced around at the brighter atmosphere of the room he once again thought of Saya’s memories. Though the staff was very friendly and supportive, the picture he had gotten of what it was like to spend years in a hospital was as black as the space he had occupied in the spirit world. “No, Mom.” He said. “I’m…I think I’d like to stay a little longer, and play with these children as well.” His mother gave an approving nod. “Very well.” Thomas tried to make the most of his time there, telling them stories or jokes or playing games with them. They seemed delighted to have a new playmate in their group. After a time he bid them farewell, returning to his room with the help of a nurse. As he sat in his bed his mother said, “So, Thomas…” “Yes?” “I believe that every experience has a lesson that can be learned. Did your experience playing with a ghost teach you anything?” He got a heavy look on his face as he looked down at his lap. “Yes…” He said in a quiet voice. “It…it actually feels like a scary lesson.” “Why’s that?” “Now it feels like I shouldn’t try to have any dreams. I don’t know when I’m going to die, and if I die without doing my dream I could just be a ghost too.” “I don’t think so. What Saya and her parents were fighting for was a wish to bring light to the down feelings of the children here. It was something she put her whole heart and soul into, and it was a gift that would be good for so many people. If dreams that weren’t complete are all it takes then EVERYONE would be a ghost after they died. Every single person has something they wish to do before they go. Even when they accomplish it their thoughts simply turn to their next goal. Look at Saya. She wished to go to the park she always saw out her window, then to be a ballet dancer, then to win a competition. It’s an endless cycle. “I believe the real message you should take from this is that you should accomplish all you can each day, because you never know when the day will come you cannot get what you want anymore. As you saw not all children are as fortunate as you. You can run and jump and see and do everything yourself.” Thomas was quiet for a while, then he looked up at her. “Well, I think my dream for now is to keep Saya’s dream. The hospital isn’t really that far from our house. I could come here and keep inspiring the children.” “That sounds like a wonderful dream. If you keep at it and keep their spirits high, then…who knows. Maybe you could be the reason one of these kids gets to experience a new life like she did.” “I think that would feel wonderful, and make Saya really happy where she is.” “Me, too.” She said as she hugged him. Later on his dad showed up, having just got off work. His dad was a bit bemused as he was told the story, but seemed to accept it without much fuss. The next day Thomas left the hospital. His parents had stayed overnight, but his dad had to leave again in the morning to go back to work. One of the first things he did when he left was go to the park. He walked slowly, trying to appreciate everything. He looked at every little thing that caught his attention. His mother stayed just a little behind him, giving him some space. As he walked he couldn’t stop the tears from coming again. He missed Saya. Even though those evil spirits had only been using him so he would make a good meal, he had genuinely came to care for her. It was a very melancholy walk for a time, before he managed to convince himself to stop dwelling on her absence. This wasn’t what she wanted for him. She would want him to be happy and inspired too. He played on the playground for a while, trying out some stunts. He skipped rocks across the pond. He observed interesting people. Slowly his gloom turned to excitement. Yes, it was far from the end. There was so much more he could do. Maybe one day he could bring one of those kids hear someday. The next day he went back to school. On the way home he glanced up at the window of the empty house. As expected there was no one there. There never was. After a week of this Mitchell finally asked, “So what’s the deal? You stopped waving to your little girlfriend.” With a sad laugh he responded, “She…moved.” He hadn’t told his friend about his little adventure. He didn’t want it spreading throughout the school, and he certainly didn’t want to answer questions about it. Once a week his mom would drop him off at the hospital for a few hours to entertain the kids. He could quickly see that they were coming to expect his visits, always looking anxious and excited when he showed up. It reminded him of Saya. Though deep down he knew he was simplifying things too much, he thought that the abandoned house and the hospital weren’t that different. They both felt like prisons everyone wanted to escape from. He did his best to keep their moods up. Once he had their trust, he spoke to them in private and told them about how he actually knew Saya, though just like with everyone else kept out the part about the evil spirits inhabiting her parents. All of them being young they had no problem accepting his ghost story. Most of them found it touching that the only thing that kept Saya’s spirit from ascending was thoughts of not being able to help them. He developed a nice rapport with them, growing attached to them just like he’d done with Saya. He knew all their names by heart, and was quite knowledgeable about their likes and dislikes. The nurses liked him quite a bit as well for being so generous and unselfish with his free time. During his sixth month there he got the most wonderful news. One of the children, a girl named Melinda, was getting released. Her dream was mostly the same as Saya’s, though instead of a ballet dancer, she just wanted to be a plain old dancer. There was a big party thrown, and Thomas was overjoyed, cheering and whooping and dancing. None of the kids there felt jealous. All of them would get out sooner or later. Through Thomas’ help and Saya’s last words, that was what all of them truly believed. They only had to wait for their turn. Somewhere, far above the world, in a golden brown land, a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes was looking upon the world. Her essence was flushed with a slight glow, and closed wings spanned her back She was on her stomach, he face propped up on her hands and her feet moving leisurely back and forth. Through a gap she watched the party with a joyous feeling in her heart. “He did it.” She said in a bright voice. “Did what, dear?” Asked Barbara, walking over to her daughter. “Melinda is getting to go home today.” “That’s great!” “Yeah.” She said dreamily. “I hope she becomes the best dancer in the whole world and gets to do all the things I couldn’t do.” “Not jealous at all, are you?” Asked Anthony, coming over to watch too. She shook her head. “Not at all. I’m so happy right now. I didn’t expect Thomas to visit the hospital every week. I thought he was just going to tell the kids what I wanted to say and not go back.” “Well, it’s better that way, isn’t it?” “Yeah.” She said with a big smile. “I can’t wait until I get to play with him again.” She thought for a second of what had happened to her when she had died too soon. With a small giggle she said, “Nah.” She looked at Thomas warmly, a happy tear coming down her eye. “I can wait.”

Brotherly hate, brotherly love ‘I hate my brother!’ Thought twelve year old Cooper. His brother was two-and-a-half and, as far as he was concerned, just a pain in the butt. It was bad enough he had to deal with his parents splitting up two months ago. He remembered the day well. Shortly before that his parents had sat him down and they had had a long talk. Over the course of it they told him over and over that neither he nor his brother had been responsible for their break-up. There hadn’t been excessive fighting or getting on each other’s nerves. They explained it that they were drifting apart, and they both felt it was for the best to end things amicably, as the love had pretty much gone out of their relationship. He and his brother lived with their mom, while they visited their dad on weekends. He had enjoyed having both his parents around, and before had spent time with both of them. But…ever since the divorce it was obvious that each of them had their preferred parent. His brother preferred their mom, while he liked his dad more simply because of that. His brother always got to spend time being held and cuddled and played with by their mom, while his dad paid more attention to him on weekends. Before this he had been grudgingly accepting of Todd, but now he couldn’t stand the brat. His mom got a job that allowed her to stay at home, which meant that he was regularly relegated to babysitter. His only options were to stay home and constantly watch after the little brat, or take him out with his friends, which meant that what they did was usually dependent on what Todd wanted, or he would whine and cry. The little monster at times wouldn’t leave him alone, even when he wasn’t supposed to be babysitting, wanting to sit on his lap or have a story read to him. He didn’t want anything to do with him, and that feeling got stronger and stronger almost every day, a great ball of resentment growing in his stomach. It all came to a head one day, when his brother did something that pushed him over the edge. He went into his room and his heart practically stopped. His school project, a diorama of the solar system, was in ruins. He had spent a month working on it, and it was due tomorrow. He usually kept it at the top of his closet, but he had taken it out to put the finishing touches on it, and foolishly left it on his bed. He had only left for a few minutes to get some glue and go to the bathroom, and in that time an entire month’s effort went down the drain. In the middle of the mess was his brother, one of the papers with all the information sitting in his lap, ripped almost completely in half. The moon was in a corner, some of the planets were broken and sitting in the box, and Todd was holding Venus and Mars in his hands, banging them together without a care in the world. He felt his breathing speed up, anger slowly penetrating his mind. A part of him told him to just walk away before he snapped, but then his brother looked up at him, with that stupid carefree smile and cried out, “Bwatha! Fun toy!” Said it with that stupid baby talk he had never found cute, only annoying. His fists clenched as Todd got up and approached him, but then he stopped as he saw the look on Cooper’s face. There was no fun or kindness there. Then as Cooper took a step toward him he got afraid and tried to run to the back of the room. Cooper easily caught up with him, picking him up and setting him on his knee as he sat on his bed, and he brought his hand down, heedless of his brother’s cries of pain, only vengeance going through his mind. He gave him about ten before he realized how hard he was swatting. Setting the sobbing child on the floor he yelled to Todd to get out. Todd grabbed his butt and ran out of the room. Cooper sighed heavily, still furious, part of him wishing he hadn’t stopped. That was probably the only time Todd understood the exasperation Cooper had toward him. He knew what was coming next. He was going to run to mom, the big baby. Then she was going to come in and tell him how wrong he was. It was the same old story every time. ‘Oh, you’re older, so you shouldn’t feel anything and instantly forgive your stupid brother because he doesn’t understand.’ This was the first time he had actually physically assaulted his brother, but his mom seemed to have a ‘he can do no wrong’ attitude toward Todd, and he didn’t think it was fair. Sure enough, less than ten minutes later he heard his mother, Misty, call his name in that tone that just screams that you’re in big trouble. When he went into the living room he saw her holding Todd and looking furious. “Cooper Gasper! Why did you hit Todd? He’s just a baby.” “Because he ruined my whole project!” Cooper snapped back. “I spent a whole month on it, feeling real proud in what I had done, and I left it out for a minute and that is what I come back to.” “I don’t care what he did! You should never hit your brother!” “Oh, but it’s fine if he hits me, right?” “It’s not the same thing! He is a BABY!” “How often are you going to let him get away with that excuse? Oh, I forgot. He’s your precious TODD, who never gets punished for anything because he’s too stupid to realize he’s being stupid. I’m sick of him getting a free ride just because he’s young, while I get punished for every little bad thing I do! It’s not fair!” “That doesn’t make it right!” “You’re right! It doesn’t! If you didn’t let him get away with everything all the time maybe he’d be better behaved. “ “I don’t like your attitude, mister. I’m trying to teach you to take more responsibility for your actions for when you grow up.” “Don’t give me that garbage! Oh, you have to deal with the oh so stressful duty of living in your house with so much free time when you’re not working.” “Watch your tone!” “Or what? You’ll punish me? Lock me in my room for a month? That’s fine! I’d rather be stuck in a broom cupboard with only a piece of cardboard to sleep on than have to watch that brat anymore!” He pointed angrily at Todd. “It’s obvious that Todd’s your favorite. You think I don’t have any stress to deal with? “You know, it’s great that you and dad are happily divorced and moving on with your own lives, BUT…I…HAVEN’T! I’m NOT happy about not having both my parents. I’m NOT happy that I constantly have to watch my brother instead of hanging out with my friends. I NEED LOVE TOO! I’m SORRY that my being around is such an inconvenience unless Todd needs to be watched! I can’t take it anymore. I’d rather move in with dad. At least he has time for me when I’m there.” With that he ran away, and she heard his door slam shortly after that. Todd started crying again, clinging to her as he said, “Bwatha hate me!” Misty let out a big sigh. She wanted to go to Cooper and comfort him but at the moment she had to make Todd the priority. It was probably for the best anyway. Cooper would need a little time to cool down before they could talk. Holding Todd she reassured him and gently rocked him. “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. Your brother doesn’t hate you. He’s just a little mad.” Todd looked into her with those innocent childish eyes, calming down just a little. “W-weally?” He asked. “Yes, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. He’s angrier at me than you. And…he has every right to be. I’ve been a great mother to you, just not to him.” She could see he didn’t understand what she was talking about. Standing up she went to the phone and called her sister, Iris. After explaining the situation she agreed to come over. She kept working on Todd while she waited. Although he was cheering up it was obvious that he was still troubled and worried about his brother. When Iris arrived the two exchanged greetings. She looked down towards Todd and said in a cheery voice, “Hello!” He was used to Iris, but he was still upset so he clung to his mother harder like he was afraid of her and said in a small voice, “Hello.” “Oh, what’s wrong, Todd?” He sniffed, a tear coming down his eye. “Bwatha weally mad at me. I bwoked his toy and he spank me.” Letting out a little sob he said, “I bad boy!” Taking him from Misty with a small fight she held him close to her and said lovingly, “You’re not a bad boy. You just made a mistake. Later on when you both calm down you can apologize to him and work things out, okay?” He was too upset to argue the point of wanting to go to his mother, so he just held tightly to Iris instead. “It’s okay, little Todd. How about I take you out for a little while to the park?” He shook his head, not moving his head from where it was hiding by her chest. “No? Not even if I buy you some chocolate ice cream?” His head perked up almost immediately. Chocolate ice cream was one of his all-time favorite things. “Ice cweam?” Iris and Misty both laughed. “Yes, ice cream.” “Yummy.” “I’ll go get the child seat.” Said Misty, leaving the room. When she came back they set it up in her car, gave Todd a hug goodbye, and watched them drive off. Once they left Misty let out a little sigh, her cheery demeanor evaporating. Heading back inside the house she went to Cooper’s door, listening for a moment. She could hear the light sound of crying. She knew she had to make things right by him. Knocking on the door she opened it a crack. “Cooper? Can we talk?” She heard him stifling his crying. He was lying on his stomach on his bed, his head on his crossed arms. He pulled himself up, and moved so he was sitting on the edge of his bed, wiping his face. Taking that as a silent yes she walked in, closing the door behind her. She sat on the bed next to him and said, “I called my sister over. She took Todd away for a few hours. I don’t want anything to interrupt us.” As she looked at the floor she saw the remains of his project. Todd really had done quite a number on it. She knew how hard he had been working on it. Even Cooper couldn’t explain why he was so into his model of the solar system. He just threw himself into it, full of pride. He even planned to make it more realistic by having the planets all be in their real life positions to get a little extra credit for his research. She put an arm around him. Cooper squirmed like he didn’t want to be touched, but he didn’t move away from her. “Thinking back...” She started. “You’re right that I have been paying more attention to your brother. I never intended for you to think I was neglecting you or just using you to give myself some free time, but it seems that that was what happened. “I’m not going to make any excuses. My reasoning was simple. Todd is very young. Much younger than you. He doesn’t understand anything beyond very simple concepts. That will come in time. So he isn’t capable of understanding something like a divorce. When we decided to split up we could talk to you about it and know you would understand, even if you didn’t like it. Since he can’t have his dad all the time like he used to I’ve been trying to give him a lot more love so he won’t be as greatly affected by what he can’t comprehend. On the other hand, while I know you didn’t want us to split up, you would fully know the reason why and haven’t seemed too greatly affected. Even so, I should have talked to you more about your feelings. That was a failure on my part, as I didn’t take responsibility for both of you and, as you said, I was unintentionally playing favorites. I’m sorry about that.” It was quiet between the two of them. Cooper shifted his position again, but otherwise didn’t react. “I know you’re mad at me, and you have every reason to be, but don’t think I don’t understand your frustrations at all. I had it a little worse and a little better than you as Iris is only five years younger than me, instead of ten for you and Todd. So, yes, I usually couldn’t be the babysitter when we were younger, but since there was only a five year difference I was a lot more immature compared to you when it came to my sibling. Even without a divorce between my parents I hated the attention lavished on her that used to be mine. I used to hit her and push her and be sometimes downright cruel to her. But there comes a day, always, when you see the value of your younger sibling. You have someone to talk to about problems that will have time to listen and understand you better being closer to your age. That time came for me, but I remember an earlier time when I had a much worse ‘use’ for Iris. “When I was eight and she was three I was also mad and jealous of how she always got away with doing bad things just because she was a toddler. So I came up with a scheme to take advantage of that.” There was something about the little devious laugh she gave that made him curious, and he turned slightly toward her. “What was that?” “I would wait until she was in the room and nearby and then I’d break something. A lamp, a plate, a vase. Whatever was handy. Then I’d run and let her get caught for my crime.” NOW she had his full attention. Forgetting his resentment for the moment he fully turned to her, eyes wide in disbelief. “That’s…” He couldn’t finish. That seemed really funny. “Of course she didn’t get punished, and I kept getting away with putting the blame on her. Of course if I had been smarter I’d have realized that it wouldn’t last. Of course Iris did break some things or make messes, but never so often in one day. Besides the fact that she never seemed interested or afraid of the broken object, and the large amount, my parents were certain that it was really me, doing exactly what I was doing. Since they couldn’t prove it was me, they made their own plan. The next time I broke something they took Iris and talked about how she must feel bad that she kept messing things up, and they gave her a big bowl of ice cream. “As they sat her down and she was about to eat I ran in and complained. “How come SHE gets ice cream? I’m the one that broke all that stuff!” By that point I realized what I had just said and I couldn’t take it back. They sat me down and we had a long talk about not taking advantage of Iris like that, made me apologize to her, and I was punished for two days.” Despite himself, Cooper started cracking up. When he settled down Misty said, “Now. Let us compromise. Tell me what it is you want. I can’t promise anything, but if it’s reasonable we’ll work things out.” “I want some no brother days. I want time with my friends where I don’t have to bring him along or where I can just play videogames all night instead of having to take care of him. If I had more time for myself I wouldn’t be so mad at taking care of him. “And… “ “And?” Cooper averted his eyes before saying, “And I want some more time with you. You’re…you’re my mother too, you know.” Misty smiled. “I thought so. That’s part of why I asked Iris to take care of him. For now, it’ll just be the two of us. Let’s have some fun together for now, and we’ll talk more later.” It was a strange turn of events, having his mom all to himself for a few hours. She helped him fix up his project, but it was clear it wasn’t going to be the masterpiece it was originally. They watched a movie together, eating popcorn. They talked, sharing all sorts of things. Despite finding his mom to be a bit embarrassing lately, he was really cherishing this time with her. Misty felt the same. It reminded her a little of when Cooper was an only child. Eventually she got a call from Iris, saying she was bringing Todd home. That being the case, she knew she needed to explain some things to her son before they arrived. Sitting down on the bed together she said, “Cooper. Now that you have cooled off there are some things I need to talk to you about before Todd comes back. You remember what I said earlier, about how your brother can’t understand what a divorce is?” Cooper’s face drooped a little as the subject moved to his brother, but he responded, “Yeah.” “Well, while he can’t understand what a divorce is, what he is capable of understanding is that things have changed. Young children like him don’t like change. And they also tend to blame themselves for things that go wrong. Even if he isn’t old enough to think he’s responsible right now, I don’t want him to blame himself in the future either, or think that I’m mad or blaming him for it either. That’s the main reason I’ve been showering him with love and affection so much. If he receives a steady stream of love from me there should be a much smaller chance that he’ll feel that way. It’s the same for you. At his stage of development I can only explain my thoughts through feelings and actions. I tried to do the same to you with words. That’s why I kept emphasizing that it wasn’t your fault during our talk before the divorce.” “At…at the time I was too focused on the fact you were splitting up, and I just got annoyed when you kept saying that. But…after it happened there were times when I did start thinking that, if I had been better behaved, then you wouldn’t have split up.” A tear came down his cheek as he said, “I was afraid that if I wasn’t so needy and let you have more time together you would still be in love. But every time I started to feel like I hated myself I heard your words. Most of the time it helped, but sometimes…” He let out a little sob and stayed quiet. Rubbing his shoulder she said gently, “Go on.” “Sometimes… I felt like you were only saying it so much because it really was my fault, and you hated me for it, and that’s why you’ve been paying so much attention to Todd after you split up.” Pulling him to her she hugged him tightly. “You don’t have to worry about that. I could never hate you. I love you very, very much, and I don’t know what I would do without you. I stand by what I told you. You are not to blame. Todd isn’t either. It was just a choice that we made together.” Listening to a lot of Coopers complaints, one thing seemed clear. She just had to confirm it. “Cooper. Who is it you’re really mad at? Is it really Todd, or is it me?” The question took him by surprise. His first instinct was to insist on Todd, but thinking about it he realized a lot of things that annoyed him about Todd were really byproducts of his mother’s actions. She was the one who constantly asked him to babysit. She was the one showering Todd with attention, while he didn’t get much. She was the one who let him get away with murder. “I…I guess it’s more you than Todd.” “I thought so. So you wanted to compromise before, remember? I would like you to make up with your brother when he gets home. I realize that he broke something that was important to you, and you spanked him, but I feel that it was just caused by a buildup of stress and anger from both me and him. Now that you’ve calmed down I think you can look at things with a clearer head. “Todd is used to playing with toys like blocks. Things you can put together and ‘break’ as much as you want. What will go a long way to helping him understand is repetition. He will only learn though having things explained to him. If he can see what his actions do to others he will be less likely to repeat a bad action like that again, but sometimes he just isn’t capable of making the connection. “Now, while I know most of the time it doesn’t feel like Todd is affected much from the divorce, in part because of the attention I give him, it really is having a big effect. That’s why, no matter how much you push him away or ignore him, Todd clings to you when I’m not readily available or have to work. You are his brother, but I feel at times like he’s trying to make you his replacement dad. He’s looking for another source of love to turn to from the only other member of the family who lives here. And while you may think he only feels bad because you hit him, it is also true that he is very capable of realizing that he hurt you. He does feel very bad about breaking your diorama. He thought it was a toy. He feels like you hate him. That’s why I want you two to make up. As we just found out you’re angrier at me than him, and I already agreed to stop showing so much favoritism toward Todd, so it shouldn’t be too hard to forgive him now, don’t you think?” “I guess not.” “One thing I have to bring up now is that, if you want less responsibility, you must take more responsibility. If you want Monday to be a ‘no brother’ day, than I want Tuesday to be a ‘take brother’ day. Although it would be for the best if you could get along with your brother enough so that all of us could be happy together, I’ll try to provide a few hours every week that’s just the two of us. Okay?” He nodded. “Yeah.” “And I want you to promise me that you won’t spank or hit your brother anymore. Violence is not the answer. I never spanked you growing up, and you turned out great.” “Okay, Mom. I promise.” The two hugged. When the doorbell rang Misty yelled, “Come in!” Her and Cooper had relocated by the living room to watch a little TV while they waited. As Todd and Iris came into the room the boy’s face lit up with a happy smile. “Mama!” He cried out, running toward her. When he was almost there he suddenly came to a stop as he saw Cooper sitting near her, his head going down and a guilty look upon his face. He turned around and headed back towards Iris, taking the bag in her hands. Approaching slowly, still looking shamefaced, he put his hand out toward Cooper, offering him the bag. “Fo’ you.” He said in a small voice. Cooper looked at Todd with a bemused expression on his face, taking the bag. He didn’t know what he felt towards his brother at the moment. He went in the bag, only containing a piece of construction paper, and looked it over. His eyebrow rose, trying to make sense of the drawing in front of him. The background was mostly black, with some white thrown in. Beyond that there was just little circles of colors. When he put the picture down a little he saw Todd’s head was still down towards the ground, but glancing up at him. When Todd saw him looking he quickly looked back down at the floor. “What is this?” He asked Todd, bending forward a little. Todd still wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Is you toy. I bwoked it. Make you new one.” Cooper looked at the picture again. He guess the white in the black was supposed to be the Milky Way and some stars he had had as a background picture in his diorama, while the different colored dots were supposed to be the planets. When he put the picture down again he saw that Todd was looking up at him now, his eyes swimming with tears. “I sowwy! I sowwy I bwoked you toy. Please no hate me!” When he had first seen Todd he had felt some of his rage return, but it seemed to fade when he saw Todd really did understand he had done a bad thing. In those brown eyes he could see Todd begging for his forgiveness. In the back of his mind he reflected on what he had been told in the past few hours, and he found he just couldn’t stay mad. He still didn’t like the munchkin that much, but he felt that he could let this go. As Todd looked like he was ready to escalate to full-on sobbing he picked the little boy up, and gently hugged him. “It’s okay.” Said Cooper in what he hoped was a comforting voice. “I forgive you. Don’t cry.” Todd held on to him tightly, still crying, but quieter now. After a minute he pulled back, and the two met eyes again. Todd was smiling at him, but Cooper felt indifferent. As he set Todd on the floor he ran toward Iris again and she gave him another bag, this one small. He ran back towards Cooper and held it out. “Fo’ you!” He said again happily. Cooper opened it and saw it was a cup of ice cream. “Chocolate?” Todd nodded. “Uh-huh. Ice cweam fo’ Bwatha. Make you happy.” Todd hugged his leg. “I woves you!” His mom’s words came back to him, about how Todd was looking for a replacement for his dad and turning to him for the job. Despite how mean he was to his brother Todd didn’t seem to care. He just kept trying and trying for his acceptance and love. With a small sigh he let a little more of his bitterness fade. Going to the kitchen he came back with two spoons and some paper towels. Setting a paper towel under the cup he offered a spoon to Todd. “Would you like to share with me?” Todd smiled an extra-large grin, both because of the offer of ice cream, and because Cooper was being nice to him. He nodded. “I woves chocowate.” Misty was smiling for the same reason as she saw her two boys getting along for a change, pigging out on ice cream. She thought that things were finally turning around. As Cooper and Misty agreed they made a schedule for Cooper to have two free days and three babysitting days. She also made sure to ask her sister to take Todd once a week so they could spend some time together alone. Just like that a lot of problems were solved. Cooper couldn’t begin to say how much of a relief it was to say he was going to hang out with his friends and not have to hear that he should take his brother with him. Over the next two months Misty could see a huge difference in Cooper’s attitude towards Todd. During their times together before he had pretty much snubbed his brothers attempts for his attention at every turn, obviously annoyed, only giving in when Todd seemed about to cry from being ignored. As Cooper saw her keeping to her word and having worked things out with her she could see him acting better towards Todd. She could tell he still didn’t care to babysit, but he had pretty much stopped complaining about it. Sometimes Cooper would take the initiative and offer to read a story or watch one of Todd’s favorite cartoons, and sometimes he would try to get Todd to just sit and watch him play a game. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but she felt as time went on they would only get closer. The two of them were on the right track. One day after school on one of his babysitting days Cooper didn’t feel like staying in the house. “Hey, Todd?” He said to the toddler. “What?” He asked, his head tilted. “Would you like to go to the park?” His eyes lit up, clearly excited. “Yeah! Go park!” “Okay. Hold on. I have to go ask mom what I should bring.” He pouted. “I come too!” With that he raised his arms. “Cawwy me!” Cooper sighed. “Fine.” He picked up Todd and went to his mother’s room. “Hey, mom?” “Yeah?” She replied. “We want go park!” Todd said happily. “Oh. Are you sure Cooper wants to go?” Todd nodded. “Coopa want go.” “I was the one who asked him.” Said Cooper. “I just want to know what to bring.” “Well, it’s not that far from here.” Misty responded. “I would bring some snacks and juice, a toy or two, and bring some warmer clothes, both of you. We’re coming along into winter and temperatures drop pretty quick when the sun starts going down. “ “Alright, Mom.” He set down Todd on the floor. “Go grab some toys you want to bring. I’ll grab some clothes for us.” “Kay!” Said Todd, hopping out of the room like a frog. She saw Cooper let out an amused sigh at Todd’s exuberance. “You know, you were just like that once.” “Yeah, I probably was.” As Cooper went to leave she said, “Wait.” “Yeah?” Asked Cooper, turning around. She stood up, walking over to him and giving him a strong hug. “Come on, Mom.” Cooper felt a half-smile cross his lips, secretly enjoying the contact. “I know I said this before, but I am so proud of you for how you’ve been treating your brother lately. As you can plainly see your time together really means a lot to him. He has a lot of love for you, even if you’re not all that crazy about him.” “Well, you’ve kept your promise, so I’m just keeping mine. It’s nothing.” “That’s incorrect. It is something. It is a big something. Like I told you before Todd was looking for another source of attention to replace his dad, and you’ve finally stepped up to the plate. It’s a huge help and it means a lot to me as well, knowing Todd will grow up feeling loved.” Cooper felt touched by her words but was too embarrassed to tell her. He gave her a quick hug back then pulled away, saying, “I have to go get the stuff.” She smiled after him as he left the room, his sunny cheeks and bright eyes making the feelings he couldn’t say clear. “Ah, boys.” She said to herself contentedly. “So proud.” Cooper went to his room, grabbing a heavy shirt and pants and a pair of gloves, as well as a coat which he threw on. He wasn’t that worried about himself. Going to Todd’s room he saw Todd looking around, trying to decide what to bring. Leaving him be for the moment he went to the kitchen to grab a bag of chips and some pretzels and some juice boxes which he put in a lunch bag. When he returned he put them in a travel bag with his clothes. Todd was holding something now. “Hey, kid. Did you decide?” Todd turned around at his voice, holding a set of small cars in a bag. “Yep. Got some caws.” “That’s good.” Going through his brothers drawers he pulled out some clothes and mittens for him, as well as an extra pair of underwear just in case he had an accident. He had pretty much gotten the potty training down, but now and then he did forget because he was too focused on other things. He went to the closet and grabbed Todd’s coat, helping him put it on. Going to say goodbye to their mom they saw her holding a plastic bag. “Here.” She said. “It’s some disinfectant and Band-Aids just in case you get hurt. Try to be back by six. I’ll have some burgers ready when you get back.” “Sounds good to me.” Said Cooper as she gave him a kiss. “Heeeey!” Whined Todd. “Me too, me too! Kiss!” Misty picked him up, holding him to her. “Of course, my little boy.” She rained kisses upon his face, making him giggle. She set him down, saying, “Have fun you two.” “We will.” Said Cooper. “Bye.” “Bye-bye.” Said Todd, waving with both hands. The walk to the park wasn’t that long. Only about five minutes. For some groups of kids it was an afterschool hangout to play sports in. There was plenty of time to play. About halfway there Todd started complaining, wanting to be carried. It was no mean feat, having to carry both his brother and the bag with all the clothes and snacks, but he bore it without complaint. After all, he was the one who brought up wanting to go to the park. It was a little nippy out, but nothing that bad. The park was pretty big. It went around in a huge circle around a lake. Around the park were parts where you entered the forest. There were two playgrounds, one for young kids and one for older kids. There were also some cannons as a memorial. During spring and summer there was also a small food court, but it wouldn’t be open this time of year. At first they just walked around, Cooper pointing out things of interest. Todd just held onto his hand and looked with awe at everything Cooper was talking about. Cooper found his reaction odd, but then he realized that Todd was only about three years old. A lot of things were brand new to him. ‘Mom says I was just like him once. I guess so.’ For the most part the park seemed empty. He saw two other people as they walked around, one with a dog that Todd just had to pet. The owner was very nice, letting him have his fun for a few minutes before Cooper prodded Todd that they had to keep walking. When they came upon the playground he told Todd to go play for a little while. He set the bag down, giving his sore shoulders a rest. He took a drink and ate some pretzels. After about ten minutes he called Todd over and went to the opposite side, where he showed Todd little tricks he could do, getting lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from his brother. He had to admit it was nice being around someone who was so easily impressed. They walked over by the lake, where he showed Todd how he could skip a rock across the water. “Woah! Coo’!” Said Todd, his face lighting up. “Me do! Me do!” He picked up a rock and threw it, and of course it just sank right away. He tried a few more times without success. Cooper saw him getting discouraged, so he picked up a rock and handed it to Todd, holding on to him, showing him the right way to snap his wrist. With his assistance the rock jumped across the water. Todd looked very proud of himself, hopping around and saying, “Me did it! Me did it!” A half hour passed before the first incident. Overexcited and running ahead Todd tripped, scraping his hands and hitting one of his knees on the pavement. Cooper jogged over to him, picking him up as he started bawling. He gently rocked Todd, trying to comfort him and telling him it was okay. After about a minute he set down the bag and Todd on a bench, grabbing the Band-Aids and disinfectant. “Ok, show me where it hurts.” Todd was quivering as he held out his hands. “H-hewe. M-my hands huwt.” “Anywhere else?” Todd nodded, pointing to his leg. “Knee huwts, too.” Cooper lifted up his pants leg, giving it a look over. There didn’t seem to be any blood, but be put on some medicine and a Band-Aid just in case. He did the same for Todd’s hands. When that was done he could see Todd was still crying and looking in pain. ‘Now what?’ He thought. ‘I’m not good with this comforting stuff. What’s Mom always say?’ He was pretty sure she said to distract his attention, as young children tended to overreact to injuries. So if you could get their mind on something else they’d be fine. ‘Okay, so what do I distract him with?’ Cooper shrugged, sitting next to Todd and putting him on his lap. Todd immediately hugged him, burying his head as he continued crying. “Um, uh…did I ever tell you about the time I went fishing with dad?” Todd looked up slightly, shaking his head. “Well, when I was ten dad took me out on a boat on the river. It was summer. The river was almost overflowing with people. I was pretty nervous because I had never gone fishing before. So we were out near the middle. We both had our lines in the water, waiting for a bite. Dad suddenly felt a pull!” As the memory came back to him he started feeling the same excitement he had felt back then. “I had to hold onto my own pole, but I watched him pulling in that thing little by little.” His voice rose an octave, enthusiasm clear in his tone. “Suddenly with a last hard yank out of the water came a fish almost as big as you.” Cooper looked down to see Todd just staring at him, letting out a sniff and another tear. He sighed to himself, clicking his tongue as he looked away. ‘I knew it. I suck at this.’ He heard Todd’s voice but didn’t pay ate ntion to it until Todd started smacking his chest to get his attention. “Coopa! Coopa!” “What? What is it?” “Mo’ stowy, Coopa! Mo’ stowy! Whuh happen nex’?’” “Oh, um, yeah. Story. Right.” Cooper shook his head. ‘So he is interested after all.’ Looking down at Todd he continued, “Well, Dad had me take a picture of him with his catch. It really was pretty big. We put it in a bucket for later. Just then I felt a pull on my rod. I grabbed that thing tight, reeling and reeling and pulling with all my might. This was a tough sucker. I knew if I took it easy at all this thing would get away. Dad watched the whole time, to make sure I wasn’t pulled into the water in case it was too much for me. I pulled with all my strength until out of the water came a fish. It was smaller than dad’s, but that didn’t matter. I managed to get it all by myself. Dad was so proud, patting me on the shoulder and saying, “That’s my boy!”” “Ooooh!” Exclaimed Todd. He clapped. “You did it!” Cooper rolled his eyes with a small laugh to hear Todd talking to him like he was a baby. ‘Oh well.’ He thought. ‘At least he’s happy now.’ “Mo’ stowy?” Todd asked with a smile. “Hmm? Well, I guess so. What should I talk about now?” He told Todd a story about an event with Misty this time. “Well, one time me and Mom went on a ferry ride around the Hudson River while Dad was away on business. This was before you were born. It was a beautiful sight. The place had lovely music. We traveled along the river, getting to see the Statue of Liberty up close. We also stopped at Ellis Island. There’s a lot of history there. A lot of people who came here to America passed by there. When it was over we explored the city for a bit before taking a train home.” Todd kept prodding him for stories whenever he stopped, which at first Cooper found odd. Then he remembered that Todd didn’t know much about the world, or him, or their parents. Besides, he was paying attention to Todd, something the boy always enjoyed. ‘Ah, yes. That whole ‘replacement dad’ thing again.’ He thought in the back of his mind. ‘Even if I don’t like to admit it I like having lots of attention too, and Todd usually reacts with wonder to every new bit of news I tell him. It’s not that bad really. He’s okay too, I guess. In small doses.’ He was trying to come up with another story. After thinking a little he decided on last years science project. “I made a volcano for school. Well, not a real one of course. It was more like a toy. A volcano is filled with very hot stuff called lava. When enough pressure builds up it causes it to erupt, spewing it all over the place. Of course, since I couldn’t bring in actual lava I had to use this fake stuff so that no one could get hurt. My teacher really liked it. You squeezed the trigger, and squeezed until suddenly it would come out, landing on the rest of the land I made below. You probably would have had a lot of fun with that. You would be encouraged to make a mess with that.” His bit of laughter suddenly gave rise to a frown and a memory. In his mind he could see Todd sitting in the ruins of his planet project, bringing up sour feelings that he tried not to dwell on. Even so, when Todd asked him for another tale he said, “No. No more for now. Let’s just keep walking.” “Nooooo!” Todd whined. “Mo’ stowy! Me want stowy!” Just like that Cooper’s mood shifted completely, finding himself annoyed. “I don’t have anymore stories, alright?” He stood up, setting Todd on the ground. “Come on. Let’s go.” Cooper took his hand, pulling on him hard to get him to move. Todd was crying again, only annoying him more. ‘Feh. Brothers are such a pain! Why did mom even have to have a second child? Wasn’t I good enough? And I’m sick of carrying around all these clothes. It’s not even that cold.’ Todd was pulling at him. “Stop.” “We’re not stopping!” Using his other arm he pulled harder, digging in his feet. “You huwting me.” Cooper felt his temper flare. “Fine!” Coming to a stop he let Todd’s hand go, and Todd fell backwards onto his butt. Todd looked up at him with teary eyes, but Cooper had no sympathy to give for the moment. Todd stood up, going to hug his leg, but Cooper pushed him away. “Oh, just leave me alone, would you?” Todd blinked. “Bwatha?” “Shut up! I’m sick of that stupid way you talk, you baby. Just leave…me…alone. ALL RIGHT? I hate you, you little brat!” Todd recoiled slightly like Cooper had hit him, looking distraught and heartbroken. He sniffed and hiccupped, then he started crying his eyes out, running in the opposite direction with his hands over his face. Cooper watched him for a second before turning away, feeling a sense of satisfaction. ‘What a baby.’ He thought dispassionately. Cooper suddenly heard a sound that erased his other feelings instantly, as his head quickly snapped towards the sound of a splash. His eye went wide, running towards the lake. ‘He wasn’t looking where he was going!’ He thought with concern. ‘He could freeze to death.’ Things went a little hazy at that point. He couldn’t hear Todd anymore, and adrenaline began pumping through his system, drowing out all thought as he took his jacket off and threw it behind him. He could see the ripples in the lake showing where Todd went in. Without hesitation he jumped in at a spot nearby. The lake was only about four-and-a-half feet deep but the submersion into the lake was so quick that the cold made his limbs lock for a few seconds. He forced his eyes open. It was getting dark, and the lake wasn’t that clear, but he could make out a large moving mass nearby. He kicked off in the direction of his brother, quickly grabbing the wriggling mass and pulling them both up. When they reached the surface they both gasped as they sucked in oxygen. Cooper walked the small distance to the shore, setting Todd down before climbing up himself. He was shivering like crazy, and Todd was too. No time to think of that. He picked Todd up, and ran towards the bag with the clothes in it, only stopping to pick up his jacket. Todd was crying with discomfort. Cooper asserted to him, “It’s g-g-going to b-b-b-e okay. J-j-just relax.” His teeth were chattering so much it was hard to talk. When he got to the bag he focused on Todd first off, stripping off his wet clothes, using the back ofhis own jacket to dry Todd off as much as possible before putting the set of heavy clothes and mittens on him. Then it was his turn. If Todd was anything like him it wasn’t enough. He still felt chilled. He had to go now. He had to leave the bag with their wet clothes behind. Todd was a bigger priority right now, and he knew his mom would understand. He picked Todd up, running towards the exit. The breeze certainly wasn’t helping matters. Even with warm clothes on he didn’t have a scarf or hat to protect their faces, nevermind the fact that their shoes were soaking wet. He ran and ran and ran, feeling almost dizzy. He hadn’t quite recovered from his jaunt inside the lake. As they went along he heard a small voice from the shaking bundle in his arms. “C-C-C-Coo…p-p-pa?” Cooper responded with a pant, “Yeah?” “I…s-s-sowwy…Coopa.” Cooper nearly stumbled and fell at that. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you home and you’ll be nice and warm in no time. Doesn’t that sound good?” He couldn’t stop a tear from coming down his eye. “C-c-cowd. I cowd, Coopa.” “I know. Here. How about this?” He came to a stop, getting his breath back as he set Todd on the floor. Opening up his jacket he told Todd to grab onto his neck tightly. When he did he lifted his head, Todd coming with him, locking his legs around his waist. ‘Oh, to think of all the times I complained that this jacket was too big for me.’ He thought as he pulled it closed until only Todd’s head was visible. “Better?” Todd nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you warm.” He kept running and running and jogging, never coming to a complete stop. He didn’t even realize he was in just as much danger as Todd. The temperature was dropping with the sun and with the moisture still stuck to his body even their clothes couldn’t fully protect them from the elements, especially since they couldn’t fully dry their hair. Todd was beginning to shake harder in his arms again. When he looked down at Todd’s face he could see Todd was turning blue, setting him into a panic. He knew he couldn’t wait until he got home. He had to find a house and quick, or else Todd might just get hypothermia. As for him, his limbs were slowly going numb, though he paid it no mind. The real thing that was hindering his movements was himself. As he went along sentences kept popping up into his head. “I hate being a big brother.” “Todd is such a pain.” “Oh, to still be an only child.” “I hate my brother.” “I hate you, you little brat!” He felt like he couldn’t get any oxygen in his system, feeling like he could collapse at any moment, as his last hurtful statement played through his head. ‘What have I done? I told him I hated him, but I didn’t really mean it. I didn’t mean it!’ He cluthed his hands closer together. ‘Please! I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean it! I’ll stop yelling at him! I’ll treat him better! Someone! God! Jesus! Anyone! Please…’ More tears came down his eyes. ‘Please…don’t let my brother die in my arms. Let me save him.’ Without realizing it he found himself near a residential house. His limbs were becoming increasingly unresponsive, fighting him the rest of the way there. With his body he pushed the doorbell. He waitied anxiously. ‘Please be home. Please be home. I don’t know if I can make it to another house.’ When the door opened he felt a huge relief. Straining against his failing strength he used his arm to open his jacket, revealing the trembling form of Todd. “Brother...” He panted. “Fell in…lake…turning blue…needs help….f-f-freezing…” The woman who opened the door took Todd. “You have to…save him. Please! Don’t…I can’t… I…” He started talking faster, feeling lightheaded as he begged for his brothers safety. Combined with the cold air and his relentless trek it was all too much for the young boy, and he found himself unable to breathe, his vision going black as he collapsed to the floor. The next thing he knew he found himself in a very warm place. He kept his eyes closed for the time being, feeling content. When he opened his eyes a minute later he saw that he was on a couch in front of a fire. Wrapped around him was a heavy blanket. He slowly stretched, then pulled the blanket tighter, moving his face closer to the fire. He jumped as he heard a voice call out near him, “Mommy! He’s awake!” He turned towards the voice to see a young girl, maybe six or seven years old, and instantly felt confusion. He had never seen her before in his life. He looked up as he heard footsteps, seeing an adult. “Well, hello there. Glad to see you’re back with us.” She said jovially. He looked at her questioningly, nothing making sense to him. He hadn’t seen her before either, though she did look vaguely familiar somehow. “Who are you?” He asked, the only thing he could think to say. “My name is Helen. What’s yours?” “Cooper.” “That’s a nice name. What about the other one?” “The other…?” His confusion turned to fear as he realized where he had seen her before. She was the woman he had given Todd to right before he passed out. “Todd! Where’s Todd?” As he went to rise she forcefully put her hands on his shoulders. In a bit of a stern voice she told him, “You stay put where you are and relax. I don’t need any extra things to worry about right now. You just regained consciousness and I want you to stay in a warm environment for the time being.” He wanted answers, but he wouldn’t get them if he fought with her, so he reluctantly leaned back, crossing his arms in frustration. “Fine.” “Good. Michelle?” “Yes, Mommy?” “Go see daddy and see if he needs anything, okay?” She nodded. “Okay.” With that the young girl left the room. “Okay. Now, to you. Right now your brother is in the bathtub soaking in a hot tub and his wet clothes are in the dryer so he’ll have something warm to wear when he gets out. You weren’t as bad as him so we just blowdryed your hair, wrapped you in a blanket and set you by the fire. You were only out for about ten minutes. We’re gradually increasing the temperature. Right now he still isn’t feeling anything, but we’re making sure he isn’t going to get any burns or anything.” “Ten minutes?” Cooper said with a dazed look. “Yeah. You probably just overexerted yourself. I’m not surprised. You know, you were talking so quickly before I couldn’t really understand you. What happened?” Cooper’s anger quickly turned to sadness as a sensation of guilt began blossoming again. “It’s all my fault.” He said quietly. “What is?” “I took Todd to the park to play. Everything was going great. We played, we talked, we went on the playground. Then…I got mad at him over something stupid. I yelled at him. I…I told him I hated him.” Cooper inhaled sharply. “And Todd started crying, and he ran away from me. Right into the lake. I jumped in after him and pulled him out when I heard it. Mom made us bring some warm clothes just in case it got too cold so that’s why we didn’t come here in soaking wet clothes.“ “Well, that was smart of her. If it hadn’t been for that the both of you would have been popsicles before you even left the park.” “Mommy!” Michelle ran into the room. “Daddy wants you to make more hot water.” “Okay.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Hang in there.” “Make more hot water?” Asked Cooper. “Yeah. You run a hot shower too long you start running out of hot water for a while, so we’re alternating heating up a pot of water.” “Oh.” It was quiet for a time after she left the room when he heard a cheery, “Hello!” He turned and saw another girl, this one younger than the other one. She rubbed her eyes and asked, “Who are you?” Helen walked into the room and picked the girl up. “It’s okay, Stacy. We’re just helping him warm up. He was really cold. Did you have a good nap?” She nodded. “Yeah.” “Don’t bother him, okay? He’s not feeling too good right now.” “Is he sick?” “No, not yet. That’s why he’s by the fire. Go get your sister and play in your room, okay?” “Okay.” When she was set down she ran off, calling out her sisters name. Cooper watched her go back to the kitchen, coming out a minute later with the pot of hot water, before returning to sit next to him on the couch. “So I see you met both my girls now. What’s your brother like?” She asked. Cooper gave her a distant look. “We…we kinda get along, or not really. It kinda depends on the day. When he was really little I didn’t really care about him, but a couple of months ago my parents got divorced, and then I kinda couldn’t stand him. I blamed him a lot for it, especially because I had to babysit him a lot. I worked things out with mom after a while, so I’d have days where I didn’t have to deal with him, and I would have more time with her. I thought things were getting a lot better, but it hasn’t changed at all. We still get into fights, and he still annoys me. That’s why…” He turned his gaze from her, but she could still see the tears falling. “If I hadn’t been so stupid and gotten mad at him, if I hadn’t yelled at him and said those hurtful things to him....It’s always like this. I keep screwing things up. Because of us our parents didn’t much time to spend with each other and got divorced because they stopped loving each other. Now I caused Todd to fall into a lake! I’m destroying my family, bit by bit. I’m a horrible person. It’s my fault. It’s all my fault!” He put his hands in his head, weeping. Helen’s maternal instinct kicked in as she put an arm around him tenderly. “You’re not a horrible person.” “What if he dies? What if he dies and one of the last things I said to him was that I hated him? I was just mad. I didn’t really mean it.” Helen put her hand on his chin, pushing until they were eye to eye. “Listen to me, Cooper. I’m a middle child. I know the deal. I’ve been both the annoying one as well as the one being annoyed. Show me a family where siblings never fight, and I’d love to see it to learn some lessons from them. My girls can go from quiet playing to being sworn enemies back to best friends in a span of minutes, and it baffles me to no end. I guess that while they are quick to anger, small children are also remarkably forgiving. A lesson a lot of people would do well learning. “I know these times are tough because right now he’s too young to really understand the consequences of his actions. On the other hand, while I’m sure you’ll hate hearing it, even though you may have responsibility you’re still a child yourself. Maybe a little immature and just as prone to the occasional temper tantrum as him, hmmm?” Cooper sniffed, giving a small nod as he looked away from her. “You claim you’re a horrible person, but think about what happened next. You jumped into the lake right after him without a second thought to your own safety. You had no idea what would happen. After that you ran to get him someplace safe. That’s doesn’t sound like someone who is horrible. To me you’ve proven yourself a very capable caretaker. What happened was an accident, and nothing else. You didn’t push him into the lake, after all. You did a great thing.” Cooper wanted to deny her words, still feeling ashamed of himself. “Come on, you. Don’t stay clammed up. Talk. What are you feeling? What are you thinking? I can guess at least one thing. I know you’re feeling scared. Scared that Todd might die.” “No, I’m not.” He said quietly. “No?” She asked. “Are you sure?” “I’m not scared he’s gonna die.” He turned his face back to hers, tears streaming down his face. “I’m scared he’s gonna die believing I hate him. I’m scared he’s gonna die and I won’t be able to tell him how sorry I am. I…I…” Cooper’s emotions overflowed, and he began sobbing. Helen put both arms around him protectively. Even though he didn’t know this woman well he allowed himself to be pulled to her, bawling his eyes out. Helen didn’t say a word, letting him vent his feelings until he calmed down. They pulled apart, Helen wiping the tears off his face. “Feel better?” She asked kindly. “A little bit.” He replied, sniffing. “You’re worried for him. Scared of what effect your actions will have on him. Again, you want to call yourself horrible? I don’t think so. To me you’re a hero.” Cooper frowned, crossing his arms and turning away from her. “I’m only a hero if he lives.” “Mmm. That’s true. And that’s why I stand by what I said.” Standing up she said, “I’m gonna go check up on Todd.” “Okay.” His bad mood had already passed. She could see him looking with interest and concern as she left the room. When he could no longer see her he looked towards the fire. Closing his eyes he put his hands together, whispering, “Please be alright, Todd.” Helen checked the dryer first, and saw that Todd’s stuff had dried. Collecting it all she took it to the bathroom, setting it down on the toilet. “How’s he doing, Hank?” She asked her husband. “Getting better all the time.” He replied. “He’s starting to get some feeling back.” “That’s good. In that case I’d say maybe another five minutes of soaking will do and then we’ll put him in front of the fire with the other one.” Getting on her knees in front of the tub she looked down at Todd. “How are you feeling, Todd?” He looked at her, saying, “Starting to feel wawm.” Giving him a tender look she said, “Your brother is worried about you, you know.” “Coopa…” Todd said quietly, remembering Cooper angrily lashing out at him. “He’s really upset because of what he said to you. He was crying really hard just a few minutes ago because he was really scared you were hurt.” The faraway look on Todd’s eyes faded as he looked worriedly into her eyes. “Coopa cwying?” “He told me about what happened. I can tell you with certainty that your brother doesn’t hate you. He cares for you very much.” “Weally?” “Yes, really.” She repied. “He really needs to see you and know that you’re okay. Do you want to see your brother?” “Yes! Yes!” Todd replied strongly. “I wanna see Coopa!” “Do you love your brother?” He shook his head hard. “Yes! I wove Coopa.” “That’s good to hear.” Moving her hand she pushed the handle down to start the water draining. “He really needs to hear that from you.” Grabbing a towel she pulled him to his feet, drying him off completely before helping him put his clothes on. “Come on, you. Cooper is waiting.” Cooper was still staring at the fire when he heard voices approaching. “How’s that?” Cooper saw a sight that made his heart jump as two people passed by the entrance to the room. “Is nice.” Todd replied, a blanket wrapped around him just like Cooper. “Todd!” Cooper cried out. “Hmm?” He turned and saw Cooper. “Bwatha!” The two of them ran towards each other, Cooper picking him up and holding him tightly. “Todd…you’re all right.” Todd squeezed tighter before looking up at him, a hurt look on his face. “You scawed me. You fall down. No get up.” “I know. Sorry.” “Dat’s okay.” “I’m okay now. It’s all okay. How are you?” “I wawm.” He replied. That was good enough for him. He took Todd over by the fire, just sitting together holding each other for a while. “How does that feel?” “Nice an’ toasty. Mmmm.” He replied contentedly as he put his hands out toward the blaze. As they sat there Cooper’s feeling of guilt began emerging again. ‘He wouldn’t have had to go through all that if only I hadn’t said what I did.’ As Cooper began shaking a little with his emotions Todd became aware of the sensation. Mistaking the reason he turned himself around, standing up and pulling open the blanket wrapped around him. “Hewe, Coopa. Put you awms awound my neck. Howd on tight.” Cooper wasn’t sure what Todd was going on about, and just followed his instructions without thinking about it. When he did that Todd held the ends of the blanket, pulling it around Cooper’s back as best he could. “Dere you go. Is dat betta?” He put his arms around Cooper again. “No wowwy. I keeps you wam.” ‘Those words. That’s…what I said to him before. He’s…copying me. Worried about me. Why?...Why?’ He grabbed onto Todd hard, sobbing a little. “Todd, I’m sorry! I’m sorry that I spanked you. I’m sorry that I yelled at you. I’m sorry I told you I hated you. Can you ever forgive me?” “Hmmm?” He nodded after a second. “Um-hmm! Fogive you.” ‘That’s it? I couldn’t accept his apologies. I just stubbornly clung to my anger. Helen was right. I could learn a lesson from him. He has no interest in holding a grudge.’ Taking a deep breath he wiped his face. “Todd?” Todd could see he looked happier. “You all better?” “I think so. And I need to tell you something. Something I should have said a long time ago.” “What’s dat?” With a big smile he said for the first time, from his heart, “I love you!” Todd let out a joyful squeal, giggling and sounding blissful. “I woves you too.” He said as he hugged Cooper happily. Though it wasn’t something he could comprehend consciously Todd finally felt acceptance, real acceptance, from his brother. “Things are going to be different from now on, I promise. I’ll be good to you and teach you the things you need to know. So…” He put his hands in front of Todd’s. “Brothers?” Todd looked confused for a second before taking Cooper’s hands in his own with a smile. “Bwatha’s!” With that they hugged again, the two of them feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with the fire nearby. Helen let out a little laugh as she stood by the two. “He seems alright, doesn’t he? So now, I guess you can’t object to me saying you’re a hero.” “I guess not.” Said Cooper, giving Todd a squeeze. She handed him a cordless phone. “I think it would be wise to call your mother and let her know where you are so she doesn’t worry.” “Oh. Yeah.” As he started dialing the numbers he suddenly stopped. “What should I say to her? She’s probably going to yell at me.” “She won’t yell at you.” “How do you know?” “Because I’m a mother, that’s why. You don’t have to tell her everything over the phone. It would probably be better to wait until you see her face to face, but you do need to tell her what happened.” “I know.” He looked away from the phone again as he turned to her and said, “Sorry.” “Hmm? For what?” “You took care of my brother and me and stopped us from freezing to death, and I never ever said thank you. Thank you so much for helping us out.” As he went to tell Todd to say the same Todd looked up at her and said, “Tank you soooo much fo’ helpin’ us out.” “You’re very welcome. We were glad to do it.” “He did it again.” Said Cooper to himself. “Did what again?” “Both before, when he put the blanket on me, and now, he said almost exactly the same things I did.” “Of course. Children learn by copying the people they respect and love. Their initial personality spurs from imitating and trying to be the people in their lives. As their minds develop and their thoughts expand that’s when they start becoming their own person. It’s clear that Todd thinks a lot of you.” Bending over she said to Todd, “Isn’t that right? You like your brother a lot, don’t you?” Todd nodded hard. “Coopa’s the best!” Cooper blushed just a little bit, obviously happy at the statement. He dialed his house. He waited for a couple of rings before he heard his mothers voice. “Hi, Mom.” “Hello, Cooper.” Said the perplexed voice of Misty. “Where are you calling from? I thought you were at the park.” “Mom…there was a…situation. I’ll tell you all about it but for now could you pick us up?” “Are you both okay?” “Yes, we’re fine.” “Where are you?” He asked Helen the address and told it to her. She felt very confused and concerned now. The address was pretty much right around the corner. What happened that was so bad they couldn’t just come home? “Alright. I’ll be right there. Give me about five minutes.” “Okay, Mom. Goodbye.” It was a short wait before the doorbell rang. When Misty came into the living room she could see her two boys sitting by the fire, bundled up in blankets. Todd looked half-asleep, but he perked up when he saw her. “Mama!” He said joyfully, extricating himself from the blankets and Cooper’s arms and running to her. Misty picked him up, holding him to her. “Hello, my little boy. How are you?” “Good.” “That’s good.” As she approached Cooper she could see a sheepish guilty look on his face. “Hello, Cooper. You don’t look so good.” She sat down across from him. “I…I mean…that’s…” He tried to talk more, but the words wouldn’t come. Helen put her hand on Cooper’s shoulder. “Go ahead and tell her. It’ll be okay. Trust me.” Cooper thought about what she said before, that she knew Misty wouldn’t yell at him because she was a mother too. With a deep breath he looked at his mother and said, “While we were at the park I got into a fight with Todd.” He sniffed, tears brimming around his eyes. “I said something very nasty to him, and he ran off crying. The next thing I knew I heard a splash, and when I turned to look I saw that Todd had fallen into the lake.” Misty’s eyes went wide as she gasped. “I jumped into the lake after him and pulled him out, before I changed both of us into the warm clothes you had us bring for the trip. Then I just started running, because I knew how dangerous it was for both of us. When we were near home I saw that Todd was starting to turn blue, and I was feeling so exhausted and numb I could hardly move. I…” Cooper sniffed again, closing his eyes as tears started coming down. “I really thought Todd was about to die.” Todd pulled himself from his mother’s grip, running back and jumping onto Cooper’s lap and hugging him. “No cwy, Coopa. No cwy. It’s alwight. I hewe for you.” It was a real confort to him having Todd come to his aid. Cooper squeezed Todd hard before continuing. “I…I said a prayer, and begged for Todd to be safe. I found myself here, and gave him to Helen. I was freaking out so much I couldn’t breathe, and I passed out. The next thing I knew I was here on the couch by the fire. Todd was in the bathroom being warmed up. The whole time I was waiting for him I was so scared I’d never see him again. I really wanted to just apologize to him and tell him I didn’t mean it. When I almost lost him it made me realize how much Todd really means to me, and I told him I loved him for the first time. “That’s about it. So go ahead and yell at me or punish me if you want. I don’t care. As long as Todd is safe.” Todd gave Misty an angry look. “Mommy no yell at Coopa! Coopa good boy! He save me!” Misty stood up, walking over to the pair and sat down next to them. She looked down at Todd with an amused expression as he continued giving her a death glare and holding protectively onto his brother. Giving Todd a kiss she said, “Todd, I’m not going to yell at Cooper. So please take that look off your face.” He gave her a kiss back. “Okay, Mommy.” He replied, a smile coming back to his face. Cooper was looking away from her so she put her hand on his cheek and pushed so they were eye to eye. Misty had a tender look on her face as she kissed him. Putting an arm around him she said warmly, “I’m so proud of you, Cooper.” “Proud of what? This wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t get in a fight with him.” “Fighting with our siblings is part of the life of having a sibling. You caused an unfortunate mistake, and made up for it in spades. Maybe you weren’t paying attention to your story, but I was. You risked your own life to try to save his. ‘When I almost lost him it made me realize how much Todd really means to me.’ ‘Go ahead and yell at me. I don’t care, as long as Todd is safe.’ I like hearing that you and your brother are becoming closer, even if it took Todd nearly dying to do it. You were very brave. So many things of what you said make me feel so happy. Sometimes we have to come close to losing something to make us realize how much we need them. I’ll say it again. I’m very, very proud of you Cooper.” Cooper sniffed, feeling touched as a tear came down his face. “Thank you, Mom.” “You’re welcome.” “We have to stop at the park before we go home. The bag and our wet clothes are there.” “Okay.” The three stood up. Turning to Helen, Misty bowed her head before saying, “Thank you very much for taking care of my boys.” “Don’t mention it.” She replied. “You raised them well. You have yourself a pair of fine children.” With a look of pride she put a hand on Cooper’s shoulder. “I agree wholeheartedly.” “Thank you again.” Said Cooper. Todd ran over to her, raising his arms. She picked him up, and he gave her a strong hug. “Thank you!” “You’re all very welcome.” Helen replied as she set Todd on the floor and he ran back to Cooper. “You see, Cooper. I told you she wasn’t going to yell at you.” Misty let out a laugh. “Well, even if I wanted to I couldn’t have, not with Todd scowling at me like that. It was so cute to see Todd jump to your defense when he thought I was going to start screaming.” Cooper picked up Todd, holding him close. “Yeah, this little guy is awesome. Since he tried to protect me I’m going to have to do a better job of protecting him so this doesn’t happen again. After all…I love you very much, Todd.” Todd hugged him back, saying, “I woves you too vewy much!” Misty whipped out her cell phone, snapping a picture. “Now if that isn’t the most heartwarming moment between the two of you.” She put her arms around the pair. “I love my boys.” Now all three were hugging each other, sharing a love that had been sorely missing recently. The trio said their last goodbyes and left the house shortly after that. As Helen watched the three of them she thought that they would be fine from now on. After going to the park to retrieve the bag and clothes they headed back home. “So who’s hungry?” Misty asked as they walked in the door. “I know I am!” Said Cooper. “Me! Me! I am, I am!” Said Todd. “Hungwy! Hungwy!” “That’s good! I’ll start cooking immediately.” The two sat down on the couch, and Cooper turned on the TV to one of the cartoon shows Todd liked to watch until Misty called them for dinner. Usually Todd would sit in his own seat, but on this occasion Cooper let Todd sit on his lap. After dinner Cooper picked him up, bringing him back to the couch. But Todd wasn’t interested in watching TV at the moment, trying to extricate himself from Cooper’s arms. “Coopa. I gonna go play.” “Stay with me, please? I’ll feel cold without you here.” He said to his brother pleadingly. “Oh…” Todd gave him a concerned look before pushing himself to the floor and running off. “I be wight back!” He called out. It was a very strange sensation that passed through Cooper in the ten seconds Todd was gone. It felt a lot like…loneliness. When Todd returned he was holding one of the blankets from his room. He climbed onto Cooper’s lap, and Cooper helped him pull the blanket around the two of them. Todd held onto him hard. “No wowwy, Coopa. I keeps you warm. I wove Coopa. No want you to feel cold.” Cooper held him back just as tightly, actually feeling comforted by his brother’s presence. He closed his eye’s, enjoying the contact from this being who had before only been a sense of annoyance. He…really just didn’t feel like letting Todd go at the moment. Cooper finally understood the most significant thing of the reason why being an older sibling was important. The younger ones have to be protected because they couldn’t do it themselves. And he wanted to protect Todd, no matter what may happen to him. He felt that warm feeling in his heart bubbling up again as he quietly shed a few tears. “I love you so much, Todd. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that more often.” “Dat’s okay. I wove you too.” He squeezed Todd a little harder, feeling so relaxed and content having Todd there with him. ‘If only I hadn’t been so stubborn.’ He thought. ‘Then again, if I wasn’t, who knows how long it would have taken for me to truly accept him?’ Cooper didn’t know how long they stayed in that position before he suddenly felt Todd’s body going limp and began to hear the soft sound of his snoring. ‘I’ve been so stupid this whole time. I’ve always been lucky to have a little brother. From now on, I promise I will always protect you.’ He just sat there, occasionally rubbing Todd’s back, but most of the time just holding him, listening to the sound of Todd’s rhythmic breathing. The sound was almost hypnotic because he sounded so relaxed and untroubled, just as a child should be. He didn’t seem traumatized by his brief excursion in the lake. Cooper suddenly glanced up towards the ceiling, remembering in his panic he had made a prayer for his brothers safety. Feeling a little overwhelmed more tears came splashing down his face. ‘Thank you…for giving me a second chance. Thank you for not taking him from me. I haven’t been a good brother to Todd in the past, but I’ll do a better job from now on.’ He held Todd a little tighter to him, feeling tranquil and calm, closing his eyes and continuing to just listen to the sound of Todd’s gentle breathing. Twenty minutes later Misty, having been doing some cleaning, called out to her two children. “Todd…Cooper.” She received no answer so she called out a little louder. When she still got no response she said, “I guess you don’t want any ice cream!” She thought that would at least get Todd to jump up. When she headed to the living room to see what the two were doing she saw a sight that made her heart melt on the spot. The two of them were both out like a light. They had a blanket wrapped around them, facing each other. Todd was resting his head on Cooper’s chest, curled up with his thumb in his mouth. Cooper’s head was drooped over, his arms around Todd’s back. She couldn’t find it in herself to disturb the two of them, so she just turned off the TV and headed to her room. She really wanted to get a picture, but with it being dark she was sure a camera flash would wake them up. She would have to settle for the picture captured in her heart. When it reached nine o’clock and the pair were still out she gently shook Cooper awake. She could have just left him be, but she was sure he’d have a stiff neck in the morning from the awkward position. Cooper opened his eyes, blinking sleepily before looking at her with half-open eyes. “Wake up, sleepyhead. I think you should go to your own bed.” “Huh?” Cooper was confused. He looked at the weight in his lap and saw Todd, who was starting to wake himself from Cooper moving around. “You fell asleep on the couch with him, but it’s starting to get late so it’s time to get in your own bed.” “Oh, okay.” Cooper muttered, shaking his head to wake himself up a little more. “I’ll take care of this one.” She said, picking up Todd. She tried to be gentle, but he still woke up, lightly crying from his disturbed rest. “Shh, shh, shh. It’s okay.” She said in a comforting tone. “I’m just moving you to your bed.” He opened his eyes. “Mama.” He sniffed. “Yes, it’s me.” “Where Coopa?” “Right here.” Said Cooper as he stood up. He patted Todd head as he said, “It’s bedtime, little guy.” They walked toward their bedrooms, but when Misty went to take him to his own room and Cooper was about to leave him Todd began sobbing. “Nooo! Coopa!” He started writhing in Misty’s grip, trying to get down. “I want Coopa!” Cooper stopped and turned around immediately. He put his arms out as he stood next to his mom, and Todd worked himself out of her grip and into his. Cooper held protectively onto Todd, rocking him. “It’s okay, Todd. Don’t cry. I’m here for you.” He let out a sleepy groan, still feeling tired. “Hey, I have an idea that might make you happy.” Todd sniffed again. “W-what?” “Why don’t you sleep with me tonight, okay?” Todd nodded from his position. “Wanna sleep with you.” “Okay, so go back to mom for now so she can help you get your pajama’s on. I have to get mine on, too.” He handed Todd back over. Though it was clear Todd didn’t want to be away from Cooper he went without a fight. A few minutes later Todd came running in, seeing Cooper sitting on his bed with the blankets down. “I’ve been waiting for you.” When Todd climbed up onto the bed the two hugged. “Ready to sleep?” Todd nodded, rubbing his eyes. “Sleepy, Bwatha.” Cooper lay on his side, holding tight to Todd as he pulled the blanket over them. Misty came in, and gave both her son’s a kiss. “Goodnight, boys.” “Night, Mom.” Said Cooper. “Nigh-nigh, Mama.” Said Todd. As Cooper started drifting off he thought to himself that it actually felt kinda nice having Todd sleep with him. In the coming weeks that followed Cooper and Todd were nearly inseparable. In the wake of Todd’s near-death experience he found himself accepting his role as a big brother for real, rather than because he had to. While before Todd had seemed just like a useless waste of his free time, now Cooper could begin to see his positive sides. A lot of the things that used to irk him about his brother actually became a little endearing. Especially his baby talk. He found himself smiling now when he heard it, while half-heartedly trying to correct him. That isn’t to say he didn’t still take his ‘no-brother’ days. He did still need some time for himself, after all. However, the days he had to babysit no longer seemed so stressful. Todd was pretty much devoted to him, so Cooper tried to split their time together half and half. He would do what Todd wanted for a while, and then he would let Todd watch him play a game. Through that time he tried to emphasize to Todd the importance of sharing and not being selfish, and of give-and-take. One of the biggest perks, at least to him, of being amicable with Todd is that his brother listened to him. He had to stifle back laughs when his mom would try to get Todd to take a nap, or eat his dinner when he was being fussy. Then he would speak up and tell Todd, “It’s time for your nap.” Or, “Todd, eat your supper.” Todd would get a really sour look on his face, a big frown on his lips, but then he would give in. Misty would get an exasperated look on her face at the big smile on Cooper’s face that he couldn’t suppress. As Todd continued growing Cooper noticed more and more that Todd would usually parrot him in nearly everything he did when they were together. He wanted to drink the same drinks, he would say the same things, attempted to imitate his tone of voice. Helen’s words came to mind, of how children gain their identity by first trying to become a person in their life they love. Cooper guessed that was because the people they love ‘always’ do the right thing, so anything they saw their parents or siblings do was okay for them to do too. Cooper had a lot of fun one time with that idea. It took some practice getting Todd to get the word’s down, but he knew it was going to be worth it in the end. Sending Todd to their mom in the kitchen he said, “Okay, Todd. You know what to do. Just like we practiced, okay?” He nodded. “Yes.” When Todd went into the kitchen he called out, “Sup, Mama!” She turned around and looked at her son with a wide-eyed expression, her mouth hanging open. He was wearing his hat to the side, sunglasses covering his eyes, leaning against the corner of the room with his arms crossed, wearing some fake bling and his pants down enough almost half his underpants were showing. “Hey, can I get a juice box up in this piece?” Cooper felt he might die of laughter from the mix of horrified amusement crossing her features. Her eyes looked like they might just burst out of her head. Todd started laughing because Cooper was, meaning he had done a good job. Misty let out a big sigh, putting one hand in her face as she groaned and released the few small chuckles she had to let out to keep from snapping. She was in that difficult state of motherhood where she had to decide whether to just say it was adorably hilarious, or to scold Cooper for teaching his brother to do that. Todd made her mind up for her when she felt him tugging on her shirt. She put her hand down and she could see a big grin on his face as Cooper’s laughter was settling down. “Mama. Coopa said that would make you laugh. Was that funny?” She picked him up, saying, “Yes, yes. That was very funny. Oh, Cooper?” Cooper was sure he was going to pay in some way from the sickeningly sweet way she called his name. “Yes, Mother?” He said as he walked into the kitchen. No matter what she was going to do he felt it was all worth it for the expression on her face. Although as long as Todd was in the room he was certain she wouldn’t scold him. Todd was also very protective of him. “One of the things I wanted you to do was to teach Todd things I couldn’t, but I really don’t want you teaching your brother things like this. He doesn’t need to be gangsta.” At the last word she rolled her eyes. “Alright, Mom. Soooorrryyy.” He tried to put on a puppy dog apologetic look, but the two of them just started laughing. Todd joined in on their merriment, even though he didn’t know what he was laughing at. He just knew that if his mom and brother were happy, then he was happy too. Things were going very well, up until the latest incident when Todd was a little over three years old. It was a Monday, normally one of his babysitting days, but he asked if he could swap for Tuesday since he had to finish reading the last two chapters of the story they were reading in class, and do a book report on it. It wasn’t due until next week, but Cooper was someone who liked to get those kinds of things out of the way quickly. He had at least three classmates who almost always turned in their reports late because they waited until the last minute and then ‘things came up’ and they needed some extra days. Cooper had been working on his report for almost two hours. It was nearly finished. He was feeling mentally tired from using his brain so much, and he was getting hungry for dinner. Todd was taking a small nap, and his mother had to leave to give their dad some money for something or other, and she said she would bring home some food for all of them when she returned. Their next door neighbor was technically in charge of them, but they were still at their own house. He just had to make sure all the doors and windows were locked, don’t answer it for anyone, etc. All of a sudden Todd came up to him. “Hi, Coopa!” He said brightly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.. Cooper let out an annoyed sigh from the break in concentration. “Hello, Todd.” He said flatly. Todd grabbed his sleeve, tugging on it. “Let’s play, Coopa!” Cooper closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before turning to Todd. “I can’t right now. I know this is usually our day to play but you’ll have me for the next two days instead, okay?” Todd let out a sad groan. “But I wanna play now!” “Todd, I’m doing homework right now. Do you know what homework is?” Todd crossed his arms with a frown. “No bwatha time!” “Yes, that’s right. I need to get this report done for school. As soon as it’s done I’ll play with you, so go watch TV or play by yourself for now, okay?” He ignored Todd’s quivering lip before turning back to the table. He grabbed the cup next to him and put it to his mouth before letting out a growl. “Empty, of course!” Turning back to Todd he pushed the glass to him. “Go put this in the sink for me.” He let out a sigh as he put his cheek in his hand, grabbing his pencil and starting to write again. Todd looked down at the cup in his hands for a few moments before he walked to the kitchen. Pulling a chair to the sink he climbed up, about to put it in. He stopped when he suddenly got an idea. Leaning over he turned the cold water on. After testing it he wore a smile as he thought how much happier Cooper would look from his good deed. After filling it up he shut the water back off before pouring some out so it wouldn’t spill. Carefully climbing back down he ran back to the living room. “Coopa! I gots you a dwink! Whoa!” Not looking where he was going he tripped. The glass flew out of his hands, landing on the table and turning Cooper’s notebook into soggy paper before dripping down all over his pants. Cooper just stared at his ruined report, blinking. Todd got to his feet, looking incredibly guilty. “S-sowwy, Coopa!” When the shock wore off anger began settling in. His hunger, his exhaustion, and the destruction of his last two hour’s work all combined to make him feel furious. He slammed both fists on the table, screaming out, “TODD!” Todd flinched. “Sowwy! I sowwy!” When Cooper stood up and looked at him Todd felt a flash of rememberance. The last time he had seen that expression on Cooper’s face was during the time he had broken the diorama. He felt scared, and tried to run off and hide. “Oh, no, you don’t!” Snapped Cooper, charging after him. Todd couldn’t run fast enough, and Cooper easily caught up to him, sitting on the couch with Todd on his stomach. “You should know better!” He said, raising up his hand. Todd began quivering in fright, covering his face with both hands. “No spank, Bwatha! No spank!” Fearful tears came down his eyes. Todd waited, waited for the expected pain, for the sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh. Five second went by, then ten, then fifteen, but there was nothing. Todd finally looked up at Cooper to see a weird expression on his face. Cooper’s hand was shaking, but he couldn’t get himself to bring it down. Seeing Todd shaking like that brought him back to the incident in which Todd had nearly died, when he was shivering for an entirely different reason. He thought back to his prayer, as well as his promise to his mother that he wouldn’t spank Todd again. Guilt ate away at his anger until he wanted to cry. Lowering his hand he pulled Todd to a sitting position facing him. “Todd, you know the rule about running with a cup in your hand. Because things can spill, just like they did here. You did a bad thing! Do you understand that?” Tears brimmed Todd’s eyes. “S-s-sowwy! I…I just want to get you a dwink. You thiwsty.” “I know, Todd. But you got water all over my pants and my school report. That makes me feel very unhappy.” Todd grabbed onto Cooper hard, sobbing a little. “Sowwy!” Cooper glanced over at his soaking wet notebook, and felt that same pang of annoyance. Having to decide between his emotions he simply had to ask himself which was more important, and the answer was obvious. “I know it was an accident. And…that’s why…” Mastering his feelings he let out a heavy breath as he put his hands around Todd and closed his eyes. “That’s why I forgive you. I’m sorry I was about to spank you again.” “It’s okay.” He held onto Todd until he was able to forgive him for real, then set him on the floor. Going over to the table he said, “Todd, go grab the paper towels from the cabinet. I’m going to change my pants.” “Okey-dokey!” He said, saluting. When he returned Cooper picked up his notebook, feeling disappointed in himself. “Oh, well. Maybe when it dries it will still be legible enough to type it out on the computer.” When Todd came back he saw the far-away look on Cooper’s face as he shook out his notebook. He let out a sad groan. “Hewe.” He said quietly. “Thanks.” Said Cooper distractingly, wiping up the water on the table. When he was done he threw the paper towels in the garbage, then took notice of Todd’s small hiccupping sobs. He picked up his brother, saying, “What’s wrong?” “You upset because I bad boy!” “You’re not a bad boy. You just did something you weren’t supposed to because you wanted to do something nice for me. You had good intentions. You just have to remember to follow the rules so this doesn’t happen again.” He began rubbing Todd’s back. “Don’t worry. I still love you very much. Even if you make me upset or mad you’ll still always be my brother. So don’t cry, okay? “Now come on. Let’s go play until mom comes home.” When they were in Todd’s room Cooper set him on the bed. Todd wiped his eyes, before putting his hands out and asking in a pleading voice, “Bwatha’s?” Cooper took Todd’s hands in his, saying, “Brothers.” Their mom came home within a half hour. The whole time they were playing there was a subdued air between the two of them. Neither of them were their bright, cheerful selves, as the two of them both still felt guilty for what they had done. Misty called for her children from the kitchen. Cooper came in holding Todd, seeing the bags of food on the table. “You alright, you two?” Asked Misty with concern. “You both look down.” “I guess we’re just hungry.” Replied Cooper, not wanting to get into what happened. Misty could tell it was more than that, but she let them eat without comment, knowing that problems always feel worse on an empty stomach. After eating she could see the pair had perked up a bit, but still seemed troubled by something. The trio retired to the living room to watch TV, Todd falling asleep on Cooper’s lap after an hour or so. Cooper picked up Todd, putting him in his bed, turning on his nightlight and closing the door. When he returned to the living room he said, “Can you come to my room? I need to talk to you.” “I could tell something was off about you.” She replied as she stood up. When they arrived he shut the door behind him, Misty sitting on his bed. He choose to stay standing. He began pacing around as he told her the story of what had happened while she had been gone. She sat there listening quietly. “Man, why am I so stupid?” He kicked his dresser. “I’m a teenager now but I still can’t get it right. I’m still just a dumb, immature brat who hasn’t learned a damn thing from the last time. After I prayed so hard for Todd to live I still was about to throw away my promises over the loss of a stupid school project.” “Cooper.” Said Misty. “Please sit down.” When he did she put an arm around him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said, “I’m so proud of you.” Cooper looked at her like she was crazy. “Proud of me? Weren’t you even listening to me?” “Yes, I was. Your evaluation of yourself is very off. Let’s compare today to that event. Your brother, thinking it was a toy, broke your solar system diorama. In a fit of rage you grabbed him and spanked him. You yelled at him, you yelled at me, and were very unforgiving. “Today, your brother, again accidentally, spilled water all over another project of yours. You got mad, you chased after him, you were ready to spank him and…you didn’t. Then, even though you were mad and upset, you forgave him, told him you still loved him, hugged him, and went to play with him until I got home, then let him stay on your lap until he fell asleep. And after all that…you want to tell me that you haven’t grown up at all since then? That all you are is a ‘dumb, immature brat?’ “Maturity comes about when you can control yourself when you feel out of control. Even though you were furious and were close to hurting your brother, you stopped yourself from doing so. You used your past experience to consider the consequences of your actions, and you decided that your brother was worth more than your report. You showed me today without a doubt that you have grown up. Way to go, Cooper!” She gave him another kiss. “Well, I guess I didn’t think about it that way. I…I guess I did do the right thing after all.” Cooper felt a smile come to his face. “You’re helping teach Todd one of the most difficult but most important lessons for a parent to instill in their child.” “What’s that?” “You are not your behavior. Just because you did something bad doesn’t mean you are bad. And, most importantly, even if you make me mad, I still love you with all my heart.” Cooper gave that a little thought. “Well, that makes sense. Even when I get mad at you I still love you, and after I calm down it usually feels silly what we argue over.” “Same here. Your mother isn’t perfect either, so I can occasionally lose my temper over things that aren’t as serious as I’d make them seem. It’s part of what makes us human. “As for you, I say you’re a fine big brother. You’re always going to butt heads with your brother over something. As much as he loves you he’ll still get annoyed at you, just like you will at him. What’s most important is that you still stick together no matter what.” The sound of crying caught their attention, as they heard Todd yelling out for them. Cooper opened his door. “In here, Todd.” The pitter-patter of running feet echoed across the floorboards. When Todd saw him he began crying harder. Cooper picked him up, closing the door again and sitting back on his bed. “Coopa! Mama!” He was shaking and sobbing and trying to hug both of them at the same time. The two of them moved closer together so they could both hold him. “What’s wrong, Todd?” Asked Misty. “Did you have a bad dream?” He nodded. “Dwagon!” “A dragon?” “Dwagon eats you and Coopa! And he wants to eats me, too!” “Aww, Todd.” Said Cooper. “You don’t have to be scared of that. I know.” He moved Todd to his lap. “How about I tell you a story to cheer you up?” “S-stowy?” “Yeah. It’s called Brave Boy Todd.” Todd looked up at him with mild interest, still sniffing and tears coming down his eyes as he pointed to himself. “M-me Todd.” “That’s right. It’s a story about you. Do you want to hear it?” Todd just stared at him for a few seconds before nodding. Out of the corner of his eye Cooper could see Misty looking at him as well, interested in what he was going to say. “Once upon a time there was a little boy called Brave Boy Todd. He lived with two other people: Cutie Mommy and Big Brother Cooper. The three lived together and had lots of fun and played all the time. One day when they were walking in the park a big green dragon came across their path.” Todd had been listening attentively, but he looked timid at the mention of the dragon. “The dragon said, “I am very hungry, and I’m going to gobble you all up.”” Todd backed his body away from Cooper, letting out a quiet frightened squeal. “Opening his mouth wide the dragon swallowed Cutie Mommy and Big Brother Cooper whole.” “Cooper!” Snapped his mother as Todd began crying again. “Don’t worry, Mom. I know what I’m doing. I’m just finishing his dream. “Brave Boy Todd wasn’t feeling too brave at the moment. He felt quite scared. The dragon was about to eat him too, and he didn’t know if he could beat the dragon. “As the dragon opened his mouth to eat him, Brave Boy Todd realized that only he could save Cutie Mommy and Big Brother Cooper, so he knew he had to win. Putting his arms out he put his hands on the dragons body…” Cooper put his hands out onto Todds stomach. “And began tickling him!” Todd started laughing through his sobs as Cooper tickled him. “The dragon was very ticklish, and he was laughing so much he couldn’t focus on eating Brave Boy Todd. “When Brave Boy Todd stopped, the dragon let out a mighty roar, mad that he was made a fool of. He opened his mouth and yelled, “I am going to eat you!” But Brave Boy Todd wasn’t scared of the dragon anymore. When it tried to eat him he put his fingers out again.” Todd put his hands out, saying, “Tickle, tickle, tickle!” “”No, stop! Stop!” Cried out the dragon. “I give up.” Brave Boy Todd gave him his meanest look.” Todd glared at him. “He said to that dragon, “You spit them out right NOW!” “Spit them out! Right NOW!” Cried out Todd. “Brave Boy Todd tickled his nose until, with a mighty sneeze, out of his mouth came Big Brother Cooper and Cutie Mommy. He then said to that dragon, “You do not eat people. That’s bad!” “No eat people! Very bad!” “The dragon began crying. “I’m sorry! I was just so hungry.” Brave Boy Todd felt bad for the dragon. He was a good boy, so he bought the dragon some hamburgers to eat to make him happy. “Then the group went home, and Brave Boy Todd was grinning with pride. He had beat the dragon, and he had done it all by himself.” “I did it! Yay!” Todd clapped. “Cutie Mommy and Big Brother Cooper were also very proud of him, and they rained down kisses and hugs on him for rescuing them.” Todd giggled happily as Cooper and Misty did just that. “A job well done, Brave Boy Todd felt tired after all his hard work. So Big Brother Cooper held onto him and gently rocked him as he went back to sleep.” Todd just held onto him, not fussing. “Thank you, Bwatha.” “You’re welcome, Todd. I love you very much. Night night.” “Wove you too. Nigh-nigh.” He slowly closed his eyes, protected in the security of his brother’s arms. After Todd drifted back off to dreamland Misty noticed that Cooper’s eyes faded out, as if he had just realized something, before he looked over at her. “You know, I never really thought about it before, but…I remember you telling me after our fight that Todd attached himself to me so firmly because he was missing the love he got from Dad. So he tried to get a replacement love from the only other person who lived here.” “Yes.” “I guess I never really noticed it until now, but…” His eyes got that faraway look again. “I’ve been doing the same.” “What do you mean?” “I’ve been wanting a replacement love too. It just took me a while to realize that I didn’t need to look at all. It’s always been right here, just waiting for me to notice it. Todd’s always been underfoot, pretty much saying, “Notice me! Notice me!” Now that I have I’ve found that I’m a lot happier. I don’t have that feeling of loneliness anymore like I did right after you guys divorced. I’m…actually really glad to have him around.” Cooper started laughing. “What?” Asked Misty. “You know, I used to call Todd stupid all the time, but I was wrong. He’s really quite smart. I mean, after all, he does do all he can to copy me. Can you think of any better way for him to grow up cool?” Misty let out a playful sigh. “As long as I don’t want him to grow up modest I guess it’s a good thing” “You say you want to teach Todd those important things, but he finally taught me my own most important thing.” “Which is?” “With homework, school, bullies, divorced parents, and all the other things that go on in my life…” He gave Todd a loving squeeze, feeling an affectionate tear come to his eyes. “Yeah, there are worse things than having a brother.”

The Last Goodbye My name is Jill. I’m 12 and in the 6th grade. I have brown hair and black eyes. I consider myself an average girl with average tastes. I want to tell you about my best friend. Our first meeting was most amusing. I first met him last year. I was rushing to my next class. I hadn’t zipped my backpack all the way, and my books all came spilling out all over. He was the only one who helped me out. Everyone else just kept walking or laughed. I thanked him for his help when we were done. “So what’s your name, hero?” I had asked kindly. “I don’t know about hero, but my name is Jack.” He looked perplexedly at me as I started cracking up, laughing hard. “What’s so funny about that?” I thought that the only way it could be funnier is if his name was Romeo. Hmmm…I take that back. It wouldn’t have been funny at all then, because my name isn’t Juliet. “Hi, Jack. I’m Jill.” He fixed me with an annoyed look, like I was messing with him. “What’s wrong with you? It was your job to bring the pails today! How are we supposed to get water now?” We both shared a nice laugh at that. He had a good sense of humor. He always knew how to make me laugh whenever I was down. I was very comfortable in his presence. There was never anything more than friendship between us. No romance, no kissing. Not even any flirting. We got along like a brother and sister. And fought like them, too. Hee hee. Not really. We mostly did our best to annoy each other rather than actually fighting. One of our favorite methods of doing that was playing to see who could get in the last word. Whenever we’d separate one of us would say goodbye, than the other would say it back, and so on and so forth until we either got bored, or we really had to go. We mostly did it over the phone, because it was the easiest way to win. Just say it and hang up. We sometimes did phone tag in that fashion, but while I learned my lesson about picking up the phone again, Jack never seemed to. We never played through texts. Try explaining to your parents that you racked up a one thousand dollar cell phone bill saying nothing but back and forth goodbyes and let’s see how fine your bottom would feel the next day. It was strange. Even though there was never anything romantic between us…he just felt like a boyfriend. One of the reasons was that Jack, no matter how many games we played, NEVER ever won any of them. I always managed to get in the last word, so I knew that he was letting me win. I never said anything to him about it. I thought it was cute. I’d also say that he was quite handsome. Even if I didn’t care about him in that way, when you spend so much time around someone it’s hard not to start taking in all the little things about them. Another reason was that he never seemed to hang out with anybody else besides me. We weren’t in the same classes, but we’d often pass each other through the day. We did share lunch together, though. And I never saw him hang out with any guy friends or sit with any other girls during this time. Since we lived pretty close to the school and each other we would just walk home together. We would always go to my house first, of course, because what kind of man would let a young lady walk home by herself? We’d do our homework, have a snack, and just hang out for a while until it was time for him to go home for dinner. I admired him for all his help. I had been an average student at school, but Jack understood most of the subjects better than I did. The way he explained things made more sense usually than what was in our textbooks, and I saw my grades start going up a bit. Sometimes I would visit over his house, but not as often, and, ever the gentleman, he would walk me back home afterword. I felt the luckiest girl in the world to have a true friend. It didn’t matter that he was a boy. He understood me a lot better than anyone else did. And the fact that he never tried pushing our relationship from friendship to a romance ensured I never had to have my guard up. By unspoken consent we never involved each other in pure girl or pure boy activities. I never invited him to put on make-up, and he never asked me to watch wrestling. Our relationship worked just fine as it was. I’d like to say I loved him, but…I mean, how does a girl go about saying she loves a boy without someone thinking it has to be romantic? I guess I should say I adored him…or idolized him. I guess the closest I can explain it is the way a young boy would look up to a superhero. One Thursday after school we were walking home together like usual, just talking about stupid stuff, and I had that feeling again: that feeling of just being so grateful to have a priceless friend. Things at my house have been tight the past few years with the bad economy, and my parents have been struggling. My father was let go because of layoffs at his previous job. He had gotten some decent part-time jobs since then but he was always looking for a way to move up to a good full time job again. Because I knew the troubles they were having I never told them about the loneliness I had been feeling at home. I didn’t have any real friends at the time. I was the quiet, shy type, and I had trouble talking to people. But ever since Jack came into my life I’d had a good friend to play with, and the sun finally showed itself again in my heart. My parents enjoyed our relationship, as it allowed them to focus all their energy on finding steady jobs with better pay, and the fact that my grades were going up and I had a true friend made them feel better about how much work they were doing. Suddenly I found myself back in reality as Jack was waving his hand up and down by my face. “Hellooooo? Anybody home in there?” Though I had told Jack just about everything of my personal life I kept silent about my feelings about him, mainly because I couldn’t find strong enough words to describe it. I wanted to give him more than a thank you, but I also didn’t want to embarrass him. “Sorry. I was spacing out a bit.” I gave him a smile. “What were you saying?” When we arrived at my house he apologized, saying he had to get home to help his dad with some yard work, so he couldn’t stay today. “Oh, okay.” I said, feeling down now. “See you tomorrow.” “Yeah. Goodbye.” As he started walking away I called out, “Goodbye.” He raised his arm and shook his hand in a “see ya” kind of way, and let it go. “How boring!” I cried out after him. “You didn’t even try this time.” I sighed and went back in the house. My mom was sitting at the kitchen table, filling out applications as usual. I talked with her for a few minutes about school and then made myself a small snack of milk and Oreos. Before I even started the phone rang. My mother looked at me expectantly since she was busy, so I put down the cookie in my hand and picked up the phone. “Hello?” “Goodbye!” Said a familiar voice, then there was a click on the other end. “OH!” I stomped my foot in annoyance, slamming the phone on the receiver. He’d done that sort of thing before after leaving for the day, so usually I check the caller ID before picking up. I picked the phone back up and dialed his house. It rang three times before he picked up and said, “Hello?” “GOODBYE!” I said smugly, and hung up. I laughed to myself, feeling better now, waiting to see if he would call back. But I didn’t think he would. He never did. I noticed my mom staring at me. “What is it, Mom?” My mom shook her head and laughed. “Geez, it’s been over six months now. Don’t you two ever get tired of playing that game?” “Not really...” The next day was normal. Waking up, going to school, doing work, lunch. But after school, though I had lunch with Jack that day, I didn’t see him anywhere around. Him not being there made me feel lonesome. I didn’t like the break in the usual pattern. It gave me a bad feeling in my tummy. I waited ten minutes in case he had been delayed, and then resigned myself to walking home alone. I’m only about ten blocks from the school so it usually only takes about twenty minutes. It’s a simple walk, but I do have to go through two main roads. It’s usually not that busy. Unfortunately there are no traffic lights around, unless I wanted to add another ten blocks to the walk. When I came upon the first main road I saw someone across the street standing by a tree, almost out of sight. He came out from behind it and I saw that it was Jack. He was looking at me arrogantly, and I couldn’t figure out why. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out “GOODBYE!” He stuck out his tongue at me, turned around and patted his butt, and then went running. HE WAS DEAD! I wanted to run after him, but with the traffic I was stuck there for another few minutes. I spent those minutes fuming and planning a nasty revenge. When I was finally able to cross I was furious. By this time Jack was probably already home. Though in all our silly little games he had let me win, I was surprised that he would go to such lengths to get his first victory. That cheap way of getting ahead, and the fact that he wasn’t walking with me, made me feel lonely and upset. “Stupid boy!” I said loudly to myself. I sighed. “One more block to go, just to wait another five minutes to cross another intersection.” My feeling of unhappiness and loneliness were getting to me. I could feel the desire to cry right there on the side of the road. My head was down, and I wasn’t paying attention, so I walked right into the back of someone and almost fell down. “Sorry!” I said quickly, blushing and unable to look up. “It’s okay.” Said a jovial voice. I tensed and looked up quickly to see the smiling face of Jack. “I’m not much of a runner. Too tiring. Besides, my walk felt pretty boring without someone to share it with.” I couldn’t help letting a few tears fall down. I knew he could have easily have left me behind with how long it took me to cross, but he had deliberately slowed down and waited for me. All my anger had disappeared. I just felt so much relief to have him there with me as usual. The world had gone right again. Jack looked at me worriedly. “Are you alright? Why are you crying, Sis?” I let out a choked laugh. Our little pet names for each other: “Sis” and “Bro”. Terms we only used when we knew it was time to be serious with each other. Once more I wanted to do it, to hug him tight and tell him how much he meant to me, but as usual I couldn’t. The words just wouldn’t come. Though we were the same age, he never seemed that way to me. He felt just like a protective older brother to me. Always teasing me, but letting me win. Making jokes about me, but always there to listen when I’d had a bad day. And today, when I needed it the most, right when I felt like sobbing, he was there for me as usual. “You jerk!” I cried out, pushing him hard and making him stumble back a few steps. “You dirty rotten cheater! What makes you think you can play that way! Huh?” I had meant to sound joking, and expected the game would begin again, but I guess I must have sounded pretty upset because his face became really sad. He walked up to me, putting his arms around me and holding me close to him, one of only three times he had done so. The other two times had been after some particularly bad days where it just seemed like everything possible had gone wrong. “’I’m sorry, Sis. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I thought you would find it funny. I didn’t think the game meant that much to you.” Tears were coming down my eyes again, because I knew I had upset him for no reason. “I…I don’t care about the game.” I said, sniffling. I held him back. “I…I…” Finally, I worked up the courage to say some of what had been on my mind for so long. “I was just missing you a lot. You’re my best friend. It doesn’t feel right when you’re not there.” His body tensed, and he got unnaturally quiet. After a long silence he said, “You should know that no matter how far ahead of you I get, I’ll always slow down enough to let you catch up…because I love you, Sis.” I couldn’t hold it in this time. I started sobbing right there in his arms. I didn’t care who was around, who would see us, what people would say; I just bawled like a baby in the arms of my protector. I buried my head in his chest and he kept silent, just letting me stay in the safety of his arms until I calmed down. When I finally got my emotions under control I came out from my shield and wiped my eyes. “Thank you.” I told him. “Thank you so much for everything. I love you too, Bro.” Jack looked at me contently, and put his hand out. I took it immediately, feeling my chest full to bursting with love. We had only walked a short way when I pulled him to a stop. “I have to tell you something, but I’m scared of what will happen if I do.” “You know you can tell me anything. I’m here for you.” I looked into his eyes, those eyes full of joy and compassion, like a parent looking at their newborn child, and I felt butterflies in my tummy. “I…I care a lot about you. And…you know, you made my life a lot better after I met you. I used to just spend all my time in my room after school, feeling so alone and miserable. My parents didn’t have a lot of time to spend with me. It wasn’t their fault. It’s not like they wanted my dad to lose his good job. And…” I turned away. My face started going red. “I just want to say that…that…you’re the best friend that anybody could ever have. You’ve done everything you can to help me, and I really appreciate it. It means a lot to me having somebody great like you around. I…I started crying before because I just felt so scared walking home by myself. Not because I felt scared of getting hurt or abducted or run over or anything like that. I was scared because you weren’t there, like you always have been. It just got me thinking of what my life was like before I met you.” Jack put his other hand on my face and wiped away the tears dripping down. “You’re very welcome for everything. I couldn’t ask for a better friend either. But why did it scare you so much to tell me that?” “I…I was scared that it would change things between us, or make you uncomfortable, or make you not want to be around me anymore.” “Nothing could do that. You’re a great person, Sis. And…see?” He put his open hands out in a welcoming manner and said, “I’m still here. Nothing’s changed, except for me feeling happier now that you are.“ That put a big grin on my face. “Come on, now. We have to get you to your house before your mom starts to worry.” I sniffed one last time and just hugged him again. “Thank you so much!” I said before letting go. “Goodbye.” He said teasingly, leisurely jogging away from me. He was going so slow I could have caught up walking fast. I narrowed my eyes, over my sadness now and in a playful mood. I started running to him, and then he sped up too. “Goodbye.” I called out. “Good-good-goody bye.” He said in a sing-songy way. We chased each other around just saying our goodbyes. I was starting to get tired and panting slightly so I charged after him one final time. He turned his head to me, still running, and stuck out his tongue, saying, “Goodbye.” “Goodbye!” Fixated on our game now he wasn’t looking at what was ahead of him. As he kept going I suddenly noticed the hedges at the house on the left and after that the cars going by in the road. “Jack, stop!” “Come and make me!” “I’m not joking! Stop!” I had stopped dead, begging. At the look on my face he tried to stop, his momentum still carrying him forward. He stopped two steps off the sidewalk just as I heard the beeping of a horn. My heart stopped as I heard an impact and Jack’s body went flying through the air. He landed a few seconds later, his body spinning through several rotations before stopping. I felt totally immobile, disbelieving of what I had just seen. My eyes were wide, my legs shaking. I wanted to collapse. Finally, I felt myself moving automatically. A small crowd of people were already gathering. The driver of the car who had hit him was on their hands and knees crying, saying, “I didn’t see him. I couldn’t see him coming. I couldn’t stop in time.” Someone else was on the phone, calling for an ambulance. Several other people were trying to figure out the damage and make Jack comfortable. I pushed my way through the crowd, and got on my knees in front of Jack. His eyes were open halfway but unfocused and dead looking. I grabbed his hand. “Jack! Jack!” Tears were streaming down my cheeks. “Please don’t die! You…you can’t die! Wake up! Please!” One of the people there told me not to get my hopes up. She clearly took no joy in saying that. I looked at her hands, holding a jacket under Jack’s head. I could see blood staining the ground. I was about to break down and lose it entirely but then I felt a weak squeeze. I looked back to Jack’s face. So quietly I almost couldn’t hear he said, “Don’t…cry…Sis.” His eyes were still glossy and bleary, but he was conscious. His eyes were closing as his head turned. I held his hand tightly. “No! No! Please! You can’t die! If you die…if you die…” I felt like something was squeezing my heart. “I…I…” My heart felt like it was shattering. “I’ll be all alone again! I can’t stand it!” “Sis…” This was even quieter than his first sentence. I put my head right by his mouth to hear what he had to say. “…Hello.” I pulled away from him disconcertedly, not understanding what he was trying to tell me. That was the last word I got out of him. The ambulance pulled up shortly, and I pleaded with them to let me come, too. I sat in the back of that truck, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders as they worked. When we got to the emergency room Jack was taken away, and I found myself alone, alone like I hadn’t been in a long time. It felt overwhelming. I didn’t have a cell phone so I asked the receptionist to use the phone so I could call my parents. I needed someone with me to help me while I waited. The phone rang four times. I was starting to get worried when I suddenly heard the greeting on the other side. “Mom, its Jill.” I don’t know why my voice was so steady, when my body felt like it was going to explode. “Jill! I’m so glad you called. All our hard work paid off! Your father just got an offer for a huge banking firm and he starts tomorrow. This is going to throw all our money troubles away. Me and your father are so happy right now we’re having a little party. There hasn’t been much to celebrate recently. “So where are you? You’re usually here by now. The party’s not complete without you. Are you coming home soon?” My body twitched. I felt a tear come down. I put my hand over my heart. My voice wouldn’t work. How could I tell them? How could I tell them I was at a hospital because my best friend had been struck by a car and I felt thoroughly destroyed inside? How could I tell them, and ruin the first real joy they’d had in years? “Jill?” Said my mother from the other end. “Are you still there? Hello...Jill?” “I…I’m sorry, Mom. I’m…I’m really happy f-f-for you.” “Jill, are you okay?” Now she sounded worried. “You sound upset. You fighting with your friend?” “N-no.” I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I knew I was about to break down. My breathing was speeding up, the world seemed so topsy-turvy, the room felt like it was starting to spin, and I had a split-second to decide what I was going to do. I slammed the phone back on the receiver. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t tell her. I went and sat back in my seat, crying hard and just hugging myself. Two women waiting for their child to be admitted tried to talk to me and comfort me, but I paid them no mind. I don’t know how long I sat there, all by my lonesome, and just cried my head off. I jolted when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was about to tell the person to shove off when I looked up into the face of my parents. My dad pulled me onto his lap, and my mother sat down next to me. “H-how…” I started, but I just started crying again. My mom said, “You sounded quite sad at the end of our call. After you hung up I went to call back and as it redialed I recognized the number from the hospital. We called up and asked if either you or Jack had been in some kind of accident, and when she said yes we knew that you’d be here.” “Why didn’t you tell us?” Asked my dad. I had been crying quite hard but, although I felt too old for it, being on my dad’s lap with his arms around me made me feel a little better. “Because you finally got a good job and were happy. I didn’t want to ruin your celebration. Ow!” My cheek was stinging from the slight slap my dad gave me. Tears were coming down his eyes too. “I don’t want to ever hear you use that kind of excuse again, you understand me? We’re your parents, not your friends. This is the sort of thing that we need to be told. Did you think we’d still be happy about having that party when you told us later on that you decided to spend this time all alone and miserable instead of asking us for help?” I sniffed. “I’m sorry, Daddy!” I inhaled sharply. “I’m so sorry!” He closed his eyes and held me tightly. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I know you had good intentions, but there is always time to party another day. This is happening right now. And…we’re sorry.” “For what?” I asked. My mom responded, “Because we know we haven’t been good parents to you lately. We need money to live on, but it should never come at the expense of you. We shouldn’t have pushed you to the background and expected you to bear everything on your own, especially because we know that you’ve had trouble making friends.” My dad continued, “It became especially clear by what you just said to us. We’ve become so useless for you to rely on that you couldn’t even tell us you were hurting when you needed us the most. But that’s all going to change. We’re going to be there for you, and be the parents we should have been these past few years.” I felt my daddy all around me, and he gave me a kiss on my forehead. I kinda felt like a little kid again, just glad to have some support with me. I closed my eyes, and just held onto him. “I love you, Daddy.” “I love you too, Jill.” We sat there, together as a family, as the seconds turned to minutes, the minutes turned to hours, and, maybe, the hours turning into days in the endless wait. Something suddenly came to me. “Did you call Jack’s parents?” My mom sighed. “Yes, we did.” “And they’re not coming?” I said with a trace of anger. “No one was home when we called. We left a message.” “Oh.” More time passed, and a harried looking couple ran in, looking frantically around. I raised my hand and shook it, and Jack’s parents ran over. I was still sitting in my dad’s lap. I wasn’t going to leave it willingly. I had missed having the attention of my parents. “Jill, what happened?” Asked Jack’s mom. “We were running around chasing each other, and he was looking back at me instead of where he was going, and ran into the edge of the street as a car went to make a turn.” Jack’s dad put his head in his hands. His parents held each other and he hesitated as if he couldn’t bear to ask the question, but, “Is it bad?” “I think so.” It’s funny how I didn’t feel that scared anymore. There was just something about having my parents there for me that made it seem not so frightening, and made me believe a little more that things would be fine. “I know his head was bleeding, but I don’t know how bad it really is.” “I see…” The two sat down in the chairs next to us, but then his dad stood back up to talk to the nurse at the reception desk, to make them aware that the parents were there, and to see if they could get a status update. The five of us sat there together, just wondering what was coming next. Ten minutes later a doctor came over and asked which people were the parents. Jack’s mom and dad replied that it was them. Looking at them he said in a somber voice, “I’m very sorry, but your son didn’t make it. He’s dead.” DEAD! DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD! It felt like the word was echoing in my heart. I thought it would be enough that my parents were by my side. I thought it was impossible he would die, because he would stay alive to be there for me. Me and Jack’s parents all broke down bawling at the news. My parents, not knowing Jack as well as we did, were more restrained. Their sadness was mainly because of my sadness. After a time I jumped up and said, “I want to see him!” His parents stood up and agreed. With the help of one of the workers we were directed to Jack’s room. I felt strangely detached as I saw Jack’s body. His head was wrapped up. His eyes were closed. There was a blanket over him covering everything except his head. I walked over to him. My father at first put his hand on my shoulder to stop me, but changed his mind. I moved the blanket and uncovered one of his hands. I took his hand in both of mine. I expected it to feel cold, but there was still some warmth in it, like he knew I would come and had saved it for me. I started sobbing again, holding my head against our hands. I half expected him to come back to life just for one last comforting gesture, but he was unresponsive. He wasn’t there anymore. Not the person I remembered. The next day was horrible. I was bedridden. I couldn’t muster any energy at all. Not to go to school, not to eat, not to go to the bathroom, not even to cry. I just spent hour after hour on my side with the blanket over me. I couldn’t find any reason to go on. My best friend was gone. Dead! And it felt like he had taken my heart with him into the grave. Sure, my parents had promised to be better, but who knew if it was really true? What if it was all going to be exactly the way it was before? Back to lonely walks home. Back to being sad and alone in my room every day. My mom was the only other one home. She let me be most of the day. In the afternoon she came in with a tray of food. “I brought you some lunch, Honey.” “I don’t want it.” I said blankly. “I’m not hungry.” She walked over by my side of the bed. “Now, Sweetheart, I know you’re not feeling good, but you need to eat or-” “I said I don’t want it!” I interrupted, my temper flaring as I slapped the tray out of her hands. It made a mess all over the floor. My mother didn’t react, just rubbed my head a little, and walked away. She came back a minute later with a dustpan and cleaned up. She came over and kissed my forehead. “I love you, Jill.” She said quietly, and then turned to exit. As she started walking away I shot up. I didn’t want her to leave. I didn’t want to be alone now. “Wait!” She stopped and turned towards me. “I’m…I’m sorry. I’m sorry! Please…please…” Tears came down my eyes as I cried out in a broken voice, “Please stay with me.” I begged. “I need you!” She came back over and sat down next to me on the bed. Acting childish again I sat on her lap, facing her, and we just hugged each other for a while. “I know how much he meant to you.” Said my mom. “I know you feel like there’s a black hole inside your heart right now, but I’m here for you my sweet child.” I closed my eyes, feeling so grateful she wasn’t mad. “Why?” I cried out, my voice cracking as I sobbed. “Why did it have to be him? Why did he die?” My mom gently rubbed my back as she said softly, “I don’t know, Honey. I can’t answer that. But I’m not going anywhere. You need me now, so here is where I’ll stay.” “T-thank you.” I cried out, feeling just a tiny bit better. My dad came back from his first day of work at six. Truthfully, he had wanted to stay home with me, but he couldn’t afford to call out on his very first day. I just cried and talked and asked for their assistance, and they gave it. It took some of the pain away having them there for me. Maybe things really did change. Maybe they really were different now. If that was the case than I could depend on them, and not have to work on everything by myself. The next few days were a blur. I barely remember anything of the wake or the funeral. A lot of my fellow students were there. Most of them offered me lots of sympathy. They knew how close we were. They asked if I needed anything, if I would like to come to their houses sometime, but at the time I couldn’t respond to them. Before I knew it a month had gone by since the incident. I was still aching a lot deep inside. I was prone to crying fits at school. Every day I walked home from school, alone, I felt like the world was so big, and me so small. The only thing that kept me going was what Jack would wish for me if he could speak to me from where he was. My parents were helpful at home, and quite a few people had taken to engaging me at school, attempting to coax me out of my despair, but it just wasn’t the same. I missed him so bad it hurt. I had put it off for quite a while, but I decided to go visit his grave. I asked Jack’s parents for directions. They offered to take me there, as they felt like going that day, but I asked them not to. I needed to go alone. As I stared at the gravestone…it just made it feel so real to me. His absence at times made it seem like he was just very sick, or on vacation, or, possibly even worse, avoiding me. Here, staring at the name engraved on the stone, it made the fact undeniable. I fell to my knees, holding myself as I sobbed onto the grass. “Why?” I gasped out. “Why? You stupid jerk! Why didn’t you just take a win to the grave? You should have won our last game.” Over the course of replaying the events of that day over and over, especially his cryptic last word, I finally understood why he had said it. He didn’t want to say our magic word. If he did then died afterword he would finally have had a victory, but he had always wanted to give it to me. But, even more than that, I’m certain that he just couldn’t stand the thought of saying goodbye to me. Saying “Hello” was his way of telling me that he would survive and come back to me. But that didn’t happen. It hadn’t been enough. I’d only been there less than five minutes, but I stood up. I had to leave. My heart felt like it was being torn open again. As I walked away I said with finality, “Goodbye!” It took quite a while before I was able to break Jack’s hold on my heart, and really allow myself to let other people in. I relied a lot on my parents during that time. Though I felt it was useless I asked several of the people at school if I could visit at their houses. I didn’t feel shy about it anymore. It wasn’t like they could make me feel any worse. Compared to what I was suffering inside, asking a question like that paled in comparison. Six months had passed since the death of my hero. I can’t deny that a part of me felt angry with him for leaving me. There was also sadness, despair, heartache, misery. I couldn’t even think of him in any positive way without quickly getting overwhelmed. Focusing on other people was the only thing that helped. It had been slow, but I found that the things I used to be so afraid of weren’t nearly as scary anymore. It took some time, but the girls I asked to hang out with were all friends, and usually hung out in a group. They were very patient with me, gently enticing me out of my depression. Most of them had lost someone they cared about too. They encouraged me to cry if I needed to. They also tried to get me to talk about him, I guess because they thought it would help, but I wasn’t ready for that yet. Memories of Jack simply made me sad because I knew there could never be any new memories with him. Our time together had been so short. With the help of my parents and my new friends I felt like my heart wasn’t sitting quite so heavy on my spirit anymore. I’d smiled a few times since then, had some fun, but I hadn’t laughed yet. One day when I came home from school I found Jack’s parents sitting on the couch. “What are you doing here?” I asked politely. “Jill, there’s something we’d like to give you.” Said Jack’s dad. “What is it?” I asked. “Well, we don’t have the heart to remove Jack’s room entirely, but we were finally ready to go through his room and throw out garbage, find clothes to donate, and so on and so on. And we found something that we think would interest you.” He went in a bag and pulled out what looked like a school composition notebook. I walked over and took it. It had my name on it. “That was in a drawer in his room. At first we thought you might have left it at the house one day, or he borrowed it, so we wanted to return it to you if you needed it. I dropped it while I was going to put in in a bag, and it opened up to a page with a photo that was clipped out of a magazine. I won’t say what was on it, that’s for you to see yourself, but I’ll tell you that what was on the photo was the same as what he had in his pocket the day he died. And what he wrote was quite interesting.” I wasn’t sure what this all was about. A photo of what? What had he written? “Um…is that it?” “No. In this bag is something else we think he’d want you to have. “Thank you very much for spending your time with our son. He very much enjoyed your company, and loved having you as a friend. He’d had a little trouble making friends as well. But after some time with you he seemed a lot more confident and outgoing.” I didn’t know what to say besides, “Thank you.” I realized that they had to have had a harder time with Jack’s death than I did, so I felt pretty awkward. Thanking me again, they bid me farewell. They got in their car and left, and I took the bag and the book to my room and lay down on my stomach on my bed. I wondered why I felt so nervous. My heart felt like it was racing. It couldn’t just be a schoolbook. As I browsed through the book I found out why it had my name on it: It was all about me. It was a journal describing our time together. The first few pages had pages taped to other pages, as though he had torn them out of another notebook. After that though, it looked normal. As I flipped through random pages certain sentences seemed to jump out at me and stay in my mind long after I closed my eyes to process what I was reading. “Jill is sad today. She cried on my shoulder because some girls did their best to make a mess of her brand new dress.” “Jill came over again today. I don’t know why, but she seems much more relaxed around me than with anyone else. I haven’t seen her playing with anyone else, so it seems like I’m her only friend. If that’s the case then I’ll make damn sure I’m the best friend she could ever have.” “Hung out with Jill again. She sure is pretty, but she’s much more like a sister to me than a girlfriend. I’m an only child, so maybe that’s why I feel so happy having a sister, even if it is only for a few hours a day.” “Jill had a bad day. At school she dropped her favorite book in a mud puddle. She started crying as she held the muddy mess. I had been saving money for a new video game, but I spent it to buy her a new copy just to put a smile back on her face. The joy in her eyes and the huge smile on her face as she hugged it close to her was worth more than all the video games in the world.” “Walked Jill home again. It makes me feel so mature. Heh heh. It seems like I’m the only person there for her. Whenever I have to leave she gets such a sad look on her face I just want to hug her.” “For a while now we’ve been playing this silly game of who can get the last word in. At first I played seriously, feeling like a guy and wanting to win. But…after a few more games I was much happier just letting her have the win. I feel like she has enough problems in her life, and hoped it would make her feel special if there was one thing she was always good at.” I had to stop reading for quite a while after reading that last one. It confirmed something I had known for a while, but his reason for doing it was what really touched my heart. I enjoyed having his words and feelings with me, even if his body was not. “Jill told me today that she doesn’t get much attention from her parents because they’re pretty poor and trying to make a better life for her. I asked her one time if she ever played with anyone else, and her eyes got that sad look I hate, and she told me she doesn’t have any other friends. I wanted to cheer her up, so I tickled her. It was hilarious. She was squealing and trying to get away and laughing her head off. When I put that smile back on her face, I felt like I was a good person.” “I’ve come to really enjoy the routine with my “sister.” I guess we’re more than just friends now. We’re related. It really seems to make Jill happy when I call her that, so I usually do it when it seems like she’s upset, because it always seems to do the trick. I just think she needs someone to talk to and listen to her. I don’t mind. I like what I do for her.” “I was sick today. My stomach felt like it was going to explode. My head was on fire. I slept most of the school day away. Even though I still felt terrible when I woke up I decided to go to the school to walk her home because I didn’t want her to feel lonely on the way there.” I had to stop again. I pushed the book away and just cried a little. I remembered that day. Jack looked like he was ready to pass out, but he was there, just as I started to feel the loneliness of the upcoming walk. And it did make me happy that he had pushed himself so hard for me. I flipped ahead to the last entry, where I saw the photo his parent’s had talked about. It looked like a bracelet. I grabbed the bag and put my hands in, and pulled out a small jewelry box. I opened it up. Not surprisingly it was the same thing as in the photo. I took it out, and put it on. It was a set of hearts side by side, each connected to the next by the sides, and made a circle. Attached to it was another tiny heart that could take a wallet sized photo. That’s when I noticed the words on this particular page. “I know that it’s just a scam, but still I’ll believe in its power. After you put on this bracelet you have to put in a picture of someone you care for. “ I stopped reading and looked at the tiniest heart. I opened the little slot and I saw my own face staring back at me. It wasn’t weird or anything. We’d exchanged pictures before. “They say this heart bracelet can grant one wish for the person in the photo. It’s so pointless but…but what if it does work?” A wish… “After putting in the photo you have to close the heart and just rub your fingers all around it in circles like five hundred times while thinking of your wish and the persons face and keep it on you for a week. Then the person you made a wish for will have that wish granted. “If the wish were for me alone I wouldn’t have even bought it. But if by chance there really is some magic in this little piece of jewelry, than I know what I want to wish for for her. “I wish she would make some more friends than just me, so she can have other people to play with on the days I can’t be there. I wish her parents would get the dream job they’ve been looking for and pay more attention to her, so that way I don’t ever have to see that heartbroken look on her face when I have to go home, like I’m leaving behind a poor defenseless puppy. I wish…that she’d always be happy. “It’s all so ridiculous. So why did I even buy it? Well, I guess I’m still enough of a kid to want to believe a little in miracles, and if there’s any girl I know of who deserves a miracle, it’s Jill. So, luck gods and miracle gods, could you please have a little look at my sister? She needs some help badly.” That was the end of it. I looked at the date at the top: April 21st. Jack…died on the 28th. And…and that was the day that my dad got his new job, and my parents…said they were going to be there for me again. And…now I have lots of other friends. So…so….I’m not lonely anymore like I used to be. His wish…my wish…it came true! I cried, but with a smile on my face this time. As I lay down and just thought of the amazing things that had happened since the day of Jack’s accident I couldn’t help but wonder…I lifted up my arm and looked at the bracelet made of hearts. If he hadn’t gotten hit that day then we would have had a little party to celebrate my dad’s new job. Knowing that his wish for me came true…what would he have done with the bracelet? I couldn’t see him wearing it around because it looked too girly. Would he have just thrown it out once its magic was used up? Would he have kept it in a drawer at home, just in case? Or… Ba-bmp. Ba-bmp. Or…maybe he would have given it to me? Would he have told me about the wish, or would he have just given it to me and told me he had been thinking of me? Ba-bmp! Ba-bmp! I pictured that idea in my head, feeling something strange in my tummy. He comes up to me holding the bracelet and says, “Here, Jill. I got you a present. It’s a special gift for you.” I take it gratefully as he snaps it onto my wrist. I had been looking down, but when he’s done we both look up at each other at the same time, and our eyes meet. I see his magnificent smile, just like the day I told him how much I cared for him. “Thank you, Jack. That’s so sweet of you.” BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP BA-BMP! “Well, I have something else just as sweet that’s just for you.” He comes closer and closer as I stand there frozen. His lips pucker up as he’s just a few inches away. I automatically push my lips out and I close the remaining distance. Our lips are a hairs breadth apart and- I shot up, breathing hard. I shook my head hard, getting rid of the last of my daydream. “What’s wrong with me? I’m sick. That’s my brother.” A voice in the back of my head said bluntly, “No he isn’t. You just liked to call each other that. There’s nothing wrong with it.” Before this I had never ever thought of Jack in any kind of romantic way, and I think it was the same for him about me. I let out a heavy breath, looking once more at the hearts with uncertainty. “Well…we, um…really weren’t siblings, but…but…maybe in a few years…when the two of us started to want a boyfriend and girlfriend…” My heart started racing again. Once more I saw Jack in my mind, for some reason looking more attractive to me than he had ever been before. His lips were coming for me all over again. With that strange twinge in my tummy back I decided to just close my eyes, sit back, and let my fantasy play out. When it got to the part it had stopped before I opened my eyes and sat back up. I couldn’t do it. Jack was gone now, so what was the point of thinking about what could never be? Even if we would have someday grown to love each other in a more intimate way, part of me just couldn’t get over the guilt of trying to change the relationship we had had when he died. One of his last words to me had been to call me “Sis.” I couldn’t throw that away. Not for anything in the whole world. I made a new fantasy for his gift giving, one that fit with the Jack I knew and remembered. This time, as our eyes met after he put the bracelet on my wrist, we both smile at each other as I thank him again and give him a big hug. He tells me I deserve it because I’m a great person. And for the rest of the afternoon I glow. Nothing can take the grin off my face as we play together. That was probably how things would have actually gone. I had to take one more trip to the graveyard. I brought the notebook with me and stared at the stone with a new reverence. I walked over and sat down with my legs crossed in front of it. “You…Jack…you just couldn’t leave me alone, could you? Even now, even when your body isn’t here anymore, you still have to look out for me like a big brother, by splitting your love for me into big pieces and giving it to other people so they’d love me and make me feel loved as much as you did. Your wish for me came true. My parents have been a lot happier and have more time for me. And I’ve made several friends who I like to play with. If you kept a notebook all about me than maybe you had been feeling lonely too before you met me, so that’s why you were just as happy looking after me as I was being looked after.” I just sat there, my heart at ease, my eyes closed, knowing he was near. He was all around me. Even without having him here next to me, I know I was helping keep him alive in spirit. He lived on in my heart. I got to my feet and started to say something, and then thought for a moment. No…that game was old. I looked to see if there was anybody around. I was alone. I looked up into the sky and saw the most beautiful blue and white. I sucked in my breath and yelled out, “HEL-LOOO-OOO!” All went quiet for me. “I know you. I know you won’t say hello back, even if I can’t hear you, because you’d want me to know for sure I won our new version of the last word. So I’ll end it there.” I raised my arm and looked at the heart bracelet on my wrist. The last precious memento of the greatest person I had ever known. I vowed to keep it safe forever. Suddenly something curious came to me. In his notebook Jack had said the wish would only come true if the person kept it on them for seven whole days. So, unless he didn’t shower for all that time, that meant that for him to bathe he had to have worn it. I pictured him, a boy, just showering while wearing this bracelet around his wrist, probably with a completely deadpan expression and a deep blush that he was being so unmanly, and laughed to myself, the first time I had laughed since he had died. And once one came another one did. I laughed harder and harder, doubling over, just letting out all the stress that had still been there since his death. That mental image was too hilarious for me to feel sad. I laughed until I couldn’t breathe. I stopped to catch my breath, and then was caught up in another fit of giggles. After repeating this pattern a few times I flopped back and lay down on the grass, panting and just looking up into the sky. “There. You jerk. You got me to laugh again. Are you happy now?” I beamed, hoping he was looking down at me and smiling too, knowing that he didn’t have to worry about me anymore. Pulling myself back into a sitting position I opened Jack’s notebook and began reading again from the beginning. As I read each entry I tried to remember how each of those days went. Even if what he wrote was about something bad that happened to me it didn’t matter. It was still a happy memory, since I had had Jack to help me through it. Even his very last day wasn’t all bad. That prank he pulled on me. Looking back now it was pretty funny. I got to tell him some of my feelings I had, and he had held onto me when I started crying. Even after he had been struck by that car he wasn’t worried about himself. The last thing he had done for me was squeeze my hand and tell me not to cry. He told me hello instead of goodbye so that I wouldn’t be as worried he would leave me. When he died I thought I had lost a part of my heart. I was so scared of what would happen. I wondered if my parents were telling the truth when they promised to be there for me again. Then I found out about Jack’s wish. With just one bracelet he gave me back everything I needed; Both my parents and, as I looked at the heart that had my picture, the piece of my heart I thought I lost. I had felt like giving up for a while after his death, but not anymore. Especially not now. Not when I knew Jack was looking out for me. After maybe an hour, just remembering all the fun times we had shared together, I finally stood up again. In my mind I could almost see Jack standing in front of me, almost feel his arm on my shoulder, see his bright face encouraging me. I could hear his voice in my mind telling me as he wore a silly grin and his fist out, “Go get ‘em, Sis!” I still have a lot of living to do. I still have a lifetime to make the best memories ever with my guardian angel by my side watching it all. I kissed the top of the headstone. “Thank you, Jack…for everything.” And with a grin on my face and a giggle in my heart I said to my friend for the last time…, ”Goodbye.”