Drawings on the Pavement

Chapter Thirty-Two

~Logan~
The last thing I remember was the cry of Rose's voice as my consciousness faded to black.

Will I wake up?

I hope so.

I don't want to die.

My dad used to sing me a song when he was alive.

The teddy bear picnic.

It's funny that a different time a song can mean something completely different as opposed to the normal meaning of the song.

"If you go out to the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.

If you go down to the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there together because,

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic."

I miss the days where any day would get better when I knew that the teddy bears would be picnicking.

But there are no teddy bears now.

There is only a big Grizzly bear now.

But I'm not afraid of it anymore.
~*~
I open my eyes to be greeted by sunlight shining through the window, the soft glow was warm to the touch.

I slowly sit up and realise I'm not in the hospital. I'm in my own bed.

I pulled off the covers to see that it's The soft blue quilt cover that was covered in flying saucers that had covered my bed all throughout childhood.

Weird I thought we threw that out years ago.

I pull the cover aside and get up. I stand in front of the mirror to see I'm wearing the same jeans I wore out with Rose. My red T shirt was cut open from where the doctors had to cut it open to do something to my chest. I dunno what. The memory is pretty hazy.

I shrug it off and put a clean blue T-shirt on.

I walk along the corridor.

Suddenly two ghost like figures appear in the hall.

I freeze, suddenly rooted to the spot.

I don't know how I knew but I did. It was Rose and I aged seven or eight. I was chasing her with what looked like green paint on my hands. She was screaming and laughing he once blonde hair billowing behind her as I chased her right through the door on the opposite side of the hall.

I walk down the hall a few more steps and then Bryce appears from the door aged about twelve. He throws a football and I, who had just emerged from the door catch it with ease and throw it back to him as we disappear through the other door, laughing.

The next image is of Leona and me. It was a memory from a few days ago. I was walking to the other side of the hall showing her where the bathroom was. Before we both disappeared through the door.

The last image was my mum and me in a warm embrace, just after dad had died.

I could hear my voice muffled into her shoulder.

"I love you mummy."

The image disappears and I'm walking into my mother's room where there's a figure bent over crying. She had golden coloured hair and was sobbing into her hands

"Rose?" She looks up and gives me a small smile.

I walk over and frame her face with my hands. "Hey are you okay?"

She nods and smiles "Yeah Logan. I am."

I rest my forehead against hers. A single tear falls down her cheek and I slowly wipe it away. She leans back.

She reaches over to the bedside table drawer and presents a packet of chalk.

"You go outside and draw on the pavement with them. Happy drawings of happy times to make you feel happy ok?"

I nod a bit confused. I lean forward and kiss her on the forehead.

"I love you Logan."

"I love you too Rose."

I walk in the direction of the door, looking at the old battered box of chalk, the chalk inside were worse for wear as some had been broken in half and others had been used so much they were nothing but little stubs.

I look up to find a familiar figure clothed in jeans and a grey hoodie leaning up against the doorframe.

Leon.

We don't say anything to each other but we don't need to. There is a mutual understanding in both of our gazes.

He'll take care of Rose for me- I know he will.

Because he cares about her too.

I look at my shoes before looking up and he is gone.

I walk outside and drop to the pavement and begin drawing pictures of happiness and joys of life.

I don't know how long I'm drawing for when a shadow falls across my drawings and I look up to see a familiar face with a clean cut beard and receding hairline.

"Dad?"

"Hi son."

"What are you doing here? What's happening to me?" I begin to panic. What was going on?

"It's okay. Keep calm. It's gonna be alright son. It's okay now. It's all okay."

He holds out his hand to me. "Come on Logan. Lets go."

I turn around and look at the drawings one last time. There was one drawing of a boy and girl holding hands and I smile. I turn back around and take my father's hand.

It's alright. Everything is going to be okay now

~*~
I have lived an extraordinary life, full of incredible highs but also with devastating lows.

Memories blur together, the most recent ones mostly scented with tears and coated with heartbreak.

But as well as the bad times there were really great things too.

One in particular.

Rose Sullivan.

She was the one and only love of my love as I'll only get one.

Rose may be my only love but that doesn't mean I'll be her only love and I don't want to be. As much as I'd love to grow old with her I'm not gonna get that but Rose shouldn't be held back by that.

People say that teenagers are too young to know what true love is but that's not true.

No one is too young for love because love doesn't come from the mind but from the heart. And the heart knows no age.

But Rose, my love. Whatever happens with her in the future, she will forever be the girl I met drawing on the pavement.