One Way Bridge

Prologue

My mind kept wandering from the book in my hand. My friends and I wanted to go sledding this weekend and while we were probably going to be the oldest people sledding, we didn't really care. I smiled at the thought of placing bets on who would be the first to wipe out. It was unanimous that I would be the one to sled into a kid, well besides me of course. I was adamant that I would not run into anyone, but my friends had already made up their minds.

Well, I thought, at least if I do run into someone I can blame them for putting the thought in my head.

I sighed realizing that I had read the same page three times and still had no idea what Othello had said to Desdemona not that giving it my full attention would really help. I didn't care what they say, Shakespeare isn't English.

I shifted in my bed determined to at least give the play my full attention. My eyes shifted to the left page where the script was explained when there was a knock at my door.

I sighed while placing the book down beside me. I looked around. Deciding my room was clean enough and I was too lazy to get out of bed so I yelled, "Come in!"

My mom walked in and I could tell right away something was wrong. The last time this happened my mom told me my great grandma had died. "I have some bad news," she began, sitting down on my bed. When I felt the shift in my mattress, I felt a knot form in my stomach.

I knew grandpa had been having some eye trouble lately, but nothing serious. He had to be fine. He couldn't be... I couldn't finish the thought.

"Gabriel died today," she finally choked out as tears flowed down her face. Gabriel was my cousin's son. He was only six months old, yet he had lived through so much. It wasn't fair, how could he be taken away after he beat the odds? He went home; he was supposed to be fine!

Gabriel was born four months early. I had only seen him once, at Christmas. I never even got the chance to hold him, but I missed out on nothing compared to my cousin. She never got a Mother's day with him. Her husband never got a Father's day. In fact he was going to be deployed again soon. He was going to miss his son's first steps and words, but he was okay with it as long as he got to teach Gabriel how to ride a bike and throw a football, but now, there would be nothing to miss.

"How?" I finally choked out and forced my thoughts to stop so I could hear the reply.

"They don't know, most likely SIDS, he just- he never woke up." My mom pulled me into a hug. I didn't want a hug, but she looked like she needed one so I wrapped my arms around her. She released me and turned to walk back out the door.

My mind was swimming with too many thoughts. "Mom!" I called before she left. She turned around and I continued while looking down at my comforter. "Not that any funeral is really...easy, but this one's going to be bad, isn't it?"

She gave me a sad smile and nodded. Her tear stained face shined in the dim light from my bedside lamp.  "Yeah"

Full Copyright 2016

Edited 6/10/2018