Introduction
The shovel hit the earth with a dull thud as Ayden swiped a sweaty, dirt-covered hand across his brow, pushing his almost black hair out of his eyes. He walked over to the bed of his old beat-up pickup truck and grabbed the canteen out of the back, taking a long drag of cool water while eyeing the sun directly overhead. With a frustrated sigh, he leaned against the tailgate. He just needed a minute to rest after a long morning of work. The heat of the day pressed around him like a wet blanket, but even that couldn't dampen his resolve today. He would finish his project today. Despite the heat, despite his injured knee, and despite his aching heart.
He glanced over at the freshly dug grave and felt a clenching feeling grip his heart. They said it would get better in time. It had only been a few days since they had laid the body in the ground, but the heavy sadness hadn't abated at all. It wasn't fair how someone so precious and loved could be lost so young. Life could be a cruel thing. But then again, he recalled how his mother had always reminded him that life wasn't fair. With a shake of his head, he swallowed down the lump forming in his throat. He jumped off the truck and swiped away the few tears that had started to fall, leaving a streak of dirt across his handsome cheek in its wake. He didn't have time for grieving, not today...not yet, anyway. He had a shelter to finish before the sun set.
Reaching into the back of the old, tan pickup, he pulled the last wooden beam out and began the task of getting the last beam in place in the hole he'd just dug. The familiarity of the task calmed him and he let his mind wander to the past.
