The Faith of a Mustard Seed

Chapter Three

     "Come on Nate, catch me if you can." A brown eyed girl with freckles laughed running across a warm and sunny playground, swings swaying back and forth in a gentle fall breeze; her curly shoulder length brown hair flying our behind her as she runs.

     "Slow down Gracie, I can't catch up." Nathan pants running after her smiling.

     Gracie looks back when she hears Nathan calling, her smile widening. She holds out her hand, "Come on Nate just a little farther. You can make it. I know you can. Come on T.T. come catch me."

      "I'm trying. I'm almost there." Nathan doubles his pace reaching out his hand to grab his cousins, but just as soon as their hands meet she vanished leaving Nathan standing alone in the middle of the deserted playground.

     "Gracie? Where are you?" Nathan shouts turning around in circles.

     The sun suddenly vanishes taking its warm glow with it, the gentle breeze turning into a cold harsh wind. Nathan feeling panicked begins running in the direction his cousin had been heading before she vanished.

     When he comes to a stop he's in a secluded part of the park. There's a small creek bubbling and churning, the sun reflecting off its pebbled bottom; lush green grass billowing in the wind and standing by the edge of the creek with her back to him in a long flowing white dress is Nathan's beloved cousin Gracie.

     At the sight of his cousin Nathan breathes a sigh of relief. "There you are Gracie. I was afraid I'd lost you. Don't scare me like that."

     Gracie slowly turns away from the creek her oval chocolate brown eyes gazing sadly into Nathan's blue ones, a small frown forming. "Oh Nathan I am so sorry, but I have to leave you now. My time has come. You've gotta let me go."

     "What? No Gracie you can't leave me. I can't..... I can't..... Gracie, please don't leave me all alone. I don't know how to make it on my own. I need you." Nathan cried tears forming in his eyes.

     "Nathan, you are so much stronger than you know, and even though you cannot see me I am still there for you."

     "No I'm not. I can't do this on my own."

     "Yes, Nate you can and you must."

     "Why, why did you have to go? Why did you have to leave me here? Why couldn't I come too?" Nathan asked through the tears he's desperately trying to contain, a dull ache forming in his chest where his heart should be.

     "Nathan..." Gracie sighed sadly, "Everything on this earth has a time and a place. Flowers start to grow in the spring, bloom in the summer, fade in the fall, and die in the winter only to begin again. That is true for all forms of life we grow, bloom, fade, and then we die."

     "And just as the seasons that bring the changing of life, my time for blooming has come to an end-

     "But why? Why does your time have to end? You're only sixteen, Gracie. Why does your life have to cut short when my own has been extended? It should have been me not you. Why couldn't it have been me?" Nathan sobbed falling to his knees burying his face into his hands, his tears falling freely pooling into his hands.

     "Gracie smiled sadly at her cousin tears filling her eyes. "Oh Nathan, I know how hard on you this must be and I know if it were reversed I'd be a wreck too." Gracie sighed. Wiping the tears from her eyes she kneeled down in front of her cousin. "Look at me Nathan."