Posted Sept. 14, 2021, 3:27 p.m. by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) (Lindsay B)
Posted by Civilian Micah Pikelsimer (Federation Security Agent) in Tennessee, Earth - Home Sweet Home
Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Tennessee, Earth - Home Sweet Home
(snip)
“I wanted to move back to Portland much earlier, before the accident. I could tell Josh would have loved being out there. But my ex’s parents had a house in the Hamptons and we used to go out there in the summer, sometimes just Josh and I if his dad was working and then he’d join us on the weekends.” Nadine quirked her head in his direction as they walked. “Did you and Liam not grow up together?” she asked, hesitating, unsure if it was an okay question or not.
~Nadine
Micah smiled and said “He died when we were kids. He was nine and I was… six, I think. Here… follow me.” and he began walking.
There was the gut-punch moment where you realized you asked, not a stupid question, but a potentially emotional one. It was like tossing an emotional landmine out at someone without knowing it would blow up on both of you. Nadine followed quietly.
Soon the sound of rushing water could be heard in the distance, and a few minutes later they stepped out onto a wide, flat rock over which flowed a large creek or small river. Just to their right, the water cascaded over a ledge. Micah led them to the edge by the waterfall. “Careful, it can be slick.” he said cautiously. “Right here… Liam was right about here when he fell.” He pointed over the side. Below, almost thirty meters down, was a pool with large rocks visible. His voice was barely audible over the water, and his eyes were far away. “He never yelled. He was just there one second, gone the next. I was fishing up yonder. He was here trying to catch frogs. I looked over and he smiled and waved. I looked back a few seconds later… and he was gone. I looked around for a bit, thought he was playing games as he did. Then… looked over. There he was…” Micah said, his eyes fixed on the spot. “But he didn’t suffer… and that’s a good thing.” He looked at Nadine and said “Maybe your boy and my brother met somewhere and are running around the woods together… bet they’d have a time, wouldn’t they?” He smiled, but the tears welled up and he wiped them away. He then looked at Nadine again. “Some loss just never goes away… and thats okay. ‘Cause that means the person we lost was special. And they are important. Never shy away from that.” and he looked over the edge again for a moment.
Eyes moist as well, Nadine just gazed at Micah for a moment, briefly imagining her Josh and his brother galavanting about together and she had to swallow. “I’m sorry you lost him,” she said softly, not even sure her voice would carry above the din of the water.
“Ya know, when I finally kick off… I think I want my ashes scattered right here.” he said as if the thought just came to him.
Micah
“It’s a beautiful spot,” Nadine agreed. “Seems as good a place as anything to be free.”
She was quiet for a few moments more. “The last time I tried to get more info about Shara was a little bit after Josh died. I was desperate for any connection. Daewon was so distant and I just felt so alone. But then I went out to the beach, searching for… something. There was one night as the sun was setting and I was on the beach, my feet buried in the sand and I heard children playing. I looked around but couldn’t see anything, so I stood up. But no one was there. Beach was empty for miles. I thought I must have just imagined it, but every now again in random places I hear a child giggling. I don’t know what I really believe as far as death goes, but I like to think it’s my Josh reminding me that’s he okay now and I can be okay too.” She wiped at the tears streaming down her face and took a step back away from the ledge since her vision had blurred.
~Nadine
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