Quietly, Quiggly stepped into the darkness as he stealthily approached and steeled himself for an ambush. His heart pounded. He was ready. Then he heard the sound of footsteps on dirt and turned to see a silhouette. It wasn't an ambush, but he didn't let out a cry of relief as he expected. He was ready, but this time he had no weapon. It was only a young boy, his eyes peering out at the world as if there were no darkness. Quiggly could only watch in awe as the boy walked. As they neared, Quiggly saw his face in detail. It was a dark, but radiant face, like the moon in the night sky. The boy was beautiful, his features so fine they seemed like a painting. "Who are you?" he whispered. "Hello. I am Quiggly." "How old are you, Quiggly?" "I am almost twenty-four years old, just like you. But it is the first time I have seen a child this age." "I am six years old." "Six years old, wow." "Are you a great wizard? Can you turn water into wine?" Quiggly shrugged. "I have no magic like that. My greatest weapon is my voice. I often sing of the truth and good." "I love the singing." "You do?" "Yes. Are you good at math?" "Yes, I am quite good at math." "My favorite number is five. You should tell me about it sometime." "Yes, I will." Quiggly could tell this child was wise, just like he was. He sensed a special connection between them. "Hello," he said softly. "Hello, Quiggly." Then the boy stepped forward and they held each other in a hug. It was as if they had known each other all their lives. "You know my name!" exclaimed Quiggly. "Of course I know your name. I love you." Quiggly did not understand, so he asked, "Why do you love me?" The boy gazed at him for a moment, then said, "Because you are beautiful, like the moon." "Why, thank you." The boy smiled, then held him at arm's length and gazed into his eyes. He could see that he meant everything to Quiggly. "I need to go now. Will you stay with me?" "Yes, I will." "I will come back for you when it is safe." "Do you promise?" "Yes, I promise." Quiggly smiled. He wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life in this boy's company. But he knew it was not possible. He had a life he was committed to, and he would have to leave this place and return to it. He whispered, "Good-bye, Quiggly." "Good-bye, Quiggly." And then he was gone. *** Quiggly found the path to his life. The path was rough and rocky, but he had faith it would be a good path. The path led to a world he could never have imagined, and there he would find true happiness. *** The next morning, Quiggly woke and thought of the boy he had met the previous night. He wondered if the boy had been waiting for him when he awoke. He walked down to the river, but the boy was not there. Quiggly wondered if the boy had returned. He had told him to return when it was safe, and it was now. He continued on toward the north where he believed the boy had come from. *** That afternoon, he heard a great wailing sound, like a baby crying. Quiggly stopped in his tracks. He recognized the sound of a child, but it seemed as if this one was lost and wandering in the woods. He began to follow the sound, but it got louder and louder. Quiggly was worried about the child's safety. He was on his way back home when he realized it was coming from his house. He walked slowly, listening. He followed the sounds of the crying to his house, and as he stepped into the front door, he saw that the front door was open. He walked into the house, and at the same time, he heard a familiar voice. It was the voice of his own son, calling for help. Quiggly rushed to his son, who was lying on his back. His shirt was ripped and bloody, and his legs were twisted. Quiggly rushed to him. He saw the blood and asked, "What happened, my son? Who did this to you?" His son turned to face him and said, "I saw a bear, daddy. It was coming for me. It was going to eat me." The boy was injured, but not seriously. Quiggly smiled and said, "I will get help, my son." But the boy was frightened, and his eyes looked to his father for protection. Quiggly had never thought of himself as a heroic man. He only wanted to be the best husband, the best father, and the best neighbor he could. But this was a time he would be remembered for his heroic acts. This was the time he would be loved for his bravery, his kindness, and his love. *** But as Quiggly called for help and ran to the road, he heard a sound that scared him to the core. It was an explosion. He heard the shattering of glass, and he stopped and turned around. It was the car. It was on fire. He didn't think of the possibility that the boy had been inside the burning car. All he could think was of his wife and his children, who were out in the yard. He took off in a full sprint back to the house. His wife and children watched in horror as he raced toward them. As he neared, they saw him with a bloodied child in his arms. They looked at him, speechless. Quiggly thought they would fall over backwards as they hugged the child. But they only embraced the boy. The child was in terrible pain. Quiggly ran to the car, but he couldn't see inside. He ran to his wife, who had taken out the two younger children from the car and was holding them. Quiggly's son was still in the car, and he was not moving. Quiggly grabbed his wife and said, "Call 911." She quickly placed the children in the yard and dialed 911. As she held Quiggly's arm, they watched as firefighters rushed to the scene and the police arrived shortly after. Then she told them what happened and turned back to Quiggly. The fire had stopped, and Quiggly's car was engulfed in flames. Then Quiggly, his wife, and the children watched as the police and firemen went to work, trying to rescue the child. But the child was severely injured. He would probably be taken to a burn unit in the closest town. As he watched, a thought came to Quiggly that he would never see his son again. He had a life to live, and the boy's injuries would keep him in the hospital for a while. He thought he had to be strong and not to show any weakness. He told himself he had to face his fears and be strong. As he watched helplessly, he saw the child was taken out of the car and he saw his children standing in the yard. They looked so fragile. He could see the smoke in the house and felt a fear he would never overcome. He feared his wife and his children would lose everything. He feared the fire would consume their home, and he feared his wife would never recover from this tragedy. He feared he would never find another home he loved as much. *** Later, when he learned his son had died, he felt an unbearable pain in his chest. *** His wife and children were waiting for him, as they always did after a long day of work. As soon as he came home, he would hug them, talk to them, and assure them they were safe. He walked in the house, and all they saw was a man in a daze. Quiggly was not usually this emotional, but he was overwhelmed by his wife's pain and the loss of his children. His wife came over to him and took his hand. She knew something was wrong, and she was worried. She was glad they were in the backyard, because she didn't want Quiggly to go inside and have another panic attack. His hands were shaking, and his eyes were red, as if he were a shell of his former self. His hands were still shaking as he sat down and looked at his wife. "What is it, Quiggly?" she asked gently. "What happened?" "Quiggly, what happened?" Quiggly took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. He thought about the day they had lost their children. That had been the worst day of his life, and it was so long ago. But he could still see them as clearly as if it were the day they died. He could see his son's eyes pleading with him. The boy needed to be comforted, and he was. He could still feel the touch of his son's fingers. The pain he had felt since he was small, when he held his hands and felt his father's touch, was so acute. But it was gone. It was only replaced by the ache of losing a child. He took a deep breath and reached for the hand of his wife, who held it tight. He took another deep breath and looked into her eyes, which were looking at him for comfort. He had never expected to comfort anyone with the face of the person he loved most, but he found comfort in the eyes of his wife. He said, "I must go out and look for our children. I must get them." She looked at him with sadness and asked, "How do you know they're still out in the yard?" He looked down at the grass, and tears fell from his eyes. "Quiggly, I must go." She said, "You'll never find them out in the yard. Please, go and rest. You'll wake up tomorrow and you'll remember they're at home." Quiggly wanted to go home, but he was afraid. He could see the house burning in his mind. "Quiggly, please, go to them." She looked at him again, afraid he would run away, but he wouldn't leave. He was sure of his course, and he wouldn't let her dissuade him. Quiggly stood up, looking down at her. He took another deep breath, and his head began to throb. He could feel the sweat on his forehead, and the pain in his head was intolerable. Quiggly stood up, but he wasn't sure he could make it to the door. He looked down at his wife and whispered, "I must go. I must go and find them." As soon as he spoke, Quiggly heard the children, calling to him. He knew it was his son. He knew it was his children calling for him. But Quiggly needed to rest. "Daddy, daddy, help us. Please, daddy." He knew they were calling him. He knew they were begging him to come back. He felt the pain in his chest growing with each breath. He felt the ache in his head growing with each heartbeat. He could see his wife watching him with fear, as she asked, "Quiggly, are you sure you must go?" He said to her, "Quiggly, I must go." The burning house was calling to him, "Quiggly, help us." Quiggly felt a pain in his chest that was so intense, it was like a thousand knives. He was falling down, down, down, down to the depths of despair. He heard his children, "Daddy, help us, please." Quiggly fell to the ground, crying for his children. His heart was not beating, and his breath was not coming. He was dead. # Chapter 21 Quiggly lay on the ground. He was dead. His wife stood, frozen, staring down at him. Her mouth was open and her eyes were closed. She was dead too. All that remained were the bodies of a family that would never again be whole. # Chapter 22 Quiggly sat on his front porch looking out into the empty road. In a lifetime of looking out into the horizon, this was the first time he was not looking for a distant horizon. He was sitting alone in the center of a vast desert of fear. He felt a sense of loss. He couldn't comprehend it. He didn't know what he was feeling. He only knew he was mourning the death of a family and the death of the hope of a lifetime. He thought about his wife and his children. He thought about the house they lived in and the home he had always taken for granted. He could see the place where his son had died, and it hurt him so much, he could not stop the tears from falling. He took a deep breath. He took another deep breath. He heard a voice, "Quiggly, daddy, help us, please." He turned and saw his son in the yard. He cried, "You're okay, son. We're okay." He put his arm around his son and helped him to his feet. He felt better, but he wasn't happy. He felt more pain, because they lost the children they loved. He was sorry they had lost their children, and the pain was the only thing that was keeping him alive. He carried his son to his house and sat him down on his sofa. "Where's your brother?" "Oh, Daddy, that's not so important now. We're safe. He's safe. He's in a better place now." Quiggly began to cry. "I'm sorry for your loss, son." He sat down next to him, taking his son's hand in his. "It must be hard for you, son." His son cried, "Daddy, please. Help us." "I'm trying, son, I'm trying." *** Quiggly stood on the porch. He looked down the street and saw a man waving at him. He waved back, and then noticed the man looking at his house. He was shaking, and tears filled his eyes. He turned and walked into the house, where his wife sat with her head on the table. He walked into the living room and grabbed the man by the shirt. He shook him and yelled, "What happened?" The man said, "I don't know. I went to find a bottle and couldn't find it. I looked everywhere." Quiggly said, "We must find that bottle. Where is it?" "I don't know. I looked everywhere." Quiggly sat down next to his wife. "Quiggly, it was a bottle. I heard you call out and then I looked for a bottle to call you back. I looked everywhere." His wife sat up and looked at him, confused. "I never called out." He said, "Yes, you did. You called out, and you called for help. I heard you." She said, "You're just trying to keep me from drinking again." He said, "Quiggly, we can't drink anymore. We won't be able to have children. We've lost the children we love." She said, "You know I had them for thirty years." Quiggly said, "Yes, I know that. I know we didn't have the children you wanted. I know that. I am sorry for your loss." She said, "Quiggly, it's not the children, it's the feeling." He looked at her, and she said, "Please help me. I want to die. If we're not together, we'll be together when we die, and we'll be together for all eternity, but I want to die now, because I'm sure that's the way our son is." Quiggly said, "I know we can't drink anymore. I know we can't have children." She said, "I've stopped drinking. I've stopped sleeping. I don't know how much time has passed. It doesn't matter. I feel better. I feel that I'm ready to die." He said, "Quiggly, I will never let you drink again." She said, "Good. Then that's all I need." He said, "We can't have children. I need to find a way to stop my wife from feeling that she needs to die." His wife looked at him, but Quiggly wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the man who lived across the street. He saw a sadness in his eyes that made Quiggly feel bad, because he saw that man through his wife's eyes. Quiggly said, "Quiggly, Quiggly, Quiggly, we are dying. We have to find a way to stop this from happening." His wife said, "Quiggly, you'll be the next person to die. Please, let's die together. We'll die together." Quiggly looked at her, not seeing her. He looked at the man, and tears fell from his eyes. He said, "Quiggly, Quiggly, help me. Please, we can't die like this." The man was sobbing. He said, "Quiggly, you can't die. Please, Quiggly, help me. Please. My wife's not gonna let me drink. Please help me." The man was crying and shaking, and Quiggly felt the compassion he saw in the man's eyes. He walked to the man and said, "Quiggly, I'll stop drinking. I promise." Quiggly thought to himself, "I know that Quiggly is not real. I'm living in the reality of the house we're living in. It's the only reality I've ever known." He said to the man, "My wife needs help. She needs you.