young boy, walked forward.  His face was full of confusion and sadness.  His eyes were pointed to the ground and he didn't make eye contact with anyone.  He looked so young, but still looked like life had already beaten him--and he had given up.  He must have only been around 7 or so.  He was so humble and unsure of himself--he was scared, and leary of all of us, but he ventured forward anyway.  The musician’s music was obviously comforting to him.  …

      miss my sister.  I thought this place would have her.  I don’t know where I am now.”  The reaper told him he was in a place, close to his sister.”  That encouraged the boy to continue.  “My name is Olgor.  My sister was playing in a nearby cavern, but she got the plague from a rat bite.  It made her leg really gross.  She always said it hurt, and the wound growed to be bigger always.  It eventually got squishy looking and blood leaked out.  The doctor man would come, but never helped much.  That bite on her leg was all black, and it growed to be more black like a big circle.  It was oozy too. It oozed lots.  It made little black trails on her leg where her veins was.  And the little black trails kept going.  She always cried so bad when someone would touch the black spot, or the trails.  It really hurt.  I was always sad, because she couldn’t play much anymore.  Many times she coughed blood too, but she felt bad, and hid it from everyone.    She told me I shouldn’t tell anyone, because it would scare mom and dad.  She had a cloth she always kept.  It was always bloody too.  When I found it, she made me promise not to tell mom or dad because it would scare them.

     issy had to be careful the doctor man said.  And we did too.  He said the sick inside her could go inside us just like her.  We always had to stay far away.  She was given a table to sit in the corner for meal times, and to try and keep everyone safe, she always had to sleep in a tiny house papa made for her.  Sometimes, it wasn’t good because it was like she wasn’t a part of the family anymore.  Sometime she would feel better, I snucked out sometimes to play with her.  She always liked that.  Me too,  I really love to play with my sister.  It was a good time always.

      he last time the doctor man came, he gave her some drink that made her sleep.  And when she woked up, her leg was missing.  The doctor man said the bad stuff was in her body and it was the only way to save her and so it won’t spread.  She never got better though.  She always cried from missing her leg.  She called herself an ugly girl always when she hadn’t a leg anymore.  Momma told her she was always going to be beautiful, but the boys she used to play with stopped playing so much with her.  They always ran and things, but she couldn’t run too.  Her favorite game was always rock skip, but with one leg only, it wasn’t any more good for her to play.  She could jump good with the one leg though!

      ne day it got bad.  On her good leg, I saw cut marks.  I always asked if a animal scratched her, but she said the only animal was her now, and she always got scratched.  I never knew what she meant.  The animal must have lived close though, because she always had more cut marks on her leg.  I even saw cut marks on her arms later.  I woulda’ helped her beat the animal.  I was good at shooshing away the wild animals living nearby.   But I guess she got tired.  She stopped smiling, and momma and papa always acted worried and stuff. They said they was worried for her.  I missed my sister being happy and playing.  

      here was a time I remember when we was playing, she told me she loved me, and that she knows I’ll be a brave fighter someday.  She acted like she was leaving.  I asked her where she was going and she smiled at me saying she’ll always be with her family, even if they can’t see her no more.  Only a tiny time from when the marks were on her good leg.  I found her…

      he tied a rope to a heavy brick over a bridge and pushed the brick off.  She was tied to the other part, so she fell too.  I was the one who found her.  She was really puffy.  I went looking for her for supper when mama said it was ready but she wasn’t there.  So, I looked, and that is when I found her.  I tried to go help her, but her eyes just looked up at me.  They never closed, just stared open through the water.  I ran to go get mama and papa.  They was mad and crying and yelling, so I ran away.  I ran far, and I could still hear mama screaming.  It was a loud screaming or crying.  It was both I guess.  I knew she was really upset.  I heard dad shouting too.  I didn’t feel comfortable to go back for a while, so I hid in a little hole I dug in the nearby woods until it got dark.

      t was a long time pass.  I think.  Maybe.  I really missed my sister.  I had too many dreams of her face looking at me.  I saw the face in the snow.  In the clouds.  In the grass.  I saw her face.  I missed my sister a lot and I didn’t ever feel like eating much.  Dad would yell at me to eat cause’ I was getting smaller he said.  I didn’t like being yelled at.  Not at all.  The doctor man said it was my fault.  He said it would take more time to me to heal, but I wasn’t sick, so I guess he was dumb.  I just never felt like eating.  I wasn’t hungry Mr.”  The reaper smiled at him and nodded for him to continue.

      “ got tired.  I got tired of being yelled at.  I got tired of mama and papa crying and yelling.  It was a daily thing now.  They always spoke about sissy, but their talks never didn’t ever end good, always bad.  Mom would cry and dad would get mad.  Dinner time was quiet and mom would frequently sob, and dad would tell her to be stronger, but then she would argue with him.    She said she needed him to talk to her, but he was always quiet.  They always blamed each other for sissy’s death.  It was always some dumb blaming too.  I always felt bad, because if I found her faster, she wouldn’t have died and all of the fighting wouldn’t happen.  Maybe if I told mom and dad about the animal scratching sissy’s leg and arms, they might have helped.  Every time they fought, I knew it was my fault.

       didn’t feel like to play and I didn’t feel like to be with my friends.  I just missed my sissy.  I remember when the bully was fun poking at me in front of my friends, and she pulled his pants down!  Everybody wast pointing and laughing and they all was fun poking at him then.  She saved me…  Always my best friend, and I couldn’t save her.  So, I guess I wasn’t worth saving.  Mama and Papa always seemed mad at me..  I don’t know, just mad all the time I guess.  Maybe not at me, but they yelled like it.  I never liked being home much after sissy drownded.

      wrote a note to mama and papa.  I put it in my pocket so they was gonna’ find it.  I never liked pain.  I didn’t know how to end all the things, but I also didn’t know how to swim.  That I knew.  I couldn’t swim.  Plus, I wasn’t too good with sword and knives.  I was good at the arrow though!  I always beat sissy when we shot the hay.  I was the bestest to my friends.  So, I grabbed my arrow, and I went to the bridge where I found sissy.  I took my note, and put the arrow in it to stick to the bridge.  Then, I closed my eyes and I jumped.  I fell faster than I thought.

       don’t know, it was weird cause I couldn’t get air after too long.  I remember that.  I remember I splashed to the water and went far down.  At first, it was calm.  I couldn’t hear the above.  I couldn’t hear mom and dad yelling.  I couldn’t hear my friends always asking me if I was ok.  They asked that so much I wanted to yell.  I was just there, alone.  Nobody else and it was quiet.  But I couldn’t get to the top again.  I was scared sort of.  I did stay still, but when I couldn’t get air, I was in panic.  I tried to get up, but I couldn’t.  I kept staying down.  At the end, I remember I opened my mouth, and I swallowed lots of water.  It was only a couple minutes maybe and then I woke up in the field part over there.  I liked the music Mr.  so I came here.”

      he reaper asked him if he would read his note.  The young boy told him he didn’t have it.  However, the reaper told him to check his pocket.  The boy looked shocked to find his note, and he started to read: “Mama and papa.  I love you.  I love Sissy, and I miss it when we was always together.  Since she went away, you two aren’t good anymore.  You are too loud, and too sad.  All times you are sad.  I am there, but you don’t see me.  You only remember sissy and are sad. I hate the fighting and yelling and I hate that it is my fault since I couldn’t save sissy.  I’m sorry.  I would do better if I could of.  If I could find her faster, you wouldn’t be this way.  I didn’t mean to cause you so much hurt.  I hate myself every night, knowing I upset you so much.  I just want to be with her again, when things was happy.  I’m sorry.  I love you.  

       liked it better before she went away.   I hope maybe soon, we can go together same as before. Don’t be mad and no more yelling please.  I know you hate me now because I didn’t save her fast enough.  I know that when you see me, you remember her alive.  This is why the yelling.  If I could be faster I would.  But I wasn’t.  I love you and I hope you forgive me.  I’m going to make it better now.  You won’t see me anymore, and I think it’ll make your pain go away, and then go away the yelling.  Bye bye.”

      he musician assured him his parents read the note—stating they read parallel to his reading.  I pondered if time was measured in this place.  The sadness from the child’s broken story touched us all.  The reaper, leaned in and hugged the little boy.  He said to him, “your heart is so big, that your little body can barely contain it.   You are a precious soul and the yelling was never meant to scare you, nor was it directed at you.  It was emotion, nothing more.  It is a feeling that people experience when feeling helpless.  The anger they were feeling, was only directed inward.”  He then assured the boy that no more yelling will wake him up, nor will he see nightmares ever again.  He also assured him he would be meeting his sister shortly.  No one in the crowd ever smiled so big I’m sure.  The child’s happiness, sparkled in his eyes as he started tearing up a tad.  It was so obvious he was ready to run where the reaper would point him to.

     he reaper stood again, and started dancing off into a new area of the field.  Once again, we all followed.  For better or worse, we were destined to follow.  We were all guided along a path the reaper lead us down, as usual, but this time was different—the boy was able to break from the circle.  The reaper must have allowed it, for none of us were in control of ourselves any longer—we seemed to all be moving in a trance.  Off in the distance, there was a young girl with golden hair and bouncy curls.  She shouted his name with the sound of disbelief that she just saw him.  He immediately shouted “sissy!” and left the circle running toward her with arms spread wide open.  Upon looking at the musician’s face, I saw a faint smile.  The music he played was a heart warming melody.  It was fitting…

 

Continue. . .