Dreamer by Timothy Carstensen (small books to read .TXT) 📕

his life will be like. He sees himself with his son. He sees him curled up with his son, his arm on the boys shoulder, them reading comic books together. He sees his son reading his letter, framed on the wall. "I am only twelve, but I know I love you. Do you love me too?" He sees the letter now, old, wrinkled, faded. He sees him and his son, and everything he's planned to do together. He sees himself holding his son on his shoulders, seeing himself racing with his son on quads, playing lasertag with his and his sons friends, sees his son laughing in bliss, he grinning in merriment. He sees himself fishing with his son, shooting with him at the range, exploring the bay in scuba gear, and backpacking through the mountains. He sees himself telling stories to him, sees himself teaching the boy lessons, how to climb a rock face, how to fight, how to hide, how throw a ball. He hears his son telling him, "I know you love me, and I love you too." He knows that he sees himself in his son, and no matter what happens to him, he can leave the boy everything; The boy will love and care for everything even after he himself must leave.

The machine loudly flatlines, for the third time. She gasps, holds her son in one arm, grasps his limp hand in her other. Her eyes plead at the staff, but they can do little. They remove her hand and try the AED again, but it is fruitless. The CPR does little good. They try longer, and eventually stop. She holds his hand desperately, wishing it would do some good.

He sees, and smiles to himself, the mornings that he woke his wife to, his son too. He sees the light on his sons hair, sees himself stroking his wife's shoulders as she slept. He sees the two sharing a comforter on the patio as they watched the children play soccer in the lot in the afternoon, watched his son among them. He sees the sunset and the stars in the evening. This far from the city, the stars were so bright. He smiles again, almost smelling his sharp Raspberry tea, and her favorite, the milder Vanilla and Cinnamon tea. He sees her reach her hand out to him, and he clasps it in his own, as evening falls, and all fades to darkness.

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Publication Date: 08-17-2011

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