A Plea and the Two Witnesses by James Gerard (best fiction novels to read TXT) 📕

It was nearly the perfect, late autumn day for Aiden Rogers.  It was the kind of day that started with a rush of excitement.   His favorite National Football League team secured a spot in the soon to be playoffs the day before and he could not wait to get to school.  It was the kind of day in which Mister McKay decided to give in to his fourth grade boys’ pleas and tossed them a football for the morning recess.  It was the kind of day that brought an early snowstorm that was dusting the playground with fine white snowflakes.  The day was a day that coats and jackets were shed for a heated pickup game of two-hand-touch football.  But for Aiden the best part of the day was yet to come.

After the bell rang, Aiden ran up to his best friends Jacob and Trevor.  They were slowly making their way back to the classroom.  Nearly out of breath, he huffed out clouds of misty smoke while waiting for the rush of excitement to calm down.  Finally, just before reaching the classroom, he looked at Jacob and asked, “How ‘bout after school we play football?”

“Whose house?” asked Trevor.

“Your house.  I know your dad will let us go out and play even though it’s snowing.”

“Sure.  I got to do homework and eat dinner first,” added Trevor.

“Me too,” responded Jacob.

“Good.  Then we all meet after dinner at Trevor’s house.”

With the plan in place the three boys ran up the stairs and rushed to their table.  They all knew not to upset Mister McKay and ruin their plan to play a pickup game at lunch recess.

*                    *                    *

Aiden quickly stopped and slightly slid on the snowy street.  Out of the corner of his eyes he watched Jacob slip and just about tumble to the ground as he reacted too quickly to the patented move.

“I’m open!” he screamed at Trevor.  Just as the football came flying to him in a perfect spiral Jacob came behind him and took a swat at the ball, but it was too late.  Aiden caught and cradled the football into his stomach.  And with finely timed precision he quickly swung around and raced to the end zone.  “Touchdown!”

Trevor came running at him.   The two jumped and bumped chests in celebration for the quick score.

Jacob came up to them and growled, “I swear one day I’m going to intercept that pass.”

But they were the best of friends and Jacob turned the frown upside down and began to hoot and holler with joy.  It was time to switch.  Aiden now became the defender, Jacob the quarterback, and Trevor the receiver.

As Jacob and Trevor huddled up, Aiden knew their time together was growing shorter.  The sun had dipped below the horizon and only a little bit of light remained among the gathering clouds.  It was a matter of time before Trevor’s dad called him in for the night and Jacob and he would have to go home.  For Aiden, however, going home was different.

Aiden had realized back in second grade that Trevor was loved by his dad.  And although he sometimes upset him by some of the stupid things he did, Trevor’s dad always forgave him and did not punish him too bad.  Aiden knew the same to be true with Jacob.  Just like Trevor, Jacob did stupid things sometimes but his mom and dad loved him nonetheless.  And as the wind picked up and brought a chill to his body, the dark clouds beginning to move in and ready to dump more snow, the thought of going back to his house brought him sadness.

While the two still argued, Aiden took a glance at Trevor’s home and wished he could be his real brother and wished Trevor’s dad could be his real dad.  The same held true for Jacob’s mom and dad.  Whenever he met either one of his very best friends it was always at one of their homes and not his house.  He had always liked the warm and friendly offers of overnight stays and the offers to stay for dinner.  Aiden had often wished he could treat his best friends the same, but he could not.  And it was not because he did not long for the company in a house where he was treated as if a stranger, it was just that his mom and dad were not very nice people.

Trevor and Jacob understood the reasons why they were never allowed over to his house and out of friendship they never let the issue come between them.   That made it even harder because he had no choice to go back alone to a house where he was not wanted.  

Aiden shifted the attention back to his best friends.  He looked at Jacob using his finger to diagram the pass play on the palm of his hand.  Trevor kept shaking his head with misty smoke puffing out with every one of his whispered words.  Aiden guessed Trevor was asking Jacob for a different pass route. 

So afraid this would be the last play Aiden again looked up and just about cried out to let this night go on forever.  Then all of sudden something odd was caught out of the corner of his eye.  He looked at the lone, white puffy cloud that drifted underneath the dark and gloomy clouds starting to fill the sky.  “What is that?” he whispered.

“Hey Aiden,” yelled Trevor, “are you ready or what?”

Aiden stared at the cloud.  It was so close that he believed he could touch it if he ran towards it and jumped the highest he possibly could.   “It’s a woman,” he softly said, “and she is smiling at me.”

“Oh Aiden!” yelled Jacob.  “Come on, we want to get this play in.”

Aiden could not take his eyes off of her.  She glowed ever so slightly and was wearing some sort of dress with what looked like wings behind her.  And he could not be sure, but she seemed to be lying down on the white fluffy cloud.  Without notice Aiden jumped at the touch of a hand on his shoulder and spun around.

“Come on already,” said Trevor, “are you going to play or not?”

Afraid Trevor would scare the beautiful cloud away he whispered, “Look, an angel.”

“What are you two looking at?  We have to finish this play,” grumbled Jacob as he stood just behind the two.

“Quiet,” whispered Aiden.  “You’re goin’ to scare her away.”

“What her?”

Aiden pointed, “The angel.”

“I don’t see an angel,” said Trevor.

Aiden pointed again, “Right there.  Can’t you see her?”

“You mean the cloud?”

“That’s not a cloud, it’s an angel.”

“It’s a cloud,” said Jacob.

Aiden could not believe his best friends could not see the angel.  After all, he thought, she’s right there.  But as he watched it near a tree something came to mind to show that it was an angel.  He turned and whispered, “Now watch, I will prove it to you.  You see, she’s heading right for the tree.  If she is not an angel and just a cloud she will disappear behind the branches, but if she is an angel she will be in front of the branches and we will see her.”

The three stood quietly staring.  And just as the cloud came to the edge of the tree Trevor’s dad called out, “Okay son, time to come in.  Jacob, Aiden you better be off to home.”

Trevor turned and shouted, “See you guys tomorrow.”

Just as Aiden swung around and yelled “but wait,” Jacob too turned and began to run for home.  “I’ll see you tomorrow Aiden and Trevor.”

“But wait!” pleaded Aiden.  With both of his best friends out of sight he slowly turned around and there she was lying right in front of the tree as plain as can be.  “Wow,” he whispered, “you really are an angel.”

With that said he watched her fade away out of sight.

He looked up to the dark and gloomy sky with the wind now howling and a flurry of snow beginning to hit his face.

The freezing cold was taken away by a warmth he had never felt before in his life.   With a smile beaming across his face he whispered, “Wow, a real live angel.” 

To my Friend: Please bear with me.

First I ask who am I?  Second I ask where am I?  Third I ask do I have a purpose in this life or do I always have to face sadness?  And lastly I ask do you still care about me and love me as your friend?  I know these questions might be strange to you but I have to ask.  I ask because you have known me my whole life and right now I do not know the answers.    What I do know is that I am tired in my body and mind.  I need your help once again.  But I know you already knew that I needed help did you not.  So, that is why I am writing to you.

But before you answer all my questions could you tell me why I felt that you just let me go?  After all I know you are my best friend and know sometimes I am lost.  Well, not really lost but more like trying to have fun on my own.  Yes, you warned me about having fun the way I want to have fun but I became so sad I did not want to listen to you.  And yes, I actually felt I knew better than you.  I know that could never be true but sometimes I feel like you just do not care about me.  Yes, I hear your voice right now asking me ‘why would you even think that?’  Okay then, the truth is I saw too many people having so much fun and wanted to have fun too.  But come on my Friend, what did you expect me to do?  I know, you’ve told me so many times before not to worry about such silly things.  You always told me to just get on the phone and ask for help and you would be there.  Alright my friend, the truth is I did not listen to you because I had too much doubt.  At the same time you knew I was really, really sad and did not call me.  In fact, you knew that I was so sad I just could not listen anymore.  Okay, that is not true either.   But can you really blame me for being tired and trying to have some fun?  Oh who am I trying to fool.  Yes, I will admit that I was just so confused.

Look, I know none of this is your fault.  You have helped me so much in the past as a friend that I should never have doubted you, but I did because I was angry.  There, I said it.  I was just angry.  I know I cannot make excuses with you, but I was so disappointed with life that I was really mad and figured I would try to change my life on my own.  Oh