The Staff
Gone. He was gone.
I found out when Pippa came running back from the lake.
Without him.
"Pippa?" I called, she didn't even turn, she just kept on running towards her house
"Pippa?!" I called again and started to run after her through the snow. I caught up with her just as she got through her front gate.
"Pippa, Jackson? Is that you?" Her mother asked, Pippa raced into her mothers arms sobbing
"Mrs. Overland" I panted "what's the matter? And where's Jackson?"
"I don't know" she replied looking just as confused and worried as I felt "come inside Eveleen" she walked inside still carrying Pippa. Once we were in the cabin she set her down, and asked what was wrong and where Jackson was.
After Pippa had taken a few deep breaths she began to tell us that she and Jackson had gone ice-skating as they had been planning too, it had been going great, that is until she saw that where they were stood the ice was thin and starting to crack.
A cold hand closed around my heart as I began to fear the worst.
She said that she had told Jackson that she was scared, and that he had comforted her, told her to trust him, and said "We're going to play hopscotch, like we play everyday" he had then gently hopped onto one of the thicker parts of the ice, and told her to do the same. She had only taken two or three steps and he had already picked up his staff and pushed her onto the thick part of the ice.
He had grinned and taken a half a step backwards and fallen straight through the ice. She sobbed as she finished telling us
"No" I said not wanting to believe it, it had to be a trick, Jackson was always playing tricks, I would go down to the lake and he would be there laughing and smiling.
I hoped.
But those hopes were crushed at the look on Pippa's face
"No" I said again stumbling backwards through the door, tears blurred my vision as I ran out of the snowy garden, and raced down to the lake, I saw the hole he must have made when he had fallen in,
"No!" I screamed fighting back tears "Jackson, Jackson, Jack!" I sat down as my tears won and came pouring from my green eyes and down my face, the boy I had grown up with, laughed with, and finally begun to love way more than just a friend, was gone.
I thought of the times we had spent together, the day in spring we had spent alone, just for a picnic, when it had been time to go he had given me a quick kiss on the cheek and left without another word.
I could remember the first time we met, he had come over to me full of confidence and said "My name's Jackson Overland, what's yours?"
I had replied in barely more than a whisper
"Eveleen Blackthorn"
...
I thought about just this morning when he had been alive and well, he had come past my house with ice-skates in one hand and staff in the other. Pippa had skipped ahead and he had stopped to talk to me, until Pippa came back, he had kissed my cheek, and Pippa started to drag him away "I'll see you when I get back" he had called with a grin.
I gasped as I realised that those were the last words he ever said to me, I touched my cheek where he had kissed me, and started crying again,
"Eveleen" a familiar voice spoke behind me I turned to see my mother there "Eveleen, there is nothing you can do come home" she held out her hand, I took it and she helped me to my feet, we were silent as we walked home, I was silent for the rest of the day, I was scared that I would start crying again if I spoke.
When night fell I ran into my room and fell onto my bed.
Just before I fell asleep I had one last thought. His staff, it had been on the ice. I promised myself that I would get it as soon as the sun rose.
...
It was light. Yet my body told me it was still night-time. I got out of bed to see what was happening. I walked over to my bedroom window and opened the curtains, and looked out amazed. What I thought was daylight was actually the moon.
A full moon. My mother had always told me that something magic happened when there was a full moon, I had never believed it, but looking at the moon tonight I could believe anything magic happened.
Suddenly I yawned and I realised how tired I was. I pulled the curtains across the window, turned around and slipped in to bed.
...
At the first light of day I leapt out of bed, threw on my clothes, and raced down to the lake. There was a new frost on the trees and the lake had refrozen. I looked across the lake in search of his staff. It was gone.