South Park- Without Stan

By: Nica Espinosa

It was said to be a glorious night. The stars were shining, the moon was full and bright, and somewhere off in the distance, an asteroid blazed across the sky, freeing people everywhere, from their worries. However, it's always raining somewhere in the world. Ever since Stan had died, Kyle couldn't rest. He sat next to a giant, blooming, peach tree, Stan's favorite spot to be. It overlooked the highway, but it was quiet and peaceful. Even so, you could hear the faint roar of the cars and see the moving pairs of lights float along mysteriously. A small creek ran nearby, and if you listened very carefully, you could hear the fish jump in and out of the water, as if in dance. Stan was gone though, and Kyle would never see this place the same again. It felt as if Stan was there with him, and Kyle started to cry. The tears started small at first, but eventually he was sobbing. The young boy's heart ached. It felt like a million tiny knives were plunged into his heart and were left there to make sure the pain never ended. Sure the wounds would heal, but the knives would always be there, concealed beneath the scabs of his past. He didn't want to remember. He almost wanted to forget, but Kyle knew that would never happen. He would always remember that day. The day Stan slipped away.

There came a knock from Kyle Brolovski's front door. It was none other than, Eric Cartman. Kyle opened the door and saw the other two boys on their Big Wheels down on the sidewalk. There was Kenny McCormick, the boy in the bright-orange hoodie who never revealed his face. There was Eric Cartman, the fat kid who nobody liked. And then there was Stan Marsh, Kyle's best friend in the whole world.

"Mom!" Shouted Kyle, "I'm going out!" The boy didn't even wait for a response, as he grabbed his Big Wheel tricycle, and rushed out to meet the other three boys.

"Hey Stan!" Kyle cried out. He ran up and hugged his friend.

"Ouch, Kyle. You're squishing me!" The boy managed to get out. Stan pushed Kyle off playfully and smiled. "Are you ready to go, guys?" Stan asked.

All four boys nodded in agreement. They would go take another ride downtown and enjoy the bonding between them as friends. They all mounted their bikes and started riding.

Not long after they had started to gain speed, did they notice a classmate of theirs, playing all alone out in his front yard. It was Leopold Butters Scotch, most commonly known as butters. He was a quirky kid, the one who came up with all the strange ideas, and was very "smooth" with the ladies. Butters was constantly being framed for the other boy's "bright" ideas, those of which usually came from Eric Cartman.

"Oh, hey fellas," Butters said, "Where you guys headin' off too?" Butters dropped his action figures and rushed over to speak with his friends.

"We were just going to ride into town," Kyle started, "You're welcome to tag along."

Butters smiled, "No thanks fellas, I was just gonna' sit here and play with my toys. But thanks for asking."

Kyle returned the silly smile, "Okay then Butters." And with that, he hopped back on his Big Wheel and the boys sped off once again.

And then they saw it, the video game store! This time, Kenny was elected to stand outside and watch the tricycles to make sure they wouldn't get stolen. So, Kenny stayed behind while the other three 4th graders rushed inside the store.

Immediately, as if by instinct, they all began to play the trial games. The newest was a game based off of the popular television show, Jersey Shore. The main objective was to be the most stupid, pumped up, Guido juice-head there ever was. Of course, nothing was more fun than the classic shooting games. Everyone loved those.

Suddenly, Stan stopped in his tracks. "You guys, I'm not feeling too well. You mind if we head back a little early?"

Kyle sighed, "Sure. I don't mind. You probably just need some rest." And he began to turn back with Stan. "Don't ruin this, fat-boy!" Kyle added, referring to Eric's weight.

Eric grunted, "Fine Kyle. Be that way, you stinking Jew. Kenny will keep riding with me, right Kenny?" Eric poked his head outside to check on Kenny.

Everyone turned to see Kenny examining his tightly-fitted, orange gloves, when a truck came racing down the street crushing the young boy flat. It would be a lie if I were to say no one saw that one coming. By now everyone was used to it. Kenny died almost every day, yet he managed to come right back to life the next morning like nothing had ever happened.

Eric sighed and followed his two remaining friends out of the store and back toward home.

The next morning, Kyle's mom woke him up with some not so pleasing news. Sheila explained to Kyle that his friend Stan had contracted a very deadly illness, and no one could be sure he would survive. Stan wasn't like Kenny in the fact that he would be alive again the next day. If Stan died, he wouldn't be coming back. He was currently in the emergency room down at the local hospital, but his doctors wouldn't allow visitors because he was highly contagious. At this news Kyle began to feel sick to his stomach. He ran into the bathroom and vomited up everything he had eaten in the past 24 hours. No, Stan couldn't die. He just couldn't die.

Kyle found it near to impossible to make it through school, and he just wasn't himself. He sat near the back, and didn't answer any questions, and didn't even make an effort to try. He hadn't said one word all day long, and he couldn't bring himself to speak. Kyle only had one thing on his mind: Stan. Suddenly, Mr. Garrison noticed that Kyle wasn't his normal self. Upon noticing this, the older teacher instructed Kyle to come out into the hall with him. Eric looked up at Kyle, but then just lay his head back down onto the desk. Kyle stood up, his head down, and followed his teacher out into the hall. "I noticed something is troubling you Kyle. Do you mind telling me what it is? Could it be about Stan? I understand that he wasn't in class today." Mr. Garrison wanted to help Kyle.

Kyle's response was a flood of tears. The young boy fell to the ground and cried his heart out. He was worried about his friend, and that was something that Mr. Garrison couldn't help him with. "I just really miss him Mr. Garrison! Stan can't die! I just wish there was something I could do to help him. I feel like this is all my fault. I should have seen it coming." And with that, Kyle started sobbing again. Trails of his tears trickled down his face and dropped silently onto the tiled floor. Mr. Garrison could tell this boy was in a lot of pain. He half walked, half dragged the crying boy to the school office, where they proceeded to call his mother to pick him up.

Sheila came in her silver Jeep, a new car she had recently bought. The red haired stoutly lady waddled her way into the school, only to see that her son was not there. Mr. Mackey, the school counselor, had been told to watch Kyle, but he barely paid any attention to the boy because he was too busy reading his new book. "Where is my son!?" Sheila demanded, "I want to know where my boy is right now!"

Mr. Mackey looked up from his novel, "Mmkay, calm down Ms. Brovlovski, where did you last see your son?"

"You didn't watch him or anything?" the enraged lady asked.

"Well, I was told too, but I was too into this book, Mmkay," Mr. Mackey made an excuse.

"Well, I know someone who's getting a formal complaint from me today! But first, I need to find my son!" And with that, she stormed out. Sheila knew instantly where Kyle was, and she was going to get him back.

Meanwhile, Kyle was busy ducking and dodging hospital nurse carts and looking from room to room in order to find Stan. He saw boys and girls, men and women, but none were Stan. Finally he came to the last room at the end of the hallway. It was locked. Kyle was starting to get desperate. The boy backed up and rammed into the door. It didn't budge, and Kyle begun to cry. He rammed it again. Nothing. Kyle began to cry harder as his rage grew from his intense sadness. He rammed it again, and finally collapsed. He sat there, leaned against the door and buried his face in his hands. Kyle sobbed.

Then he heard footsteps. Kyle looked up to see a kind looking young doctor looking down at him. The doctor smiled, "Kid, are you lost?" He asked.

Kyle looked at the door with tears in his eyes, and then looked back at the doctor. The young doctor paused, then took out a set of keys, and unlocked the door. He pushed it open slowly. Finally Kyle could see inside. There was a TV set up near the ceiling for patients to watch television, there were big picture windows overlooking the town, and there was a bathroom near the corner. But what Kyle saw next made his heart sink, the beds were both empty. He started tear up. The doctor spoke, "Young man, the boy that was last in here passed away about two hours ago. That's who you're looking for isn't it? He looked about your age. I'm sorry kid."

Kyle looked up at a sincerely apologetic face. "So, you're telling me I'm too late? NO! Stan can't be dead! He can't be! Tell me where my friend is now!" Kyle started to get angry, and out of confusion and anger he grabbed the doctor's arm and squeezed. "Tell me where my friend is now, or so help me god I will kill you!" The doctor just picked up Kyle, and sat him down on the bed.

"Kid, I know this may be hard for you to hear, but your friend is dead. He died of a disease that we haven't learned how to treat yet. The disease had been hiding in his body for a long time, building up its strength, getting ready to ravage his body." The doctor stepped back and let the information sink into the little boy.

Kyle stood up and walked over to the window, gazing out onto the streets below, and he spoke, "Stan was my best friend in the whole world, and now he's gone? He can't just die on me like that. I didn't even get to say goodbye." Kyle looked up towards the sky, "Don't worry Stan. Death cannot separate us, in fact, nothing ever can. I'm coming Stan, I'm coming home!" And before the doctor could stop him, Kyle backed up, and rammed through the window. All that the doctor could do was watch as the body of the innocent young boy collided with the streets below.

That's how Kyle was found by his mom, very injured, but not dead. Fortunately, he was near the hospital, and he was put into the same room that he dear friend had died in. His parents cried by his bed, waiting for him to wake up after his treatment. Kyle was dreaming, but it was the most real dream he had ever had.

Kyle dreamed about Stan. He began to appear in the distance, and as soon as Kyle saw his distinctive hat, he started to run. Stan began to run, and they met in the center with open arms. Kyle began to cry, but Stan silenced him. "Kyle, you can't keep going on like this," Stan said. "Just because I'm dead, doesn't mean I'm gone. Going through life like this won't do anything for you, and it will just end up making everything worse for everyone around you, including yourself. Trying to kill yourself isn't the solution either. Just because I'm gone, doesn't mean you can't keep living. I want you to stay strong, and keep going, for me, Kyle. I want you to know, that you can do it, even if you don't have me around anymore. I want more than anything else, for you to keep living your normal life without me. I promise you, that you can make it through this, because in no time at all, you'll be here with me, and nothing will matter anymore. Kyle I'm going back home now, but if you ever need me, go to my tree, and you will feel me watching over you." Then Stan faded into the distance, leaving Kyle to stand alone.

Kyle woke up. There was his mom, and his dad, and Eric and Kenny. He still had all of them, and he knew inside, that Stan was never far away. In fact, Stan and Kyle were probably closer than they ever had been before.