Disclaimer 1: I do not own "Scooby Doo," or its characters. They are property of Warner Bros. Pictures and Hanna Barbera.
Disclaimer 2: I do not own the song "Wind Beneath My Wings." It is property of Bette Midler and Buena Vista Entertainment.
*Dedicated to the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 as well as to all victims of terrorism.
"Pan Am 103"
By TwilightSparkle3562
Chapter 1
"December 21, 2013"
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
It must have been cold there in my shadow,
to never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let me shine, that's your way.
You always walked a step behind.
So I was the one with all the glory,
while you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.
Did you ever know that you're my hero,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.
25 years, I can't believe that it has already been 25 years since the night my love was killed in the skies over Scotland. But, as I walk into Arlington National Cemetery on this somber anniversary, I can't help but think over what could have been for Daphne and me. We had just become engaged and were eager to be married and start our own family together. Now, that is not the case and the only thing I can remember is how our lives had gotten to that point in time.
You see, Daphne and I were destined to have a future together from the moment we first met in pre-school. She and I, you might say, had a similar interest in solving mysteries. As the years passed, our interest in mysteries and each other grew and grew. By the time we were both students at Syracuse University, our relationship had been taken to the next level only to have it abruptly end that night in 1988.
Once I had arrived at the site for the ceremony, I sit down in the first row, right at the podium where the names of those who died in Lockerbie would be read. I clutch down on a thorn-less rose that had been distributed for the ceremony, trying to stay strong with my friends Shaggy and Velma standing next to me.
"It's all right, Fred," said Velma, clutching my arm. "You can cry if you want to. It helps you in the healing process."
Velma was right; this was an everlasting healing process that would never end for those who were closest to Daphne. As the National Anthem played, I hear an echo out in the distance calling out to my name.
"Freddie, Freddie, I am not gone. I am always with you now and forever."
The voice was familiar, sounding almost like Daphne's and as I look around, the voice revealed to indeed be Daphne's. I want to call out to her, but I did not want to disrupt the service and so I stayed silent. However, the voice continued to echo out to me and it was only me who could hear it.
At that point, we all sat down and the Chaplin for Arlington National Cemetery stepped forward to do the invocation.
"Let us pray," he began as we all bowed our heads down in prayer. "Greater God, we pause at this moment to recognize your presence here, to seek your blessings on this solemn celebration. It is in the spirit of life, love and community that we gather this day to remember the lives that were lost and the lives that were forever changed. May we also remember your great love and may we remember that even in our darkest of days that we promise to sustain us with strength and to provide us with deep and abiding peace. May this ceremony preserve the memories of those who died and may it kindle in each of us, a spirit in each of us, for our nation in the cause of freedom and peace throughout the world. I ask this in your name and your glory. Amen."
Next, we saw a young woman step forward and address us about a prayer that was written right after the bombing and was being read at all Pan Am 103 memorials on this day.
"At this time," she said. "I would like to ask anyone associated with Syracuse University to rise and say the prayer with me."
So, we rose up and clutching hands, I closed my eyes, trying to hear that voice while at the same time, I began to think back to the days leading up to the last time I saw Daphne alive at Hancock Airport in Syracuse, the news that Daphne had been killed right up until the funeral service that we had held for her. But, before I began to reflect, the voice called out to me again.
"Freddie, Freddie, I am not gone. I am always with you now and forever."
I don't know where her voice is coming from, but I know that it is there. Perhaps thinking back to the past would do me justice in helping me get through this dark day in my life as we recited the "Common Prayer for Peace":
"We gather as a global community, uniquely woven together by our persistent pursuit of hope. Rising up from the ashes of tragedy, we proclaim our commitment to creating a better, more just world. In remembering our past, may we ignite a fierce passion for the future that propels us beyond boundaries of division and unites us in common pursuit of life's most precious gifts: faith, hope and love.
"Today in the shadow of the longest night of the year, we confidently declare that love and life shall always triumph over fear and violence. Help us to know that the light of love can never be extinguished as long as we tend to it by acts of compassion, justice, peace and reconciliation. Encourage us that by joining together, we can create a living legacy through actions in the world."
And as we said the prayer, my reflections began to take shape…