He panted for air, his long red bangs brushing into his azure eyes.
He grabbed his hair, halting for a moment to catch his breath. Dragging his chest towards his knees he let out a cry- a scream- that echoed through the forest. He pulled in a long take of air, stood and began to run again. Hot, fresh tears painted down his face.
'I am Benton Quest.' He thought to himself as he ran.
'I am widower, a father.Dr. Benton Quest.' New tears came down as he ran. 'Where are you Jonny.'
He stood there, at a stream, his pajama bottoms wet from the water. He smiled softly in his dreamy state. He stepped into the water another pace, leaving it up to his ankles. Jonny reached out his arms.
"Mama!" Jonny laughed.
'Where. where are you son!' Benton raced through the woods. 'You couldn't have gone far.' He mentally struck himself, 'DAMN IT! I know he sleepwalked, why didn't I tie bells to the door, or LOCK them or SOMETHING!'
He came up to the stream, Jonny neck deep in the frigid water.
'Jonny.' "JONNY!" Pulling his shirt open, and off his arms Benton kicked off his slippers and dove into the water. A current of water swept Jonny under as the confused 8-year old woke up, startled at his current location.
A sudden wave of water sent Jonny towards the rocky coastline in a somersault spin, as Benton began paddling frantically to reach him in time.
Unable to know up or down, Jonny began to paddle haphazardly, kicking and splashing. Jonny bobbed upward once, soaked in the 50-degree water, he began drifting under again.
Benton, only two and half strokes away watched in horror as Jonny began to get sucked into the whirlpool of water once more. He dove down, after his son. Slinging his arm around the thrashing boy, he forced open his eyes and saw the ever-encroaching bottom, raising his foot to it he levered himself from it. propelling he and his son to the surface, gasping for breath.
He pulled Jonny closer, and with long freestyle strokes swam back towards the shoreline of the brook, now a good twenty yards down stream.
Jonny shivered half frozen, tears in his eyes too.
Benton, holding the frame of Jonny's face inspected him for injuries, keeping his body no further than 6 to 18 inches away at longest length.
Besides the constant shiver a fresh gaze of the terrified, Jonny looked unscathed.
He lifted him into his arms. "Let's get you inside and changed into something dry."
"Daddy." Jonny squeezed his father tightly, in a vice-like embrace.
"-Son." He pulled Jonny closely, pulling his fingers through Jonny's soaked hair, kissing his forehead.
"Daddy. why did mama have to die?!"
"Son. we'll talk about this in the morning. inside once you get warm." He looked up, searching his mind, 'Because it'll take *me* all night to come up with a reason for an 8 year old, let alone myself why my love, my wife my son's mother my Judith Waterly had to die.'
New tears came down as he sat Jonny down, at the door, fumbling for keys to the house.
He opened the door.
After drying Jonny off, changing him into new pajamas, feeding him warm cocoa, buttered toast and tomato soup, ceremonially attaching bells to the doorknobs and laying Jonny back into his bed; he returned to his near empty king-size bed. His eyes felt strained.
He fell into a heavy comatose sleep, induced by several varieties of cold medication.
His ears perked as a soft jingling of bells rang. 'Not again.' He moved his comforter over, about to make a dash for the door.
Suddenly, two tiny hands wrapped around him and laid down beside him. "Its- too- cold" Jonny shivered out, curling beside his father. "Can- I- lay down- here?"
He smiled warmly, his eyes hazy he pulled his son into a hug. "Alright."
The End.
He grabbed his hair, halting for a moment to catch his breath. Dragging his chest towards his knees he let out a cry- a scream- that echoed through the forest. He pulled in a long take of air, stood and began to run again. Hot, fresh tears painted down his face.
'I am Benton Quest.' He thought to himself as he ran.
'I am widower, a father.Dr. Benton Quest.' New tears came down as he ran. 'Where are you Jonny.'
He stood there, at a stream, his pajama bottoms wet from the water. He smiled softly in his dreamy state. He stepped into the water another pace, leaving it up to his ankles. Jonny reached out his arms.
"Mama!" Jonny laughed.
'Where. where are you son!' Benton raced through the woods. 'You couldn't have gone far.' He mentally struck himself, 'DAMN IT! I know he sleepwalked, why didn't I tie bells to the door, or LOCK them or SOMETHING!'
He came up to the stream, Jonny neck deep in the frigid water.
'Jonny.' "JONNY!" Pulling his shirt open, and off his arms Benton kicked off his slippers and dove into the water. A current of water swept Jonny under as the confused 8-year old woke up, startled at his current location.
A sudden wave of water sent Jonny towards the rocky coastline in a somersault spin, as Benton began paddling frantically to reach him in time.
Unable to know up or down, Jonny began to paddle haphazardly, kicking and splashing. Jonny bobbed upward once, soaked in the 50-degree water, he began drifting under again.
Benton, only two and half strokes away watched in horror as Jonny began to get sucked into the whirlpool of water once more. He dove down, after his son. Slinging his arm around the thrashing boy, he forced open his eyes and saw the ever-encroaching bottom, raising his foot to it he levered himself from it. propelling he and his son to the surface, gasping for breath.
He pulled Jonny closer, and with long freestyle strokes swam back towards the shoreline of the brook, now a good twenty yards down stream.
Jonny shivered half frozen, tears in his eyes too.
Benton, holding the frame of Jonny's face inspected him for injuries, keeping his body no further than 6 to 18 inches away at longest length.
Besides the constant shiver a fresh gaze of the terrified, Jonny looked unscathed.
He lifted him into his arms. "Let's get you inside and changed into something dry."
"Daddy." Jonny squeezed his father tightly, in a vice-like embrace.
"-Son." He pulled Jonny closely, pulling his fingers through Jonny's soaked hair, kissing his forehead.
"Daddy. why did mama have to die?!"
"Son. we'll talk about this in the morning. inside once you get warm." He looked up, searching his mind, 'Because it'll take *me* all night to come up with a reason for an 8 year old, let alone myself why my love, my wife my son's mother my Judith Waterly had to die.'
New tears came down as he sat Jonny down, at the door, fumbling for keys to the house.
He opened the door.
After drying Jonny off, changing him into new pajamas, feeding him warm cocoa, buttered toast and tomato soup, ceremonially attaching bells to the doorknobs and laying Jonny back into his bed; he returned to his near empty king-size bed. His eyes felt strained.
He fell into a heavy comatose sleep, induced by several varieties of cold medication.
His ears perked as a soft jingling of bells rang. 'Not again.' He moved his comforter over, about to make a dash for the door.
Suddenly, two tiny hands wrapped around him and laid down beside him. "Its- too- cold" Jonny shivered out, curling beside his father. "Can- I- lay down- here?"
He smiled warmly, his eyes hazy he pulled his son into a hug. "Alright."
The End.