Years Down the Line

FLASHBACK…

ROCKWELL, MAINE 1957 (EARLY NOVEMBER)

There was one thing on the Giant's mind.

Keep Hogarth safe.

He told himself this as he fell out of the sky. He glanced at Hogarth and saw that his eyes were shut tight with fear, the wind tossing his hair every which way. He quickly covered the small boy with his other hand in a vain attempt to keep him safe, just moments before he struck the snow-covered earth.

The Giant turned, tumbled, rolled and the entire time Hogarth was silent. Keep Hogarth safe. Keep Hogarth safe. Keep Hogarth safe. When his metal body finally came to a rest, he opened his own eyes and sighed. He could feel the hit from the jet taking over his body. He was made of iron, but he'd never taken a hit like that. At least not one that he could remember. He needed to rest…

He faced the endless grey sky, and for a moment he just sat there, staring right into.

And then he looked into his left hand, where Hogarth was supposed to be.

He wasn't there. The Giant frantically checked his right hand as well, and found nothing again. He sat up searching desperately for the boy he'd tried to protect from the army's weapons.

And there he was. A trail of pushed aside snow, showing where he had slid from the Giant's hands. He wasn't moving or talking. And horribly enough, it reminded the Giant of the deer they had come across the day before.

No…

Carefully, the Giant reached out at Hogarth's unmoving body. His fingers gently prodded at Hogarth's side. Hogarth moved with his hand, but wasn't responding in any independent way at all.

No!

"You… Die?" Giant asked, curiosity in his deep voice.

"Well yes. Someday." Hogarth responded.

Dead. Hogarth was dead.

The Giant began shaking, realizing the tragedy that was lying right in front of him. He began to make saddened noises and buried his face in his curled up fists.

But just as he started to mourn the loss of his only friend, he felt something powerful hit him in the back.

And then it was no longer a game of running. It was chasing.