Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows

Summary: Fate has a funny way of connecting people, but so do

memories. "Snow Angels" inspired this very short story.

Disclaimer: Early Edition characters belong to their creators. No

copyright infringement intended. No profit is being made. Some of

the dialogue that appears in this story is not my own, but belongs to

the writer of the Early Edition episode "Snow Angels".

Author: Tracy Diane Miller

E-mail address: tdmiller82@hotmail.com
Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows

There was a boom, like the angry roar of a thunderstorm; only it

wasn't, before the skylight crashed and plummeted through the room.

The horror of the moment froze, slow motion, it seemed, as the

monster landed on top of Earl pinning him to the floor.

Gary knew that the tragedy was going to happen and had desperately

tried to change Earl's future that the Paper had scripted. But he

had failed. Again.

Earl appeared eerily calm, perhaps dazed by the pain and the

surrealism of what had just happened. The pain was merciless;

everything hurt. He was having trouble breathing. The homeless man

seemed shocked to see Gary.

"It stopped snowing." Earl confirmed.

Gary struggled, but was able to push the skylight off of Earl. Earl

screamed in pain. The beast had done much damage. Earl was bleeding

heavily from his stomach and he couldn't move his legs. Gary's

amateur diagnosis was that Earl's legs were broken.

The hero removed his scarf and pressed it against the wound hoping

that the pressure would control the bleeding. Surprisingly, Earl had

a cell phone that Gary used to call for help. Unfortunately, the

combination of the foul weather and technological snafu (the device

experienced a problem with a low battery) hindered any rescue efforts.

The victim grew quiet.

Gary had read somewhere once that you needed to keep a victim of

severe trauma awake to prevent them from lapsing into a coma. He

knew that he had to keep Earl talking so that the injured man

wouldn't fall asleep. He learned that Earl had been born right here

in Chicago, on the south side.

Earl's voice was faint. "Gary, it's cold." The man began, his voice

barely above a whisper. "It's a different kind of cold, like.like

I'm never going to get warm again. It's cold all the way to my

bones."

"Sure you can." Gary responded, reassuringly. "You know, when I was

a little kid. I used to love the snow. As soon as the first snow

fell, I'd be the first one to get out there and get my hands in it.

I'd stay in it for hours. And you know what? I was never cold until

that walk home. The thought of that walk home would make me cold.

But then, then, I'd remember that there would always be a cup of hot

chocolate waiting for me."

"With marshmallows?" Earl asked weakly.

"Yeah, that's right. I can still taste it."

"Me, too."

"Yeah? So whenever I'm cold, I think about that hot chocolate. You

see, that warms me up." Gary explained.

Despite his condition, Earl seemed to soak in Gary's words. "You

know what?" He said.

"What?"

"I...I can taste it."
* * * * * *

Chicago, South Side: Early 1970s

Old Man Winter had not waited to exhale before expelling a powerful

breath that dressed Chicago in a heavy blanket of snow. The powdery

precipitation wasn't winter's only largess; along with the snow came

frigid temperatures and the struggle for basic survival.

The tiny, careworn apartment with cracks weaving across the walls

like a spider's web, looked more like a casualty of war than a home.

The insidious landlord, an unsophisticated robber baron of sorts,

collected rent, but refused to make basic repairs on the premises.

The city appeared to have turned a blind eye to the malfeasance and

did nothing. There were no citations against the landlord for code

violations despite the complaints from the tenants. No investigators

came. People, packed in the tenement like rats, their bellies often

swelled with hunger, fought to cleave to their pride despite such

dismal circumstances.

The cold filtered in through the small opening in the kitchen

window. She had tried stuffing the opening with rags, but that did

little to keep out the conquering, bitter cold. She and her son sat

in their layers of clothing, shivering. They felt the cold right

through to their bones.

The kettle whistled. A moment later, the steaming water was added

to two cups that sat idly on the table. The hot chocolate smelled

rich and inviting.

Young Earl watched in eager anticipation as his mother removed the

marshmallows from the cupboard. Mom always added marshmallows to his

hot chocolate. The first sip always stung his lips, but Earl didn't

care. The pain was worth it. The taste of hot chocolate with

marshmallows made him forget how cold he was. Mom smiled at him as

he drank the brew.

In a way, it wasn't just the hot chocolate with marshmallows that

warmed him up inside, but Mom's smile as well. She never cried,

cursed their fate, nor blamed anyone for the kind of life that they

led. She clung to her faith in God and her love for her son. That

love was rich and wonderful.

They were poor, but what she couldn't give him in material

possessions, she made up in abundance of love. Wherever life took

him, Earl would always know that.

* * * * * *

Hickory, Indiana- Early 1970s

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and hurried towards his bedroom

window, mud green eyes sparkling with eager anticipation. The

weatherman had predicted snow last night and the predication had come

true. Mountains of snow covered the sleepy town.

School was closed today, so Young Gary looked forward to hours of

playing in the snow. The little boy charged down the stairs. His

mother's doting couldn't stifle his youthful exuberance; Gary was

fidgety as Lois bundled him up in his hat, scarf, gloves, and coat.

To a child, his mother's attention seemed to have lasted for an

eternity, but it was actually a few moments before he opened the door

and went outside.

Gary lay on the ground moving his arms and legs in an animated

fashion. Out of his movement, a beautiful snow angel emerged.

He played outside for hours. More snow angels resulted from his

efforts. Later, he joined a few neighborhood kids in a contest to

make snow people. The snow person that looked suspiciously

like "Miss Flowers" won first prize.

As he walked home, the little boy felt very cold. But as soon as he

Gary opened the front door, the smell of hot chocolate with

marshmallows assaulted his nostrils.

It didn't take him long before he sat down at the kitchen table. The

first sip always stung his lips, but Gary didn't care. The pain was

worth it. The taste of hot chocolate with marshmallows made him

forget how cold he was. Mom smiled at him as he drank the brew.

Whatever road he would travel in his life, Gary Hobson would always

remember those snow angels, Mom's smile, and hot chocolate with

marshmallows.
The End