Ponyboy stared at Johnny, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped, "You can't be Johnny"
The helper put his small hands on his hips, "Yes I can! I can pick to be any name I want to be."
Ponyboy held the switch in his shaking grip, "Are you one of Mickey's friends?"
Mickey was a pretty popular kid, his friends came to Ponyboy's house often. But this Johnny kid looked too young, his eyes were to dark and big, his voice too caring and childish.
Johnny took a step forward meaning to steady Ponyboy's hands but Ponyboy flinched away as the helper used his magic.
Ponyboy felt his hands steady and he spread his hands, palms up, in wonder. "What are you?"
"I'm...." The helper searched for a word that Ponyboy would understand. His eyes wandered slowly over the Old one's room. The warm comforter, the shelf of books, the paintings of which Ponyboy had once made his life's money.
"an angel?" Ponyboy asked, his gray eyes twinkling like they hadn't in a very long time. His voice was full of childlike wonder, even as the switch fell to the floor.
"Sure, okay." Johnny nodded and smiled. He was ashamed of telling Ponyboy his one and only secret. That he had been bad in his last life and committed suicide; therefore he was forced to help people to heaven instead of going to heaven himself.
"You remind me of someone from long ago..." The Old one looked thoughtful, "his name was Johnny too.." Like a true Grandfather Ponyboy took Johnny on his lap. Ponyboy had learned, despite his struggles in life, to believe in angels.
He learned because although so many people had left him, he still felt so loved. Two-Bit, Darry, Soda, Dally and Johnny were all gone, but he felt them beside him every day of his life.
Johnny was growing fond of the Old one and he snuggled back against Ponyboy, feeling the thin but comfortable frame behind him relax. Everybody wants to be loved, afterall.
"Well, I'm on my death bed then, I suppose." Ponyboy was surprisingly accecpting, though after 85 years preparing for death, one would have to be.
The angel nodded, "I'm here to guide you to heaven. But I'm allowed to grant you first: three wishes".
Ponyboy laughed, "I don't need three wishes, my life is content, I'm happy to die right now." His wrinkled face was smiling but inside the Old one Johnny could sense old pain.
"Do you want to be a hungry ghost wandering this planet because your life was unfulfilled?" Johnny asked, completely serious.
Ponyboy smiled again, but his eyes were sad, "The things I would wish for...I don't need anymore. I don't need material things, little one." There was an oil painting on Ponyboy's wall. A group of tough looking guys all stood together in a trashy neighborhood park. But they were smiling. Even though they looked like they could beat you up without a second thought, they're grins were wide. They're faces were bright with laughter and Johnny saw kindness in their eyes even as he was terrified of them.
Ponyboy's gaze also lingered on the picture. His voice was husky when he asked, "Could you...well would you be able to...?"
Johnny listened to the unspoken question. Can you bring my friends here? Not as Old men, but as they once were. Strong, Young, happy.
"I can do that Old one, if that is your wish."
Ponyboy nodded, his tired face lighting up with hope and an anguish so deep it hurt Johnny to look at him, "I wish to see them just once...before I join them."
The little helper understood. Ponyboy was afraid of dying. Despite all his preparations and faith, he was scared. Also, there was something else that needed to be done...something big. Johnny felt the love that radiated from the house and smiled gently. He could do it.
There were no magic spells, Ponyboy observed anxiously, none of that hocus- pocus nonsense.
There were no flashes of light or sparks or rages of thunder and lightening. Just suddenly his friends were there. And it was more than Ponyboy could take.
Seeing his friends again, even Steve who was now 88 and sitting in a wheelchair, pushed Ponyboy over the edge. He began to cry, holding tightly to Johnny, great tears of remembered pain rolling down his cheeks. His sobs were weak, like a child's and Johnny fed him more of his own life's energy. Their time was elapsing.
"Hey Ponyboy. I thought I was the bawl-baby of the family. Thanks for taking over for me." Soda grinned down at Pony, his eyes sparkling with love.
But when Ponyboy reached out a trembling hand to touch his older brother, it went right through.
"I'm sorry." Johnny whispered, "They aren't of this world, you can't touch them."
"Glory, Ponyboy. You sure have aged since I last saw ya" Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow at him and stuck out his tongue.
"But he isn't as bad off as Steve." Johnny the first said, pain in his dark eyes, "Hey Ponyboy."
"Hey Johnny" Pony choked out, "hows heaven treatin' ya?"
"Right good" Dally messed up Johnny the first's hair.
Soda was kneeling in front of Steve, "Hey buddy."
Steve wasn't crying, "Soda?"
"yah, It's me, pal."
"oh." Steve returned to staring off into the distance, out the window.
"What's wrong with him?" Two-Bit jerked a thumb at Randall. Soda tearfully turned towards Ponyboy.
"he was in a nursing home. I wish I could still visit him...but after Soda left, he just didn't want to talk to anybody. He never had kids you know" Ponyboy tried to explain Steve's pain, his pain. The one that ate from inside out every day.
Dallas had changed. Maybe heaven had changed him, or maybe he was always that way but there was kindness in his eyes when he said, "We miss you Pony" This was echoed by all the guys.
"And we'll be waiting for ya'll up there too" Johnny the first smiled, then winked at the little Johnny. "Take care of him, okay?"
Little Johnny smiled, "I will."
Ponyboy was distressed, "wait. You can't go yet. I don't know anything about what heaven's like. I'm scared."
Darry, who had been silent for most of the visit, looked at Ponyboy, "No matter how old you look you'll always be the baby, huh Pony. Well I'll be waiting to take care of you in heaven. Oh yah, your wife Cherry's here also. She's sorry she couldn't come but it hurts her to see you in so much pain."
Slowly all the people vanished except for Steve and Pony.
Ponyboy wiped the tears from his cheeks. He understood now that the pain of loss inside of him would never fully heal but he wasn't sad because of it any longer.
Johnny hugged Ponyboy close and then remembered Steve.
"Would you like to go home Old One?"
"No. I want to die." Steve closed his eyes. "I don't want to be by myself. If you leave me Ponyboy..." Steve's voice was weak, it come from somewhere deep within him. Maybe this was the side that Soda knew so well.
The side that cried when Dally was shot under the streetlamp.
Ponyboy blinked and Steve was beside him.
"I want to kill myself, Pony. I'm tired of life, I'm tired of living. I just want to rest...." Steve whispered, his eyes closed. Ponyboy understood too well, "You must find the beauty in life, Steve. The strength to go on."
The helper touched Steve gently, "Your time is near. A few months, you have journey yet to be finished."
"I'm tired of journeys" And Steve did sound tired. He sounded exhausted, drained, desperate.
Quick as an old man could, Steve grabbed Ponyboy's switch from the bed, "I want to die."
a/n
Thanks for the reviews guys...I'm trying to finish up all my stories...so yup. Ya'll are awesome. I'd appreciate constructive criticism but no flames please.
The helper put his small hands on his hips, "Yes I can! I can pick to be any name I want to be."
Ponyboy held the switch in his shaking grip, "Are you one of Mickey's friends?"
Mickey was a pretty popular kid, his friends came to Ponyboy's house often. But this Johnny kid looked too young, his eyes were to dark and big, his voice too caring and childish.
Johnny took a step forward meaning to steady Ponyboy's hands but Ponyboy flinched away as the helper used his magic.
Ponyboy felt his hands steady and he spread his hands, palms up, in wonder. "What are you?"
"I'm...." The helper searched for a word that Ponyboy would understand. His eyes wandered slowly over the Old one's room. The warm comforter, the shelf of books, the paintings of which Ponyboy had once made his life's money.
"an angel?" Ponyboy asked, his gray eyes twinkling like they hadn't in a very long time. His voice was full of childlike wonder, even as the switch fell to the floor.
"Sure, okay." Johnny nodded and smiled. He was ashamed of telling Ponyboy his one and only secret. That he had been bad in his last life and committed suicide; therefore he was forced to help people to heaven instead of going to heaven himself.
"You remind me of someone from long ago..." The Old one looked thoughtful, "his name was Johnny too.." Like a true Grandfather Ponyboy took Johnny on his lap. Ponyboy had learned, despite his struggles in life, to believe in angels.
He learned because although so many people had left him, he still felt so loved. Two-Bit, Darry, Soda, Dally and Johnny were all gone, but he felt them beside him every day of his life.
Johnny was growing fond of the Old one and he snuggled back against Ponyboy, feeling the thin but comfortable frame behind him relax. Everybody wants to be loved, afterall.
"Well, I'm on my death bed then, I suppose." Ponyboy was surprisingly accecpting, though after 85 years preparing for death, one would have to be.
The angel nodded, "I'm here to guide you to heaven. But I'm allowed to grant you first: three wishes".
Ponyboy laughed, "I don't need three wishes, my life is content, I'm happy to die right now." His wrinkled face was smiling but inside the Old one Johnny could sense old pain.
"Do you want to be a hungry ghost wandering this planet because your life was unfulfilled?" Johnny asked, completely serious.
Ponyboy smiled again, but his eyes were sad, "The things I would wish for...I don't need anymore. I don't need material things, little one." There was an oil painting on Ponyboy's wall. A group of tough looking guys all stood together in a trashy neighborhood park. But they were smiling. Even though they looked like they could beat you up without a second thought, they're grins were wide. They're faces were bright with laughter and Johnny saw kindness in their eyes even as he was terrified of them.
Ponyboy's gaze also lingered on the picture. His voice was husky when he asked, "Could you...well would you be able to...?"
Johnny listened to the unspoken question. Can you bring my friends here? Not as Old men, but as they once were. Strong, Young, happy.
"I can do that Old one, if that is your wish."
Ponyboy nodded, his tired face lighting up with hope and an anguish so deep it hurt Johnny to look at him, "I wish to see them just once...before I join them."
The little helper understood. Ponyboy was afraid of dying. Despite all his preparations and faith, he was scared. Also, there was something else that needed to be done...something big. Johnny felt the love that radiated from the house and smiled gently. He could do it.
There were no magic spells, Ponyboy observed anxiously, none of that hocus- pocus nonsense.
There were no flashes of light or sparks or rages of thunder and lightening. Just suddenly his friends were there. And it was more than Ponyboy could take.
Seeing his friends again, even Steve who was now 88 and sitting in a wheelchair, pushed Ponyboy over the edge. He began to cry, holding tightly to Johnny, great tears of remembered pain rolling down his cheeks. His sobs were weak, like a child's and Johnny fed him more of his own life's energy. Their time was elapsing.
"Hey Ponyboy. I thought I was the bawl-baby of the family. Thanks for taking over for me." Soda grinned down at Pony, his eyes sparkling with love.
But when Ponyboy reached out a trembling hand to touch his older brother, it went right through.
"I'm sorry." Johnny whispered, "They aren't of this world, you can't touch them."
"Glory, Ponyboy. You sure have aged since I last saw ya" Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow at him and stuck out his tongue.
"But he isn't as bad off as Steve." Johnny the first said, pain in his dark eyes, "Hey Ponyboy."
"Hey Johnny" Pony choked out, "hows heaven treatin' ya?"
"Right good" Dally messed up Johnny the first's hair.
Soda was kneeling in front of Steve, "Hey buddy."
Steve wasn't crying, "Soda?"
"yah, It's me, pal."
"oh." Steve returned to staring off into the distance, out the window.
"What's wrong with him?" Two-Bit jerked a thumb at Randall. Soda tearfully turned towards Ponyboy.
"he was in a nursing home. I wish I could still visit him...but after Soda left, he just didn't want to talk to anybody. He never had kids you know" Ponyboy tried to explain Steve's pain, his pain. The one that ate from inside out every day.
Dallas had changed. Maybe heaven had changed him, or maybe he was always that way but there was kindness in his eyes when he said, "We miss you Pony" This was echoed by all the guys.
"And we'll be waiting for ya'll up there too" Johnny the first smiled, then winked at the little Johnny. "Take care of him, okay?"
Little Johnny smiled, "I will."
Ponyboy was distressed, "wait. You can't go yet. I don't know anything about what heaven's like. I'm scared."
Darry, who had been silent for most of the visit, looked at Ponyboy, "No matter how old you look you'll always be the baby, huh Pony. Well I'll be waiting to take care of you in heaven. Oh yah, your wife Cherry's here also. She's sorry she couldn't come but it hurts her to see you in so much pain."
Slowly all the people vanished except for Steve and Pony.
Ponyboy wiped the tears from his cheeks. He understood now that the pain of loss inside of him would never fully heal but he wasn't sad because of it any longer.
Johnny hugged Ponyboy close and then remembered Steve.
"Would you like to go home Old One?"
"No. I want to die." Steve closed his eyes. "I don't want to be by myself. If you leave me Ponyboy..." Steve's voice was weak, it come from somewhere deep within him. Maybe this was the side that Soda knew so well.
The side that cried when Dally was shot under the streetlamp.
Ponyboy blinked and Steve was beside him.
"I want to kill myself, Pony. I'm tired of life, I'm tired of living. I just want to rest...." Steve whispered, his eyes closed. Ponyboy understood too well, "You must find the beauty in life, Steve. The strength to go on."
The helper touched Steve gently, "Your time is near. A few months, you have journey yet to be finished."
"I'm tired of journeys" And Steve did sound tired. He sounded exhausted, drained, desperate.
Quick as an old man could, Steve grabbed Ponyboy's switch from the bed, "I want to die."
a/n
Thanks for the reviews guys...I'm trying to finish up all my stories...so yup. Ya'll are awesome. I'd appreciate constructive criticism but no flames please.
