CHAPTER 7 (present day) Oh, No!
About 4:37am, I got in bed and went to sleep.
I start to dream that I had a little brother:
He screamed. I rushed to his room to see what was wrong. He kept on screaming. He was kicking and punching his fists into the air. Tears ran down his face while his eyes were closed. I walked to him, and sat at the edge of his bed. I reached over and shook him gently to wake him, but he didn't wake. He still had his eyes closed, and this time he was sweating terribly. I wondered if he was having a bad dream. If he were, then I would protect him. I'm his older brother; I have to care for him, and comfort him. I could tell him it's going to be okay. A few minutes later, he awoke frightened. He was still screaming and crying. I gave him a hug, and said softly, "It's alright. Don't cry. Brother is here." He lifted up off my shoulder and said through tears, "He's back." "Who's back?" I asked. He said shakily, "Freddy." "Freddy. As in Freddy Krueger?" I asked. He nodded. "Freddy's just a fictional character. He's not real." I explained. "But he is real. Look at this." He had lifted up his light blue pajama shirt, and I couldn't believe what I saw. He had scratches about two inches long on his stomach. I gasped, "How did you get those scratches on your stomach?" "I told you, Freddy did it." He said, crying. I just hugged him. Just then, he had lifted up off my shoulder again, and in a fearful voice, "He's here now." "Huh? What?" I wondered confused. "Watch out behind you!" He warned as he threw himself across me. The next thing I knew, my brother was lying very still on my lap. I was tearing up as I asked, "'Jake, can you hear me?" I shook him, but no answer. "Oh, God. This can't be! Jacob, please say something!" I cried. "It's true! It's true! Freddy is real!" I screamed. I love him. Why did he have to be the one? He was scared, and he had protected me; one and only brother that he loved.
-------------------
Someone was shaking me and saying my name repeatedly. "Todd, wake up, you sleepy head."
"Huh? What?" I say, still with my eyes closed.
"Are you getting up?" Mom asks.
"What time is it?"
"1:45. You've been sleeping almost all day."
I jump out of bed. "1:45!" I say, grabbing the video that I made. "Mom, I gotta get to Kari's and show her this before she leaves!" I put on my shoes. I didn't even change out of my PJ's. Then I run out the door, hop on my bike, and head down to Kari's.
I got to her driveway and no cars were there. Maybe her parents went to the store and Kari is home all alone. I tried to stay calm.
I knock on the door. No answer. Then I go to the back door and found a note that reads: "Dear, Todd, I am so sorry that I did not even say goodbye to you today, but my dad had to leave early or he will get fired from that job. Todd, I miss you. I love you. I will always carry a picture of you with me. I will write you everyday. I probably will send you a videotape of me. You will always be in my heart. That's why I cry. 'Cause I miss you. Love, Kari."
I take the note off the door and stare at it. Tears come pouring out of my eyes. I could not believe that my one and only girlfriend is gone. Gone from this town and to another.
I ride back down the driveway and then to the park.
I sit on the park bench where Kari and I had our first kiss. I sit there, thinking about all the memories that we shared. I cry.
35 minutes later, Jay and Joe come up to me and ask, "Wanna play a game of basketball?"
I just shake my head no.
"What's the matter?" Joe says, softly.
"Kari is gone from this town and to another."
I could see that they have tears in their eyes. "We know how you feel, buddy." they both say.
I cry. "It is just so sad to see her go away like this."
"Yeah, it is." Jay says, sadly.
"Yeah. I just hope I won't go away either." Joe says, crying.
"Joe, don't talk like that." I say. "You're makin' me even more sad."
"You will beat it." Jay gives a whole lot of hope and belief.
"What if I don't?" Joe asks as he looks down.
"You will. You have to believe. You cannot give up, Joseph." I say, softly.
"Believe, Joe. That's all you have to do. And before you know it, you'll be all better." Jay says.
All of the sudden Joe starts gasping for air. Jay and I were alarmed. "Joe, are you okay?!" we say, worrying.
Joe reaches into his pocket and gets his inhaler. He breathes into in or something like that.
Out of breath, Joe says, "Oops. I forgot to take my medicine for my asthma."
I got a weird look on my face. "You have asthma?"
"Yeah. You guys never knew?"
"No." Jay and I answer.
"Yes, you have. You guys can't fool me."
"No, we didn't know." I say.
"You didn't. I thought you guys knew. Sorry."
Jay and I start cracking up laughing.
"What's so funny?" Joe asks.
"We knew all the time. I just had to laugh at something funny." I explain.
Joe just laughed.
"Hey, Todd, what's that video?" they both ask.
"It was for Kari, but she cannot watch it because she's gone."
"Can we watch it?" Jay asks.
"Sure. I guess. I mean, it was for everyone really."
----
We all were at my house, watching the video. (It was kind of like a slide show.) After, we were all crying.
"That was great!" Jay says.
"All your video's that you make are great!" Joe says.
"Thank you." I say.
---------------
That night I hold the letter that Kari wrote, in my hands. I watch home videos of her, and my tears slowly roll down my cheeks.
"You're gone away. I'm left alone. A part of me is gone. And I'm not moving on. So wait for me. I know the day will come. I'll meet you there. And wherever I go, you'll be right there with me. Forever you'll be right here with me."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----
NOTE The lyrics, I'll Meet You There, aren't mine. They are by Simple Plan. And you know, Todd's video? (It's kinda like a slide show). Well, I am making a webpage- slide-show-type-thing of that. People that I know will be the characters. I even drew some characters. It is gonna be pretty cool, I think. But what will you think? I will let know when it's up. Ok?
About 4:37am, I got in bed and went to sleep.
I start to dream that I had a little brother:
He screamed. I rushed to his room to see what was wrong. He kept on screaming. He was kicking and punching his fists into the air. Tears ran down his face while his eyes were closed. I walked to him, and sat at the edge of his bed. I reached over and shook him gently to wake him, but he didn't wake. He still had his eyes closed, and this time he was sweating terribly. I wondered if he was having a bad dream. If he were, then I would protect him. I'm his older brother; I have to care for him, and comfort him. I could tell him it's going to be okay. A few minutes later, he awoke frightened. He was still screaming and crying. I gave him a hug, and said softly, "It's alright. Don't cry. Brother is here." He lifted up off my shoulder and said through tears, "He's back." "Who's back?" I asked. He said shakily, "Freddy." "Freddy. As in Freddy Krueger?" I asked. He nodded. "Freddy's just a fictional character. He's not real." I explained. "But he is real. Look at this." He had lifted up his light blue pajama shirt, and I couldn't believe what I saw. He had scratches about two inches long on his stomach. I gasped, "How did you get those scratches on your stomach?" "I told you, Freddy did it." He said, crying. I just hugged him. Just then, he had lifted up off my shoulder again, and in a fearful voice, "He's here now." "Huh? What?" I wondered confused. "Watch out behind you!" He warned as he threw himself across me. The next thing I knew, my brother was lying very still on my lap. I was tearing up as I asked, "'Jake, can you hear me?" I shook him, but no answer. "Oh, God. This can't be! Jacob, please say something!" I cried. "It's true! It's true! Freddy is real!" I screamed. I love him. Why did he have to be the one? He was scared, and he had protected me; one and only brother that he loved.
-------------------
Someone was shaking me and saying my name repeatedly. "Todd, wake up, you sleepy head."
"Huh? What?" I say, still with my eyes closed.
"Are you getting up?" Mom asks.
"What time is it?"
"1:45. You've been sleeping almost all day."
I jump out of bed. "1:45!" I say, grabbing the video that I made. "Mom, I gotta get to Kari's and show her this before she leaves!" I put on my shoes. I didn't even change out of my PJ's. Then I run out the door, hop on my bike, and head down to Kari's.
I got to her driveway and no cars were there. Maybe her parents went to the store and Kari is home all alone. I tried to stay calm.
I knock on the door. No answer. Then I go to the back door and found a note that reads: "Dear, Todd, I am so sorry that I did not even say goodbye to you today, but my dad had to leave early or he will get fired from that job. Todd, I miss you. I love you. I will always carry a picture of you with me. I will write you everyday. I probably will send you a videotape of me. You will always be in my heart. That's why I cry. 'Cause I miss you. Love, Kari."
I take the note off the door and stare at it. Tears come pouring out of my eyes. I could not believe that my one and only girlfriend is gone. Gone from this town and to another.
I ride back down the driveway and then to the park.
I sit on the park bench where Kari and I had our first kiss. I sit there, thinking about all the memories that we shared. I cry.
35 minutes later, Jay and Joe come up to me and ask, "Wanna play a game of basketball?"
I just shake my head no.
"What's the matter?" Joe says, softly.
"Kari is gone from this town and to another."
I could see that they have tears in their eyes. "We know how you feel, buddy." they both say.
I cry. "It is just so sad to see her go away like this."
"Yeah, it is." Jay says, sadly.
"Yeah. I just hope I won't go away either." Joe says, crying.
"Joe, don't talk like that." I say. "You're makin' me even more sad."
"You will beat it." Jay gives a whole lot of hope and belief.
"What if I don't?" Joe asks as he looks down.
"You will. You have to believe. You cannot give up, Joseph." I say, softly.
"Believe, Joe. That's all you have to do. And before you know it, you'll be all better." Jay says.
All of the sudden Joe starts gasping for air. Jay and I were alarmed. "Joe, are you okay?!" we say, worrying.
Joe reaches into his pocket and gets his inhaler. He breathes into in or something like that.
Out of breath, Joe says, "Oops. I forgot to take my medicine for my asthma."
I got a weird look on my face. "You have asthma?"
"Yeah. You guys never knew?"
"No." Jay and I answer.
"Yes, you have. You guys can't fool me."
"No, we didn't know." I say.
"You didn't. I thought you guys knew. Sorry."
Jay and I start cracking up laughing.
"What's so funny?" Joe asks.
"We knew all the time. I just had to laugh at something funny." I explain.
Joe just laughed.
"Hey, Todd, what's that video?" they both ask.
"It was for Kari, but she cannot watch it because she's gone."
"Can we watch it?" Jay asks.
"Sure. I guess. I mean, it was for everyone really."
----
We all were at my house, watching the video. (It was kind of like a slide show.) After, we were all crying.
"That was great!" Jay says.
"All your video's that you make are great!" Joe says.
"Thank you." I say.
---------------
That night I hold the letter that Kari wrote, in my hands. I watch home videos of her, and my tears slowly roll down my cheeks.
"You're gone away. I'm left alone. A part of me is gone. And I'm not moving on. So wait for me. I know the day will come. I'll meet you there. And wherever I go, you'll be right there with me. Forever you'll be right here with me."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----
NOTE The lyrics, I'll Meet You There, aren't mine. They are by Simple Plan. And you know, Todd's video? (It's kinda like a slide show). Well, I am making a webpage- slide-show-type-thing of that. People that I know will be the characters. I even drew some characters. It is gonna be pretty cool, I think. But what will you think? I will let know when it's up. Ok?