Disclaimer: Believe it or not I don't actually own any of the characters from the film 'Stand By Me' or the novella 'The Body' by Stephen King on which it is based. Even the characters I have made up were probably subconsciously lifted from elsewhere :O.

Chapter Four:

Gordie had dreamt the night before about how their adventure would pan out and it's fair to say that the journey was only going to plan for approximately four minutes. The reason for this was that as the four rounded the last corner before they would leave the town they were met by the approaching figures of Ace Merrill and Eyeball Chambers. They were too close for the four to simply run; they wouldn't all be able to get away.

Chris who was walking slightly ahead turned immediately and said "Gordie, you and Kate go on ahead and wait for us. We'll be fine."

"What? No way am I leaving you here!" Gordie tried to protest.

"Please Gordie, just go and look after my sister. Quickly!" Jack pleaded and Gordie had to oblige. He took Kate by the arm lead her off to the side hoping that Ace would just let them go. This was no easy feat as Kate was resisting quite fiercely. Gordie didn't like upsetting her like that but there was no choice. Fortunately for them, Ace seemed satisfied enough to just come face to face with Chris and Jack. Just before they walked out of sight Gordie looked round to see what was happening but nothing seemed to be happening at that stage.

Kate was very silent as they walked on, resigned to the fact that she had to leave her brother. After a while Gordie signalled that they should wait where they were for the other two so the pair sat down and stared in the direction they had come. "I'm sorry, Kate, we couldn't stay with them." Gordie murmured tentatively. Kate replied with a barely perceptible nod as tears formed at the corner of her eyes.

They were probably only waiting for around ten minutes but to them it felt like hours before they spied two figures slowly moving towards them in the distance. As they drew closer, Gordie saw that they were supporting each other as they walked and began to worry even more, until he realised that they were also laughing. Laughing! There Kate and Gordie were worried out of their minds and they were laughing! There was no room for anger though, only relief.

"What happened? Are you ok?" Kate shouted, now on her feet. Chris and Jack didn't respond until they were close. Gordie could see that they weren't really ok but still they laughed. Chris had a nasty looking cut under his eye and Jack was limping slightly.

"We're fine" said Jack smiling at Kate.

"Well you don't bloody look it! What the fuck happened!"

"It's nothing to worry about Katie, they just beat us up a bit. That's all they can do and it's not even going to stop us camping out tonight" laughed Jack. Kate still didn't look convinced but she hugged her brother.

"You had no right to do that J – sending me away just because I'm a girl. You're no better than Dad then" she said.

This clearly had an effect on Jack for a moment but he shook his head. "Well that may be but I'll do it again if I have to."

It didn't take long for the four of them to put the encounter with Ace to the back of their minds and start enjoying themselves. Chris in particular was having fun telling the worst jokes imaginable and then delighting in the groans from the others each time. After some encouragement from his best friend, Gordie told one of Chris' favourite stories about an old man who won the lottery and then lost his ticket only discover his dog had had it for dinner. Gordie was ecstatic that Jack and especially Kate enjoyed the story.

Gordie couldn't help but be reminded of the summer of two years ago. The four were taking a similar route to the one he, Chris, Teddy and Vern had when they went looking for the body of Ray Brower. The one key difference though was that this time they had no other goal than having a good time.

Just as they began to get tired of walking they reached their destination and set up camp in the woods about a 5 minute walk away from the river. Before long the four were sitting around a small fire that Chris had built eating various snacks that they had brought with them. Chris and Jack were talking about their run-in with ace in a jovial manner. Anytime that Jack was speaking, Gordie would watch Chris and observe his reactions. Gordie smiled to himself remembering what Chris had told him that morning before meeting the twins.

"So how come you're so good at writing stories, Gordie?" Kate asked interrupting his thoughts.

Gordie felt himself blushing. "I don't know… I mean I guess Chris always made me stick with it."

"You're not the only one with a hidden talent, Gordie" Jack said nodding over to his sister.

"Really?" he said. "What do you do, Kate?"

"Nothing, he's only messing around."

"Come off it Katie, you shouldn't be so modest" Jack said. "She can sing, Gordie."

After a full five minutes of cajoling from Jack, Chris and Gordie, Kate finally agreed to let them hear her sing. The sun was nearly down now so there was a dark red glow covering the camp with the fire throwing shadows around the group. Jack started to beat his lap with his palms creating an enchanting rhythm as they waited for Kate to begin.

She was amazing. If you had asked Gordie afterwards what song she was singing or what it meant, he wouldn't have been able to answer you. It was impossible for him to concentrate on what she was singing about. He was far too captivated by the sounds coming from her mouth to consider that they were words with meanings. But every bit as fantastic as hearing her sing was watching her sing thought Gordie. She sat very still, never taking her eyes off the fire in the middle of the group. However it seemed to Gordie that her gaze went far beyond that pile of burning logs. She looked lost in a daydream and he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"That was unbelievable!" Gordie blurted out once she had finished, unable to hide his amazement.

"Thank you" said Kate shyly.

"Really I mean it. That was really incredible!"

Neither of them said anything; they just looked at each other with expressions of wonder on their faces. Chris and Jack shared a look and rolled their eyes, although they were clearly pleased as well. It was from that moment that Gordie knew she was something special, something new, something rare. He had never felt the way he did then before and he was nervous, excited, confused and assured all at once. He knew it was only just the beginning.

Couldn't resist a good bit of cheesiness!

A wise man once said that the greatest gift anyone can give is life. He's obviously never received a review ;)