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Title: A Perfect Sphere | Submitted by: thephonescaresme | Written by: Sean Reardon | Style: story

PART I

Stacie was the happiest eight-year-old; her father had just bought her one of those huge circle lollipops with the swirl of different colors. With every lick there was a new found sense of euphoria. It took her to her happy place, a place where she could be herself with nothing but her imagination to play the boundaries. That is, boundaries made of caramel and butterscotch candies. The roads were a soft smooth taffy-like substance that bore every color of the rainbow that was merely the path to bridges of licorice over streams of fudge. It began snowing sprinkles over the mountains of ice cream that never melted. There were forests and forests of trees that grew cookies that detached from the tree’s limbs and landed softly on the Easter-like yet edible grass when they were just at the perfect state of moistness from the sun’s rays of love and sweetness. This was Stacie’s place. Where any child would feel at home and at peace. Where a smile can run blissfully through the hills accompanied with a giggle that would echo throughout the land, putting nature at ease.

Stacie composed herself back into reality. Her sister had left her purse sitting next to her on the bench of that boardwalk. It was a mild summer day that wasn’t suited for swimming, but perfect for the refreshing sea air to be caught as Stacie could walk down the boardwalk hand-in-hand with her sister and father. The sun provided the right light at the right angle for a blinding reflection to catch Stacie’s eye. It was coming from the purse. Stacie carefully put her small, gentle hand inside the bag. It was like searching for buried treasure she thought. She pulled out this treasure and quickly pried it open, revealing the image of a small child, no more than eight years old. This beautiful creature retained baby blue eyes, gorgeous blonde hair, dimples, with two freckles on the left side and three on the right side of her face. Stacie stuck out her tongue and with the aide of this new found treasure, made a mental note of the array of fascinating colors that flourished throughout the crevices. “It’s so pretty,” she proclaimed to no one in particular. The colors were always Stacie’s most admired part of this candy.

Her father stood guard not more than three feet from the bench talking amongst themselves of memories past. Julian, Stacie’s mother, was lost due to complications at childbirth. She had had an incredibly generous soul. Her smile was contagious, much like her laugh. She stood about five feet five inches, but that never stopped her from walking as tall as she could in the many faces of adversity. Her husband of ten years prior to her death, Robert, stood slightly leaning over the railing of the boardwalk, hoping to catch a rogue breeze in the seemingly calm air of that midsummer day. He was a much taller man, but with a heart of gold. Julian’s smile saved Robert from a most strenuous time in his life that would have surely led to his demise, were it not for this angel that he would forevermore pledge to stand with and share eternity with.

Stacie’s elder sister, Mollie, was a pretty typical teenager. Angry and confused, but none of that ever stopped her from taking care of her baby sister. At the age of eighteen, Mollie was almost as tall as her mother was, with the same eyes, nose and hair. The latter of the three was nearly impossible to notice as her true hair color was hidden under the depths of chemicals galore. Mollie danced to different tunes of course, but was decent enough to never consider her baby sister a burden. Mollie was like the mother Stacie had never known to this child, whom she always had time for and would always protect. Mollie thought of herself as an example of how she did not want her baby sister to be and she was determined to never let it happen.

Stacie slid off of the bench, lollipop in hand. She began to creep underneath the lowest rail of the boardwalk. She eventually surpassed this little obstacle only to find herself falling. It seemed like an eternity but the end result was just a little sand in between the toes, a slight discomfort but not one big enough to stop this adventurous young girl. She was out to discover the world and what better place to start than the mysterious haven that retain many more buried treasures than any purse could hold. Stacie began frolicking and giggling at the immense freedom in that lifted her soul and drove her imagination wild. Small voices echoed in the confines of her racing mind. Voices that warned her of the consequences that would be implemented if she departed her father’s line of sight. No price was too high to be paid if it meant she could roam in these deserts that ultimately led to the world’s largest bath tub.

She stopped in the midst of her trek to the water to gaze at a circling animal. An animal with all white feathers. It was amazing to her that something with such little color could still be beautiful. The creature descended and eventually landed a mere three feet from Stacie. “Hello,” she said. A piercing noise emerged from the creature that, in Stacie’s mind, was a reply of good manners and intrigue. She ventured a little closer to the creature, being careful not to frighten it away. This would be the first friend Stacie would have ever had. The creature, still unsure of Stacie and what intents she may have had, slightly placed one foot behind the other in slight fear of it’s safety. In that moment, the two life forces met each other in a way that words would due minimal justice too. It was if that when their eyes met, any fear or knowledge of their differences was erased. What matters is that they recognized each other as living, breathing organisms with no ounce of hate in them. It was a bond that only children and nature can ever share the comforts of.

Without ever saying another word to each other, the human being and this winged creature of the sea began to move in the same general direction. Their destination was adventure and they knew they would need each other to make it out alive. The sand dunes ahead looked treacherous and they couldn’t make it to the sea without each other. They eventually arrived at the base of an old dock that was about twenty feet from the ground. There was dangling pieces of board and nails and termite-infested wood for standing posts. Underneath, was a place where light dare not show its face. This was a nightmare to the two newly-befriended beings. Barnacles crept up and down these posts, giving the illusion that there were hundreds of eyes staring at them. They didn’t want to leave any adventure unfinished and so they began to proceed with caution. A few feet from the shadow that would encompass them from the daylight, the creature began reiterating the piercing noise it had made previously. Stacie assured this poor creature that there was nothing to be afraid of as long as they did not leave each other. The two began to march, moving closer towards each other as well as forward.

Once fully emerged in the darkness, a terrible cold set in and the hairs on the back of Stacie’s neck stood upright. Something was amiss. The creature squawked again and began to flap its wings violently. Stacie attempted to calm the creature, but to no avail. A loud ban was heard from where the dark was even darker and the ground began to tremble as if it were scared. A crack of wood ripped through the tension in the air and started a chain reaction of poles snapping, one by one. The old dock came crashing down to meet the ground in a violent crash. A sea of gasps spilled over the edge of the boardwalk and a fatherly shriek could be heard for several hundred yards around.

Before the dust began to settle, Mollie was racing through the warm sand with nothing but the worst case scenario encompassing her thoughts. She knew she was shouting but none of the words seemed to find there way out of her throat and into the dust-infested air. Frantically, Robert and Mollie searched for the child in the mayhem and rubble of the crash. Five minutes pass…nothing. Ten minutes of desperate searching and no result. Finally after fifteen minutes of agony mixed with emotional confusion and physical suffering, a small seagull began pecking at a series of boards that had not been moved since the collapse. Mollie didn’t think twice before removing four large boards that uncomfortably housed a small child. Little pools of blood surround the unconscious child. A torn shirt revealed several abrasions and deep wounds. Bruises covered the frail body. Mollie emancipated her baby sister from the terror in the darkness and carried her to the light on the beach. Stacie laid still and cold on the beach as the lifeguards began flooding to the scene baring medical training and an EMT.

Robert grabbed his eldest daughter in a sea of despair and tears as they watch this innocent child being placed on a gurney. A tear led to a cry led to a full-blown waterfall of emotion, emitting what they could only hope was feelings of blind luck, that Stacie would make it. Mollie reached for Stacie’s small hand and covered in her own as the ambulance doors closed and the vehicle sped to the nearby St. Jude’s Hospital.

The pair followed Stacie through the maze of nurses, doctors, the ill, the injured, and the terminal as long as they could before they were cut off. They knew in their hearts that her life was now in the hands of these angels of medicinal treatment and God.

There comes a time when a human being is tested in every way possible, emotionally, physically, psychologically. Everyone will be tested by God just to see how strong they truly can be when the occasion rises. Many people fold like origami under the pressure of having a hole ripped from their heart that you know can never be filled. How do you replace a lost child? The answer is simple. You don’t. You may have other children or siblings but a soul can not be replaced. This is an unfortunate and depressing truth that many people learn to soon in their lives. A parent should never have to bury their child and there is nothing in life, in this world that can prepare you for it. If you experience, it is like nothing else in the world matters. The only comfort anyone can ever dare bring themselves to embrace is that their child still loves them and is out there watching over them. Unable to withstand these feelings of sudden loneliness and great loss inside her, Mollie walked out of the hospital with a devastated look on her face.







Part II


Molly was walking out of the hospital with a devastating look on her face. Her mind raced with thoughts of the horrifying, blood curdling screams her mother emitted. The stress was too much for any ten-year old and the reactions of Molly to the events unfolding inside were sure proof. Molly was experiencing a full-on emotional collapse, when she found herself curled in a ball on the cold cement near the entrance of the hospital. One doctor and two nurses calmly approached her and knelt down to provide a shelter of sorts and hopefully some comfort. Molly was shaking uncontrollably as the soft voices began narrating words of hope. This aide eventually calmed Molly down enough to return inside to her father.

She ran forward, sniffle-nosed and teary-eyed reaching out for the comfort zone that resided in her father’s arms and coat. Her father, Robert also began to weep and he knew more than Molly about the status of his wife and her mother. “Is she going to be okay?” Molly asked worriedly. Robert looked down and a single tear landed on the arm of his jacket. It quickly slid from it’s place of landing to the eternal drop to the cold hospital floor.

“She’s just fine now baby. She feels no more pain.” This was enough to calm the child but the pain did not begin to subside in any way. The doctor in charge brought the new born child out to the father and sister. Robert carefully redeemed the child from the grasp of the doctor’s aged yet experienced hands. Robert stared deeply into the closed eyes of this new being. An old soul exchanged for a new. The mother’s features could be pointed out throughout the figure.

“Did you or your wife have a name in mind yet, Mr. Longstan?” The doctor asked softly and sorrowfully.

“Yeah,” Robert replied, “Stacie.”



The next three years were the roughest years Robert and Molly had ever experienced. Several times, Molly would have to control her father’s anger when he was drunk. He would lead himself into rants of hatred towards the baby as he felt he would rather have his wife then this baby. Molly grew up abnormally fast and was forced to endure a lot of motherly chores. Her father took several jobs, but was unable to keep any of them. The stress was too much for him to bear and his alcoholism was beginning to consume his life. The glass prison to which he resided in was his justification for acting out in malicious ways. It never came to violence, but sometimes emotional scars can last longer than physical ones.

As time went on, Molly and Robert noticed that Stacie had taken a peculiar love for colors and as most children, a love for candy. However, Stacie only liked candy that was colorful in its own way. She had a particular love for those large color-swirled lollipops. Come Christmas time, Stacie was always treated with more arts and crafts. Crayons became her favorite. Stacie was fascinated by how many different colors there were. It would often humor Robert that every time he would guess what color Stacie was coloring, she would snap at him with a much more detailed color. Molly and Robert both grew to love this creative and loving side of Stacie and begin to take an active interest in her newest creations. Robert’s favorite Stacie-Creation was a simple picture of him, Molly, herself, and her mother, whom she had only seen in pictures and her dreams. The physical attributes were left desiring some correction, but the skin tones, eye and hair color, and clothing shades were done masterfully. Robert had this one framed and hung over the fireplace as a reminder. Robert would never touch an alcoholic drink again.

Eight years and seven months after the death of his wife, Robert decided it was time to take the family out for a real vacation. They departed from Colorado on an early flight to New Jersey, where he had rented a summer home no more than a hundred feet from one of the greatest boardwalks in the world. Upon arrival, the family quickly decided that a quick walk on the boardwalk was in order.

Stacie’s eyes widened in fascination at all the colors to absorb. Stacie eyed one of her most precious treasures. Robert knew exactly what it was and quickly purchased it for her. Upon handing the lollipop to the child, Robert couldn’t help but smile. He thought of how much Julian would’ve loved to see this moment. Somehow though, he knew that she was watching and was always watching. Stacie was like Robert’s guardian angel now, which carried the spirit, free will, and creativity of his loving wife. He leaned slightly over the edge of the boardwalk and smiled in the gleaming sun knowing that life was good again and nothing could spoil it. The family could enjoy the simple things in life again. Robert looked over at his youngest daughter. Stacie was the happiest eight-year old; her father had just bought her one of those huge circle lollipops with the swirl of different colors.
 
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