Hero's Moment

By Alycia Christine

SHORT STORY.

Cameron’s dad, Doug Welch, died days after saving a girl from the fire at the town’s elementary school five years ago. On the eve of the latest ceremony honoring Doug’s heroic sacrifice, Cameron discovers a security video that shouldn’t exist. It reveals Doug risking life and limb once again, but its time stamp indicates that the event occurs years in the future. Something must explain this hero’s moment. Is it a software glitch, a cruel hoax, or is Doug more than a shadow haunting Cameron’s memory?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alycia Christine
• Release date: Jan 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781941588260

Alycia Christine

Alycia Christine grew up near the dusty cotton fields of Lubbock, Texas, with a fearless mutt for a dog and a backyard trampoline that almost bounced her to the moon. She fell in love with fantasy and science fiction books when her father first read them to her at age ten. Her love of fiction writing blossomed during her time at Texas A&M University. Alycia’s fiction has received wide praise for its unique characters and vivid storytelling. Her award-winning art photography has been featured in Times Square. When she isn’t writing or shooting photos, Alycia enjoys long talks with her husband, drinking copious amounts of tea, and coaxing her skittish cat out from under the living room furniture. Find her at AlyciaChristine.com.

Book preview

Hero’s Moment

Alycia Christine

Purple Thorn Press

Contents

Hero’s Moment

Meet the Author

Thorn and Thistle Excerpt

Also by Alycia Christine

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Copyright Information

In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmitting of this book, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than brief passages excerpted for review and critical purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [e-mail]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

Hero’s Moment

Cameron stared down at the newspaper. His dad was staring confidently back at him in full color—smiling with those crooked, white teeth from beneath his fireman’s helmet. The headline next to the old photograph read: City Council Honors Fallen Hero Five Years after Tragedy.

Cameron! Come on, you’ll be late for school! his mom yelled from the hallway.

Cameron snatched up the newspaper and threw it facedown on the kitchen countertop before downing the last of his juice and grabbing his backpack from the back of the chair. He was out the door and in the car without a word.

Did you see yesterday’s paper? I left it on the bar for you, Gloria said as she buckled her seatbelt and backed out of the parking space.

Cameron stared at the road ahead without really seeing it. Yeah, I saw it.

His mom didn’t say another word until she dropped him off at the high school. Try to have a good day, honey.

He nodded. See you after practice.

I love you, you know.

He turned back to face her and tried to smile. Love you, too.

*

Classes that day were a nightmarish march of rumor and sympathy. Everywhere he went Cameron could hear some scraps of the teachers’ conversations dealing with Firefighter Doug Welch’s heroic death.

Did you hear? The City Council’s ordered two plaques in his memory to match the one on Firehouse One—one for Ericson Elementary’s rebuilt science wing, the other for the front of City Hall.

About time!

Yeah, the unveiling is this week. Friday, I think.

Are Cameron and his mother going?

Don’t know.

They should.

About that time, Cameron would make it around the hallway corner and his teachers would see him and suddenly fall silent. He’d walk into the classroom before they could say anything to him, but he couldn’t escape the pity in their eyes.

Coach Riley even managed to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder during sixth-period history. Angela Perez saw it and leaned over to whisper something to Tiffany Aldridge, who stifled a laugh. Cameron wanted to melt through the freaking floor. Would this day ever end?

*

By the time football practice came, Cameron was more than ready to punch something. As usual, Lucas sensed his best friend’s dark mood and spurred it along.

Hey, man, my dad showed me the paper this morning. You saw it, right?

Cameron grunted as he began stretching out his arms and legs.

Great picture an’ everything.

Dude, shut up about it, okay?

What’s got you so mad? Aren’t you at the center of everyone’s radar right now with the ceremony and all?

Cameron glared at him. Who said I wanted to be? Who said I wanted any of this crap?

Okay, okay, don’t get your gym shorts in a wad. Hey, my house this weekend? The new football game’s out. I figured we could play it.

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