Fate's Child

By Joseph Stallings

Fate Destiny and a three thousand year old prophesy.

When two trouble-free country boys end up in the hospital due to an almost catastrophic event, Alexs harsh past comes back to haunt him.

His whole life had been a fabrication that his foster aunt and uncle invented to keep his past a secret from him and the rest of the world. After being told that he is not human and awaiting an estranged visitor that can help shed light on his shattered reality, Young Alex must face what fate has in store for him and deal with his new life one day at a time.

With a three thousand year old prophesy foretelling his birth and of his importance, Alex and his foster family must overcome the evils that have tracked him after sixteen long years. Now, plunged into a realm of multiple dimensions and surreal beings, Alex must decide if he is to become Earths savior, destroyer, or try to return to his fictitiously normal life with one consequence: that if he does nothing, then in less than three years, his world could come to an end regardless.

What would you do if the lives of everyone you loved were placed on your shoulders? Lucky for you, that has not happened; we can only hope Alex makes the right choices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781449065843

Joseph Stallings

Joseph Stallings has always had a love for fantasy, science fiction, and everything between. He spent many school, work, and waking hours lost in his daydreams. Growing up on a farm and being a free spirit, he was fueled by his inspirations and visions of different worlds. After turning some of his fantasies into stories for family and friends, they urged him to write them down which led to his debut novel, Fate’s Child. Joseph, with his warped mind and ability to twist facts with fiction, created the Providence teratology.

Book preview

Prologue

Through fate, a forbidden union will forge an unfeasible life force that will change our world and unite all other worlds by awakening the limitlessness omnipotence. Else, The Apocalyptic Annihilation of the Celestial Spaces shall reign two decades after the Origan’s irrefutable evanescence. —Prophecy from the Edicts of Zenous

This is a story not for the faint of heart. It is an epic tale with no beginning, no middle, and no end. A story that must be told has to begin somewhere, so we will just have to begin here. One day, the whole truth will be revealed to everyone; until then, everyone else must wait for the fate of one.

Chapter 1

DREAD’S POINT

It was springtime and the day was warm. A cool breeze made the tall green grass roll across the meadow like waves across the ocean. The meadow was almost a complete circle surrounded by trees, except where the cliff dropped off. Directly south of the meadow, birds could be heard in the forest area that led to the small town of Haven. Over on the northeast side, there is a precipice that stretched for miles. There were sharp rocks, steep ledges, and treacherous terrain as far as the eye could see.

A red-tail hawk was soaring across the eastern sky high above the town, along the river. The bird of prey glided freely following the layout of the river until it reached the waterfall’s edge at the southern part of town. It swooped down, racing the falling water, which seemed like forever; then, it pulled up at the last second, a fish clutched tightly in its talons. Now climbing, the hawk flew past a giant rock that appeared to be forced out of the side of the cliff. Once it reached the top of the precipice, just above the meadow, the hawk prepared to land and eat its fare.

When it swooped in for a landing, the majestic bird disappeared as a young boy opened his blue, dreamy eyes. Deep in the tall grass of the meadow, two boys lay looking up at the sky. Both boys had their hands behind their heads, and they were staring up into the cloudless sky, lost in a dream. One of the boys was sixteen years old, light in complexion, and had wavy brown hair that blew across his face because of the breeze. He was wearing brown shorts, a white tank top, and had a strange, short rope necklace on that made his blue eyes shimmer in the sunlight.

The hemp rope of the necklace was thick and twisted in unusual braids; it was old and weather-beaten. As for the medallion of the necklace, it was black on the outside and faded slowly into purple. There were a total of three triangles that made up its strange configuration. The first triangle was the size of a large arrowhead that faced down; the other two downward-facing triangles were spaced just slightly off center and were mirror reflections of each other on the inside of the bigger triangle. It was made of bizarre metal alloys that no one had ever seen before.

The other boy was a little younger. He was thirteen years old and had short, spiky black hair and eyes to match. By the boy’s clothes alone, anyone could tell he loved to play rough. They were grass-stained, ripped, and even had a spot that looked like old blood. His shorts were faded blue, and his off-white short-sleeved shirt told most of his story.

The younger one, while still staring up, said, Dude, what do you always daydream about? Unaffected, he continued to just stare up without blinking an eye. He said, Hey Alex, why do you always just lie out here? We never do anything anymore.

With a heavy sigh, Alex replied, Because it seems like this is all there is left to do.

What do you mean? There’s plenty we could do! The younger boy began counting on his fingers as he continued. There’s the fishing hole … the Movie Tavern.

Alex closed his eyes and without moving a muscle, he interrupted the other boy. Look, Nelly, fishing is your thing, plus, I hate seeing a movie more than once. He chuckled as he added, —and that’s if it was good. As for anything else around here, we’ve done them all. Out here, we have only two choices: we can either do nothing or just get ourselves in trouble again.

Nelly pushed himself up and looked around as if he was pondering something. Once he looked toward the cliff side, he replied, I choose trouble; it’s more fun that way. Why not cause another avalanche?

Rockslide, Nelly. It’s a rockslide.

Whatever. Let’s just find a big boulder and push it down the cliff to block the road again.

Nelly’s eyes flashed with anticipation while Alex watched him closely. Alex, with mischief in his tone, said, Fine … but only on one condition, though. Alex then laid his hands across his stomach, his fingers interlinked. His class ring had a blue stone in the center. The lettering around the jewel read HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL.

Nelly replied, What’s that?

I know the perfect place, but we have to go to Dread’s Point to cause this slide.

Nelly stumbled backward and fell back to the ground in shock as he stuttered, Ya … ya … you’re kidding, right? It’s near impossible to get to Dread’s Point! Only crazy or stupid people climb those areas!

Alex just chuckled under his breath and said, I climbed Dread’s Point four times when I was half your age.

Everyone in town marked Alex as a daredevil because he would always one-up his odds. Some of the townspeople joked around, placing fake bets on when Alex’s luck would run out and he would actually get hurt.

Nelly laughed while shaking his head. "Thus, the stupid people part."

Alex simply responded, So, are you game or not?

With a deep, heavy sigh, Nelly finally replied. Yeah, sure, let’s do it.

A devious smile crossed Alex’s face as he placed his hands by his ears and then mule-kicked himself up to his feet. All right, let’s go, Alex said as he started toward the cliff side. Slowly Nelly pushed back up to his feet and began to follow Alex.

While approaching the edge, Nelly said, Of all places, why Dread’s Point?

Alex plainly stated, Silly Nelly, tricks are for me to know and you to find out.

Nelly’s expression changed from a worried to a bizarre look as he said, From that dumb joke, I clearly see you really are stupid.

Alex laughed and said, Once we get there, you’ll see why that is the perfect spot for a massive rockslide.

The two boys got to the edge of the ravine and looked down and to the right. The only sign of life in this perilous area came from the old dirt road that cut through the land. The road slowly wound its way across the countryside to the edge of the cliff and then, at a shallow incline, the road no longer winding made its way up the ravine wall. If traveling on foot, the walk alone took about an hour to reach the base of the ravine. The road eventually disappeared in the distance, before it went to the nearest major city.

They began to climb down the sharp edge. Alex was bouncing from rock to rock, almost like a kangaroo. Occasionally, Alex would swing from another rock like a monkey, while Nelly climbed more cautiously. While hanging from a rock, Alex said, Okay, Nelly, it will take us about five minutes to get to the trail, another twenty minutes along the cliff side and about another ten minutes to get to Dread’s Point.

Nelly, who was climbing down slightly slower and more carefully, watched as Alex made it look easy. Sure, whatever.

After about five minutes of climbing straight down over the rocks and ledges, they both reached a landing with a small edge about two and a half feet wide. It appeared that the edge overlooked the straight drop down into nothingness. However, they both knew the road was down there somewhere.

Okay, said Alex, now for the easy part. We just need to follow this trail for about twenty minutes south, then it’s a straight shot up. That’s the hard part.

Nelly bit his lip as he started. What if …

Nothing, Alex interrupted, is going to happen. Alex then began to follow the path, with Nelly following closely.

Nelly blurted out, Everyone knows that going up is the easy part and Dread’s Point ain’t that easy to go up. How am I going to get back down?

Alex watched Nelly climbing over rocks and hugging close to the cliff wall before answering. We’re not climbing back down once we get to the Point.

What?! How are we going to get back home?

In a condescending tone, Alex repeated, "As you said before … up is the easy part … or I could take us on a shortcut that’ll lead us back to your house."

Shortcut? What shortcut? Alex just smiled at Nelly.

Continuing to walk along the edge of the cliff, Alex said, Let’s just say that I know where there is a small cavern that leads to our city’s drainage pipes.

Nelly, with skepticism in his voice, said, Yeah, right. I never heard of any caves under the city.

I know … that’s because I found them four years ago.

How? Nelly exclaimed while Alex jumped a small gap in the trail and then reached out to Nelly.

When Nelly grabbed his hand, Alex answered, Easy. From Dread’s Point, I was going to cause a rockslide to block traffic. Alex then pulled Nelly safely across the tiny fissure. The boulder I was going to use was blocking the cave’s entrance.

Nelly asked, How do you know where the cave goes?

Alex replied with slight resentment in his voice, If you would let me finish, I would tell you, wouldn’t I?

Nelly replied, If you don’t ask the question, you don’t get the answer you’re looking for, huh?

True, Alex said. True. Well, I went exploring in the cave when I found it; it took just a couple of minutes to get to a small underground stream, then just follow the stream the rest of the way up the cave. Along the wall, you can see where the stream from the drainage pipes cut through the cave wall. Once you’re in the pipes, find the nearest opening and you’re in the middle of Haven.

Why did we come the hard way? screamed Nelly.

Because, it’s funner to climb the cliffs.

Nelly did not know whether to believe Alex or not. Alex, on the other hand, could feel the daggers that Nelly was shooting out of his eyes stabbing into his back.

After a few moments of climbing across the rocks on the walking path, Alex said, Come off it, you wanted something to do; now you’re doing it.

Playing, roughhousing, a game or two is one thing … hanging a few hundred feet off the ground and climbing the most dangerous side of the peak is suicide!

Suicide? Alex interjected. Suicide is intentionally killing yourself. You planning on jumping?

No, but I might give you a friendly push though. By this point, both Nelly and Alex’s attitude changed as they gave a slight chuckle.

Alex, with a smile across his face, said, Hasn’t anyone told you? It’s not the fall that kills you … it’s the sudden stop?

Nelly, still with a grin, said, If you don’t suddenly stop with your stupid jokes, I just may jump.

When the two boys reached the end of the walking path, they looked down and to the left. The road could be seen from this point as it slowly crept up the side of the ravine. Alex looked over to the lower right and pointed out where the road disappeared around the cliff side. See that spot right there? That’s directly under Dread’s Point. That’s where the rocks are going to fall.

Nelly asked, "So, I take it we are going to climb up there?" Nelly pointed up to a single peak that stood out like it was put in the wrong spot.

Dread’s Point was a solitary peak that appeared as if it had forced itself out of the ravine’s wall. The Point itself was smooth, huge, and flat. Most of the area leading up to the Point and beyond the Point’s edge were sharp, jagged rocks, and even more, looked unstable. The sun had risen to its highest point of the day and was about to dissapear behind the rock face.

Nelly told Alex, It’s getting close to lunchtime. We better hurry before we lose the light on this side of the cliff.

Alex replied to Nelly, I know I can get there in about five minutes. Since this is your first climb, you go first and take your time.

Looking up at the Point, Nelly stated, If I followed you up, we could get there faster.

Maybe, but if you go first, I can tell you which way is the easiest, plus I can keep an eye on you.

Nelly, with some resentment in his voice, said, Why do you need to keep an eye on me?

Alex sighed, You and I really aren’t related, but if anyone asks … I always say that you’re my little brother. I can’t let anything happen to my little B, now can I?

Nelly focused on Alex and then back up to the Point. Finally, he asked, So, big B, which way first?

Let’s just start straight up, then work our way right once we get close to the Point.

Nelly started up the side of the cliff as Alex just watched for a moment. Soon after, Alex began to jump, swing, and bounce his way behind Nelly. When they were both even with the Point (yet still approximately thirty feet to the right of it), the sweat was starting to bead on Nelly’s forehead. The breeze had stopped and the sun was beating down on both of them.

Alex noticed Nelly having some difficulties and said, Good thing the sun is disappearing behind the cliff, huh? We’re about to get some shade.

Alex heard the strain in Nelly’s voice as he replied, I’m more focused on getting to the landing over there.

Alex said, We need to go a little higher. The rocks are easier to grip as you make your way left. After about three more minutes of climbing up and over, the sun had finally disappeared behind the top of the ravine. Almost … there. Alex said to Nelly.

Both boys were now above the landing of Dread’s Point; the problem now was a ten-foot drop straight down to the landing with no areas to grip hold of. Nelly breathed. You’ve gotta be kidding me.

Alex smiled at Nelly and turned loose of the rocks; while he was falling backward, he flipped away from the rocks and then hit the landing, feet first. Come on, it only looks high when you’re up there. See, I can almost jump and touch your foot.

Nelly counted to three in his head and pushed off the rocks as well. Alex helped slow his descent as Nelly’s feet hit the flat surface, by catching him just under his arms.

Nelly exclaimed, What the hell are you thinking?!

What, the ten-foot jump?

Noooo, the ten-foot bar of chocolate. Of course the jump!

Think about it, said Alex. Almost everyone who climbed up to the Point or down to the Point slipped, fell, got hurt, killed, so on, so forth. Just a ten-foot drop could have saved all those people the embarrassment of putting themselves in the hospital. Nelly looked around the Point and saw the flat surfaces, jagged areas, and other impossible places to try to reach the Point. Alex said, Believe it or not, we came the easiest way.

Without remembering the cavern, Nelly asked, So how are we supposed to get back?

While looking at the ravine wall, Alex walked to the left edge, where the Point met the wall and said, Jump to that ledge, which was about eight feet down with nothing to grab, then start climbing down to the road … unless we take the shortcut I told you about, of course.

Nelly looked along the wall of the ravine and noticed several boulders and rocks of varying size. A few were almost as big as a good-sized couch lying on their sides, while most others ranged between the sizes of a basketball and a Volkswagen. So, which of these rocks lead to your caverns?

Alex smiled and said, You won’t believe it unless you see it yourself. Alex then walked over to Nelly and whispered in his ear. Just say ‘Open says me,’ and the path will open.

Nelly pushed Alex away and said, Shut up; this isn’t some book or story with magic words.

Alex stumbled back then, and while looking Nelly in the eyes, said, What’s the worst that can happen? Just say it and you’ll see for yourself, won’t you?

Nelly studied the look on Alex’s face trying to see if he was lying. Though Alex looked dead serious, Nelly said, I still don’t believe you.

Alex replied as he walked over to the edge, Well, it’s a long climb down to the road then an even longer walk back to town. If we cause a rockslide, then we’ll have to hoof it back to town; bet we would get caught for sure.

Once again, Nelly studied Alex’s face, trying to tell if he was pulling his leg or not. Fine, Nelly said as he turned to the rocks and spread his arms. Open says me. After about five seconds, Nelly said it again but louder so it echoed across the land. I said, open says me!

Alex fell to the ground rolling and laughing at Nelly’s expense. Nelly’s face turned bright red between the embarrassment and anger. Nelly pounced on top of Alex and started punching him and calling him names.

With tears in his eyes, Alex pushed him off and said, Okay, okay. It was still funny, though.

Nelly jumped back on Alex, pushing and pulling as Alex laughed even harder. After a few more seconds of rolling around, pushing and pulling each other, they both started to laugh. Then they both rolled off each other and onto their backs, their bodies spread out, staring up into the sky again. Now, Alex’s clothes matched Nelly’s (without the blood spot, of course).

Alex’s eyes twinkled as he was lost in his own world again. Nelly asked, Big B, where do you always go?

Alex pushed up off his back with his elbows. He looked at Nelly and asked, What?

When you dream … you’re doing something, going somewhere, right?

Alex looked to some clouds that were blowing in before answering, I don’t know. I remember this place as if it was a dream; I’ve never been there before, but it feels like home. Sounds crazy, huh?

Nelly could see a glazed look on Alex’s face as he replied, No, sounds normal coming from you. They both just smiled as they pushed up to their feet. For real, where is this cave entrance you were talking about?

Alex pointed to the medium-sized boulder that was about fifteen feet from the right side of the Point. Behind that boulder shaped like your melon.

It’s more the size of your head, if I’m not mistaken, replied Nelly.

Alex walked over to the rock and pulled hard as he put one of his feet up against the ravine wall for leverage. When the boulder moved away from the wall, a small cloud of dust blew out from the opening. Because of the odd shape of the rock, once it was open all the way, Alex had to sit on the boulder to keep it from rolling back into its original place.

Nelly stared into the black hole with disbelief. How could you see in there?

The cave walls are lined with some kind of phosphorous which reflects light. After a few minutes, it’s like a nightlight in there. Alex then jumped off the rock, which caused it to roll closed and looked as if it were never moved. An instant escape route with no witnesses.

With slight concern in his voice, Nelly asked, You sure where it leads? After all, I’m in no mood to get trapped in a cave for the rest of my life with you.

Alex tilted his head to his left and said with confidence, Quit being such a piece of shrapnel; I was right about everything else, wasn’t I?

Nelly looked back to the tunnel entrance and stated, You were wrong with the ‘open says me’ bit, weren’t you?

Ohhhh, that! I was just being a jerk.

That you are … that you are. Nelly shook his head while grinning back at Alex. With a heavy sigh, Nelly said, Okay, which rock will make the best slide?

Years ago, I originally wanted to use that one, Alex said as he pointed out the rock that led to the cave’s entrance, but I couldn’t reveal my little secret, now could I? With another devious smile crossing Alex’s face, he walked backward and over to his left. With the two of us, we can push this bigger one.

Alex then turned around and walked over to a boulder about seven feet from the left side of the Point. He jumped up on top of it. The boulder was four feet in length and had a height of about two feet. With its irregular oval shape and bulges (which were smooth yet bulky), it was hard to roll.

Nelly’s voice cracked with excitement and shock. That one? That’s going to take out the road from way up here!

Alex said, Follow me; I want to show you something.

Alex jumped off the boulder and began walking toward the tip of Dread’s Point. Nelly followed Alex over to the end of the Point. While standing close to the right edge at the very end of Dread’s Point, Alex said, Look down there. About seventy-five feet below the Point was a big rock that was made of a cluster of loosely stacked smaller rocks. If we hit that small cluster of rocks with a big enough rock, that whole ledge will break free and slide down onto the road without destroying it.

Alex sat down on the edge and dangled his feet quite fearlessly while looking off into the horizon. Nelly cautiously looked over the ledge to see the rock formation. He could clearly see that once the big rock freed the smaller ones, they would all continue to slide and roll down the cliff side until they reached the road. The setup was perfect; no one would be able to tell that they purposely caused this rockslide. As far as anyone was concerned, it was just time for the rocks to fall because of natural erosion.

That amount of debris would easily cover the entire road; it would take about five men one hour to clear the roadway. Nelly’s eyes twinkled with the malevolence of their ploy.

Nelly, with no concern at this point, said, Sweet! This will be the best one yet! Nelly looked over at Alex and could tell he was lost in thought and enjoying the view. He slowly sat down beside Alex and asked, So, whatcha thinking about now, Boss Monkey?

Alex just sighed and said, Not sure, nothing yet; a lot, I guess: the view, need for a change … I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. Mostly what was going through Alex’s head was how sitting at the edge of the Point made him feel close to home.

After all their playing and cutting each other down, Nelly said with a serious voice, By the sound of your voice, I bet one of those things on your mind is your parents again, huh?

Alex cocked his head to the side again as he said with a smile, Nothing gets past you, Sherlock. Nelly did not know whether he should reply with a clever remark or just let this one slide. You know, said Alex, I have always believed that if you put your mind to something, anything is possible.

Nelly chuckled and said, Anything? Let’s see you fly to the moon and back, big bud.

Alex looked up at the thin slice of the moon showing in the sky and said, One day, just not today.

Nelly asked, What’s your point with ‘anything is possible’?

Alex paused for a moment and then replied, I have been trying to remember my parents’ faces. I can remember all kinds of things from my past when I was young. A lot of the things I’ve done were said to be impossible, but they were easy to do. The only thing I want is to remember is what my parents looked like.

After a few moments of silence, Nelly began swinging his legs and tapping his fingers. When an idea popped into his head, Nelly asked, Don’t your aunt and uncle have some pictures of them?

With a heavy voice, Alex replied, That’s just it: Aunt Julie said most of the pictures of my parents burned in the fire. The few pictures I have seen, I don’t recognize my mom or my supposed dad.

You still don’t think he was your dad?

Alex’s face wrinkled like he was trying to think as he said, At the retirement home, before Grandma died, she said something once.

I know, I remember you telling me before. Nelly did an old woman impersonation while supporting his weight on a cane as he continued, ‘I just can’t imagine why my darling Angela would have run off like that without telling anyone where she went.’ Then there was something about her getting knocked up and living with this guy. Come to find out he was probably a druggie who most likely passed out with a cigarette in his hand and accidentally burned down the house one night. Last, something-or-other about the firemen barely getting you out of the house in the nick of time.

Nelly looked at Alex, who was trying not to show that Nelly’s insensitivity was really bothering him while saying, "Subtlety isn’t your strong suit. Do you know anything about delicacy?"

Nelly looked at Alex as if he was confused. He thought for a moment and then replied, Yeah, good food, why?

With a scoff and a gentle shake of his head, Alex gave up. Never mind. The point is that I just wish they looked familiar to me. With a heavy sigh, he continued, Every time I try to bring up what Grandma said, Aunt Julie and Uncle Tony just say she was old and couldn’t remember my mom coming over occasionally, saying she was pregnant with me, or what she ate for breakfast.

Chuckling, Nelly added, Yeah, those are the first memories to go.

Alex rolled his eyes as he said, Why do I bother?

Nelly gave Alex a slight nudge from behind to freak him out. Dude, I’m just trying to lighten you up.

Alex bit his bottom lip as he slowly nodded. He asked, Is it strange that I want to remember them?

Naw … I’m sure anyone would want to remember their real mom and dad; I would. He then added with sarcasm, If I didn’t already know them so well. Anyways, how old were you when your parents died?

All Aunt Julie will tell me is that I was a toddler. She won’t give an actual age; she never has.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Nelly chimed in, Regardless, big B, you were too young. Don’t worry about it so much.

Alex grabbed Nelly and put him in a headlock while giving him a noogie. Since when did you start giving me advice, little B?

As he tried to push Alex off of him, Nelly said, Since you started whining like a little girl when we have a project to finish.

Alex glanced over his shoulder before saying, Well, we have two choices: we can call it quits, head into the cave and just come back later when we’re feeling mischievous, or … we’d better hurry if we’re going to cause this slide, unless we wait ‘til that car passes. Nelly looked down to the roadway. A car was fast approaching the base of the cliff side and was about to start up the cliff.

Nelly said, Ahh, let’s just go to the cave. It’s something new for me to do.

Sounds like a plan; there’s one place I’d like to explore, myself. They both pushed up off the ground. Alex turned away from Nelly and started back toward the boulder that marked the cave’s entrance.

A strong gust of wind caught Alex from the side, causing the hairs on his neck to stand on end. Alex stopped because he knew something was dreadfully wrong.

At that moment, as Nelly began to follow Alex, the gust blew a small amount of dust up, which caught Nelly in his right eye. The pain was intense; Nelly stumbled, holding his eye with both hands.

Alex turned around because he heard sounds of pain coming from Nelly. As Nelly stumbled, his left foot slipped on some loose gravel. Alex ran and lunged for Nelly; both of Nelly’s eyes opened as he was falling back. Time seemed to stop for both Nelly and Alex. They were looking each other straight in the eyes as Alex was reaching out for him. The milliseconds seemed like seconds; the seconds seemed like minutes as Alex was reaching frantically for Nelly—even as Nelly began to disappear over the Point’s edge.

Chapter 2

Dying, Dead, or What?

Alex was pacing up and down the corridor of the local hospital, lost in thought. Deep in the recesses of the hospital, whispers could be heard echoing down every hall, around every corner, and in every room. Alex heard almost every word that was being said about him and Nelly.

A nurse knelt over a patient and whispered, Did you hear what happened?

An old lady in one of the waiting rooms was telling one another woman, Bless his poor soul; I knew this would happen one day.

I think everyone knew this was coming. It was only a matter of time, the other lady replied.

Yes, but it just wasn’t quite what I expected.

There was an older man telling his son, who had a scraped up knee, That’s why I never let you hang around those boys. Always getting into trouble, they are!

Almost everyone in the hospital acted as if what happened was expected. There were no tears and very little heartbreak; there were only rumors and stories. At that moment, throughout the entire hospital, only one set of tears fell.

Alex walked by and looked in one of the patients’ rooms; he stared in the room, still with disbelief. There was a pretty young woman in her mid-thirties. She sat crying in the corner of a room where young Nelly lay. She had long, straight jet-black hair. Through the tears, it was hard to see her soft green eyes. Her body was slender and tall. Without a doubt, this woman was Nelly’s mother.

With grief, Alex said, Sara, I’m sorry.

Sara mumbled under her breath, Alex, I know this is all your fault.

Alex tried speaking. I— but backed out of the room and stood outside the door, not knowing what to do. After a few moments of listening to Sara cry, Alex looked down the hall because he heard the echo of someone’s shoes as they thudded against the tile floor. Alex then stepped aside, away from the doorway, to give the man some room.

The man was running down the hallway as fast as he could. He had short brown hair and very dark eyes. His long brown trench coat was waving behind him as he slid around the corner into the room where his wife was sitting.

Alex heard a great deal of terror, exhaustion, and grief in the man’s voice. He grabbed his wife up out of the chair and began to hold her tightly. I’m so sorry, baby, he said. I’m so sorry. His eyes began to fill with tears as well.

After a few moments of holding her and rocking her side to side, the man asked in a slightly calmer voice, How’s our son? as he looked over at Nelly.

The doctor said he doesn’t know why he is still unconscious.

The man released her and walked over to Nelly’s side. With doubt in his voice, he said, But I was told he fell from Dread’s Point. How could this be? He stared at his son in disbelief.

Nelly lay in the hospital bed with only an IV in his arm. There were minor scratches and bruises on Nelly’s arms and face. Most looked old; as for the new ones, they were minor compared to what should have happened.

So what happened if he didn’t fall from Dread’s Point? the man asked.

She replied with malice in her voice, "I told you he shouldn’t be hanging around that … that boy … It’s his fault this happened."

He walked back over to her with his hands out and said, Slow down, babe. What happened?

She just whispered, I don’t know. She looked at her son. I don’t know.

Alex tried to swallow as he looked down the hallway. In a waiting room, a young police officer was interrogating a short, white, skinny male with glasses. His thinning hair was combed over the top of his head leaving visible spaces of bare skin. He kept his head down while nervously answering the officer’s questions. Alex walked over and stood next to the door so he could listen to their conversation. He crossed his arms and pulled his leg up to the wall to help support his weight while he listened intensely to Officer Stedman’s questioning.

The officer said to the man, Could you tell me everything again from the beginning?

With irritation in his voice, the man replied, "I know what I saw; I’ve told you a hundred times a hundred different ways. I was coming up the cliff side when I saw a shadow of one person fall from the Point … one."

The police officer clicked his pen a few times without writing anything down as he watched the man. "Did it look like one person, or was it one person?" asked the officer.

Showing the palms of his hands while looking up at the officer, the man yelled, I don’t know. I was at least a mile away!

I’m just doing my job, sir. Your story just isn’t plausible, so I have to ask again.

"For the last time…It looked like a person … one … was falling from the Point. It hit the cliff side about halfway down then rolled and tumbled the rest of the way down the rocky side ‘til it stopped in the road."

The officer then interjected, But you said there were two people in the road when you arrived?

The man touched his fingers on his temples as he answered, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yesss! He then took his hands off his temples and shook them in front of his face while saying yes. Even more irritated, the man said, When I got there, there were two boys in the roadway. Both were beaten up pretty bad, but just not bloody like I would have expected."

The officer said, And you pulled both of them into your back seat and brought them to the hospital.

The man stood up and raised his voice. How many times are you going to repeat me now? What was I supposed to do? Leave them there? Move them out of the road so I could drive around them, come all the way up here just to send an ambulance back down? Am I on trial? Did I do something wrong?

The officer put his pen and pad down as he took a step back and told the man to calm down. Sir, you do not need to raise your voice. Because of the circumstances, you are going to be asked a lot more questions by a lot more people, most of which will be repetitive, but they have to be asked. Now think about what you’re saying. We have to make it all make sense.

The man sat back down with his hands trembling across his lap. His voice was shaky as well. He said with a slightly calmer voice, What else could I answer for you?

Alex looked down the hall and across the way into the cafeteria. Dazed and confused, Alex watched his aunt Julie and uncle Tony talk to Dr. James Kevorkan, their family doctor. All three of them were sitting down at a corner table, looking worried and puzzled.

Aunt Julie’s brown eyes jumped between her husband and doctor while they talked. She had mid-length, curly red hair and was slightly chunky; she was not quite overweight, but she was not skinny either. She was wearing a maroon sweater and had her arms folded gently across her stomach. She was rocking her right leg, which was crossed over her left.

Uncle Tony rubbed some of the dust away from his aqua-colored eyes as he listened to what Dr. Kevorkan was saying. Uncle Tony was a contractor who helped demolish and then rebuild houses and other buildings. Alex knew his uncle Tony must have left work in a hurry, because he was still wearing his work clothes. He always wore one of his favorite flannel shirts and old, beat-up, light blue jeans to work. His brown steel-toe boots were actually showing the steel at the tip because they were so old and worn. His dark brown hair seemed to be graying because he was still covered with drywall dust from head to toe.

Dr. Kevorkan had dirty blonde hair and light blue eyes that looked gray. He wore his white overcoat, and his stethoscope was around his neck. The doctor and Uncle Tony looked about the same age, and they were similar in height and weight. Dr. Kevorkan’s accent was hard to place. Most people did not know Kevorkan was born and raised in America. Because of Dr. Kevorkan’s German lineage, his accent had a slight mix of both German and American.

Alex slowly moved closer to them and listened to their conversation as well. As he looked around the room, he noticed that most of the other people in the cafeteria sat whispering,