[World Refugees] Jalen Log - Regrets [FINAL]
Who: Jalen (and Lucan, 12; Wacian, 8)
What: Nightmare from hell? Yeah, pretty much.
When: Night/early morning of Dec 17-18, 2010
Where: Rainbow's End
Status: Complete
The rain was pouring down in torrents, he could barely see. The wet ground didn't make it any easier; mud sucked at his boots, slowing his steps. What had he been thinking, sending Wacian out to fetch his eldest brother home? Granted, the storm hadn't been as fierce then, and such an errand was commonplace. Wacian knew the path well. But still-
"Wacian!"
A sudden rumble of thunder almost drowned out his voice, and he shouted again, louder, straining to hear through the storm. Then, faintly, a child's voice.
"Father!"
He turned back toward the sound, relief spreading through him. The rain began to lessen, and through it he could see a slight figure stumbling toward him.
"Wacian!"
"Father!"
The voice wasn't right.
Not Wacian.
The figure collided with him, and Lucan peered up at him, brown hair plastered to his face.
"The st-"
"I thought I told you to stay with your mother and Rinan. Go back, right-"
Lucan shook his head frantically, clinging to his father and pointing back the way he'd come. "No, the stream. There's something out there, I couldn't see-"
Heart pounding harder than it had been all afternoon, he pushed his son away and quickly made for the stream. It was normally not much more than a shallow place in the bed, with very little current, but the storm had turned it into a swollen, fast moving river. Wacian couldn't be there; he would have known better than to go near it. But if he hadn't been able to see it...if he'd slipped...
As he approached, he could make out a form caught between two rocks near the bank. A body. A small body, with blonde hair. His heart stopped.
Wacian...
Jalen woke from the nightmare in a cold sweat, staring ahead into the darkness of the bedroom. He hadn't dreamed about his youngest son's death in a long time. It was something he tried not to even think about too often.
Running a hand through his hair, he reached over to turn on the lamp. Amy's side of the bed was empty, and for a moment he thought she was in the nursery with Eli. Always getting up in the middle of the night to watch him sleep, leaning over the crib with a smile on her face while she adjusted his dreamcatcher-
Then he remembered. Amy wasn't in their son's room, Eli wasn't in his crib. He didn't know where they were, only that they were in danger and he couldn't help them. Couldn't even find them, maybe not until it was too late.
Like Wacian.
What: Nightmare from hell? Yeah, pretty much.
When: Night/early morning of Dec 17-18, 2010
Where: Rainbow's End
Status: Complete
The rain was pouring down in torrents, he could barely see. The wet ground didn't make it any easier; mud sucked at his boots, slowing his steps. What had he been thinking, sending Wacian out to fetch his eldest brother home? Granted, the storm hadn't been as fierce then, and such an errand was commonplace. Wacian knew the path well. But still-
"Wacian!"
A sudden rumble of thunder almost drowned out his voice, and he shouted again, louder, straining to hear through the storm. Then, faintly, a child's voice.
"Father!"
He turned back toward the sound, relief spreading through him. The rain began to lessen, and through it he could see a slight figure stumbling toward him.
"Wacian!"
"Father!"
The voice wasn't right.
Not Wacian.
The figure collided with him, and Lucan peered up at him, brown hair plastered to his face.
"The st-"
"I thought I told you to stay with your mother and Rinan. Go back, right-"
Lucan shook his head frantically, clinging to his father and pointing back the way he'd come. "No, the stream. There's something out there, I couldn't see-"
Heart pounding harder than it had been all afternoon, he pushed his son away and quickly made for the stream. It was normally not much more than a shallow place in the bed, with very little current, but the storm had turned it into a swollen, fast moving river. Wacian couldn't be there; he would have known better than to go near it. But if he hadn't been able to see it...if he'd slipped...
As he approached, he could make out a form caught between two rocks near the bank. A body. A small body, with blonde hair. His heart stopped.
Wacian...
Jalen woke from the nightmare in a cold sweat, staring ahead into the darkness of the bedroom. He hadn't dreamed about his youngest son's death in a long time. It was something he tried not to even think about too often.
Running a hand through his hair, he reached over to turn on the lamp. Amy's side of the bed was empty, and for a moment he thought she was in the nursery with Eli. Always getting up in the middle of the night to watch him sleep, leaning over the crib with a smile on her face while she adjusted his dreamcatcher-
Then he remembered. Amy wasn't in their son's room, Eli wasn't in his crib. He didn't know where they were, only that they were in danger and he couldn't help them. Couldn't even find them, maybe not until it was too late.
Like Wacian.