𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 ━ five hargreeves

23│REELIN' IN THE YEARS

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

❛ ᴡᴀsᴛᴇʟᴀɴᴅs ᴏғ ᴛɪᴍᴇ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ʀᴇᴇʟɪɴ' ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀs ꒱


❝ GIVE ME YOUR HAND ❞

▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

(Three Squeezes Means) I-Love-You [Age 5]

Lola skipped happily down the street with her uncle on their way home from Gimbel's Brothers. While it was a long walk for a little girl, Lola preferred spending time outside rather than in a stuffy car. Besides, if she got really tired, she could ask her uncle for a piggy-back ride. As always, her gaze was focused on the ground as she watched the pavement disappear under her feet. Her left hand was holding on to her uncle's larger, warm right one and she was swinging their joined hands between them.

"Uncle Ed?" she asked, her blue eyes glued to the cracked pavement (crack number 20, 21, 22. . .)

"Yeah, Sequins?"

"Where do people go when they die?"

If he was surprised by such a question from a girl her age he didn't show it. Instead, he asked, "why do you wanna know?"

The little girl shrugged (40, 41, 42). "I was just thinking that it would be like sleeping for a long, long time and sleep is kinda like a sample phase of death."

The older man wasn't even put off by her observation. "Well, of course no one really knows what happens when you die," he started slowly, "and everyone believes in different things. Some people have faith in heaven where all of your past loved ones are. Some people believe that a Hell exists where you are eternally punished for your sins. Some people think that nothing happens and you simply stop existing. Others believe in reincarnation where only your physical body dies but your soul is reborn as someone else."

"So like your Multiverse stories?" Lola asked.

"Sort of," he agreed with a glance down at the girl. She was still completely focused on the path her feet were taking.

"What d'you believe, Uncle Ed?" She bent to pick up a straw that had been disposed of on the sidewalk (piece-of-trash number one, crack number 58.)

"I've never really thought about it." Lie. "But I imagine that dying as easier than falling asleep," he told her, "and then you're at peace, no matter what you believe or where you end up." Truth.

"So it's not something scary?" Lola sidestepped a dead bird in their path (dead animal number one, crack 72.)

"No. Well, you should be respectful of it," he decided, "you know how your dad tells you not to swat at the bees but also that they won't hurt you when they fly around your head?"

"Yeah?"

"Death is sort of like that. You know it's there and it can hurt if you try to make it go away, but if you accept that there's nothing you can do about it then it won't be so painful."

"Oh, okay. I love you, Uncle Ed." (Sidewalk crack number 102.)

"I love you too, Sequins," Edward answered as he squeezed her hand gently three times.

"Why'd you do that? You've done it before," the girl observed.

"Well, three squeezes means I-love-you," he explained, "sometimes you don't always want to tell the person verbally, so you can do it quietly, like this. "He demonstrated again and she followed his example.