FOREST OF THE LOST

PART TWENTY NINE

52.

Down the town, within the largest of the town's public houses, a band will be playing in the evening free of charge. Terrence and his parents come across this information while out on a quick after dinner walk around of the coastal town. Thankfully the whiskey had not been completely drunk at dinner time, so the town walk does not come with any particular danger.

Remembering what Cecil had said to him about the qualities of the fresh sea air, Terrence is eager to get his parents, especially his mum, to stand where he stood lost to the great wide-open sight of the sea. He does get to see her stand there and become as much lost to view of the waters as he had been and to him this is such a great sight to see. She doesn't go anywhere too near to those waters as Terrence had on one occasion and he is sure that she never will go that far.

The night still has yet to come, well that could become something great too.

It will be a night to enjoy ... for the most part, a kind of last supper before Terrence walks the walk that only he can walk. Mum worries especially when the current walk comes to the grounds across from the entrance to the public park. Terrence hugs his mother and assures her that he is not doing anything against his will. And sure, they will see each other again. This is not an end; it is beginning of something else.

He did give them the general idea of what it is he is doing without going into too much detail, mum would worry if he had, and she'll still worry as is. For dad, there is an awareness, whether that be his own intuition, knowing his son as he does, or it be something else, well that will be left open to speculation, however, the evening together is still to be enjoyed.

The evening's music is promised to be easy on the ear, not overly loud and not centered on catering to a younger crowd. It will be two men in their early thirties who both will be singing and playing acoustic guitars, best friends passing themselves off as brothers with a band name of The Park Brothers, Jeremy, and Kenneth 'Park'.

Among the covers of hits spanning decades, they also play a couple of songs in their set that they co-wrote. With there being no memory of any adventure ever occurring in the town park it could be thought odd the titles they chose to use, and it could be thought odd that their co-written songs were inspired by idea of spending a lengthy amount of time in a park like space.

One particular lyric also happens to center round a moment of being chased by a frightening chainsaw wielding force. If only they could be more attuned to the exact nature of their inspiration. Looking out at those in attendance there is a slight recognition and the brother like best friends have no idea as to why one man in particular should appear to be so familiar to them.

During this night, an event was occurring, raffle tickets were being sold all evening long to raise money for a particular charity, a charity created in the name of one person in particular. On the afternoon of her fiftieth birthday, a certain Karen Blake, formerly Karen O'Neill thought and acted quickly. A six-year-old boy ventured out onto the main street road when a delivery van so happened to be backing up.

The boy's movement was so sudden that the van driver had absolutely no chance of seeing this boy and stopping the van in time to prevent hitting him. Karen did indeed react quickly, her movements saved the boy, unfortunately it would come at her own expense. Karen had been hit by the delivery van.

She passed away in hospital three days later with her partner turned husband at her side. Hearing all this came as a blow. For Terrence it hurt. The thought that if Karen had not managed to leave the park, she would not have been able to save the boy did little to ease the pain coming his way. A heroic tragedy that may have had a different outcome in a different timeline.