Spark Of Light

The Fairies in the Clouds

 Clouds, Fairies, Cancer

"It wasn't supposed to be this way." My mother cried into my dad's shoulder. He looked as if he were about to break too, his eyes glassy as he pulled my mother closer, holding on for dear life.

"Mommy. Why are you crying?" I asked tapping her lightly. All she did was look at me with tear stained cheeks before erupting into another bout of tears.

"Can we go now?" I asked impatiently. I hated the doctor's office. The doctor lady always put you on a cold hard table and prodded you with weirdly shaped instruments. This time she had appeared sadder than usual, maybe she had a bad day.

"Soon honey." My dad answered attempting a smile but it didn't reach his sad blue eyes.

"Okay." I replied before heading towards the play area. There was a seesaw rocker, it was green and shaped like a crocodile. A boy already sat on one end by himself. He had no hair. I sat down on the other side. He looked a little surprised to see me there.

"Hi!" I chattered enthusiastically. His big brown eyes widened considerably before he let out a gurgled greeting.

"So why are you here?" I asked.

"Because I'm sick." He confided inaudibly his eyes refusing to meet mine. I was curious. He didn't look sick. He didn't have any hair. Maybe he was sick with baldness.

"You don't look sick." I blurted.

"Neither do you." He replied snappily.

"I'm not sick." I defended.

"Then why are you here." He quipped.

"My mommy and daddy made me." I replied.

"How old are you?" He started rocking nervously. He pushed. Then I did. And then him again.

"I'm 6." I stated proudly. I was going to first grade this year. He gave me the most pitiful expression I'd ever seen.

"What? How old are you?" I bit. I guessed he was maybe a year or two older because he had about an inch over me.

"I'm 10." He said surprising me.

"You don't look ten." I argued. He could be lying. Maybe that's why he asked me my age first so he could pretend to older than me. Before he could say anything else my mother called me.

"I have to go."I said abruptly following my parents from the doctors office. When we go in the car and I was all buckled in, my mother turned to me, her eyes still red from the crying.

"Baby. We have something to tell you." She began. I looked at her with most of my attention. "You're sick. You have a disease called cancer."

"Cancer?" I asked. "What is that?"

"It's a sickness but they can fix it." She said not too hopefully.

"Oh. Okay." I replied. It didn't sound too interesting.

That day was the first day I saw a fairy. In the car as we drove home the fairy dashed in the sky darting between the clouds.

"Momma! A fairy." I cried pointing out the window.

- 6 Months Later -

The day when they took me to the hospital the fairies had all come to comfort me. They whispered in their tinkling little voice stories of magic and unicorns. They sat on my arms holding onto my fingers. Ever since the day my mom had told me I was sick with the cancer the fairies had been coming to see me. At first it was only one or two. Then a dozen would hang around. Soon there were hundred flocking to me all coming from in between the clouds. I told my parents all about the fairies and they just shrugged me off.

They thought the fairies were my imaginary friends because they were convinced the children in first grade didn't like me because I, like the boy I met that day, didn't have any hair. It wasn't true. The kids were fine with me but my fairy friends were such pretty little beings. Silvery in color they fluttered around, their wings in constant motion even at a stand still. Their little figure emitted a magical light.

Now my parents sat beside my bedside, my mother was crying again and I could tell my dad had cried when he went to the bathroom earlier because his eyes were red and he didn't wipe all the streaks before he came out.

"Why are you smiling?" My mother asked me through uncontrollable sobs.

"The fairies, they tell me such funny stories." I replied. Behind the beeping of machines I heard a soft knocking. "Daddy. Can you open the window?"

Without question he stepped away from my mommy and pulled the curtains open. The azure blue sky was spotted with white and lilac clouds. Among the clouds were millions of small glowing bodies. The fairies. They were there among the clouds, all here with me. I smiled. They all gathered flying down to the window until the scene was obscured by the glow of fairies.

When I closed my eyes I could still see the glow. I heard a far away voice say, "I love you Lily. I love you. I love you." My mom choked sobbing heavily. I tried to open my eyes to comfort her but I couldn't. All I could see was the glow which had gotten brighter until it consumed me completely.

A/N: I cried while writing this. I want to give this little girl a hug. It was so sad. :'(