Sad but True: Short Stories

I woke up one week after our trip to Florida.

My grandmothers voice was low and full of concern in the next room and I could hear tears swelling up in her throut.

I remeber what happened so vividly it felt almost like it hadn't happened at all, like it was a dream.

We where visiting my cousins in Florida when the weather got so bad we had to cut our trip short. At the bus stop my mother asked my aunt if they wanted to come stay with us in tell the weather had completely cleared.

She protested loudly over the loud crashing of thunder and rain. "We have been in worst storms than this." she began. "All we have to do is sleep through it and everything will be normal in the morning." Knowing that she was not going to win this fight, my mother swiftly shrugged her shoulders and  protected me and my sister both from the hard, rock sized rain.

After a long day of changing bus after bus in are desperate attempt to get back home I was completely exhausted, but also mistakenly concerned. As far as I new, my cousins didn't make it out of the storm, or maybe it was still going on, getting stronger.

My hand was shaking with anticipation. I slowly picked up my remote and lifted it to the TV swiftly pushing the power button and putting in the channel number for the news. Then I waited, and waited, and waited, in tell I found the topic I was looking for.

Florida News!

The announcer's brunett hair was let down to her sides and her eyes where large and brown. She spoke with a silk crystal clear voice, "Today in Florida there was a massive storm, the wind was strong and hard and lighting crashed down in three places, but thankfully no one was hurt and no lives where lost. Everyone is now safe."

Just those words alone where enough to have me completely care free and yawning in less than five minutes. As I turned of my lamp and rolled deeper into my bed only one thought was in my head, How great it is to have everyone at home and safe.

The dream I had that night was not so asuring.

It was dark. It was almost was like i was just a siloet floatling through the air, but only i couldn't control where I moved or what I could and could not say, I was just there, a shadow. Then a came across a play ground. On the black top where three black figures, almost as dark as I was. they where playing some sort of game. Basketball, I had thought to myself as if I had heard the word for the first time.

They looked like they where injoying themsevles exsept for one. He looked more angry than the other to compiend. Then out of nowhere there was a flash of white light, a scream. next thing you know I was sitting up in my bed covered in sweat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning my mother had received a phone call demanding her to turn on the news. Full of curiostity I swiftly turned on my TV which was already on the news.

There was a different announcer. This time it was a man.

"Three boys where found dead on a basket ball court this morning in Florida around 3:30 am. One of the boys who goes by the name of James, recently ran out of his home after a fight with his mother not that long before his death. He had soon found his way to his two friends house and had asked them if they wanted to play basketball at the neighborhood park. This took place only  three hours after the assumed end of the terribale storm that had tooken place. So in a result, tha basketball court was struck by lightning and the three boys where killed."

A picture of my oldest cousin was plastered on the screen over the name James.

I was in tears for the following four days.

Now I'm at my grandmothers house, eyes still full of tears. My mother had gone to Florida to help with the funeral arrangements. I didn't want to go. Though I know I will been there soon, the funerals in three months.

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Three months later---

It was beautiful.

It had everything a funeral needed. Flowers, crying, and love, lost of love.

We had came back after the funeral was over to look at the grave. What a beautiful inscription it had.

For the leader in command who wanted to follow in his fathers footsteps. Now he is with him, in heaven.

A tear slowly trickeld down my face. I layed the bundle of flowers I had in my hand onto the grave lightly. Then returned to the car where my mother was waiting.