HERO ON ICE

PART I: The Strings of the Past

The rays of the sun embedded the beautiful range of sight for Michael’s primordial. It was a perfect Saturday morning for him to wake up in such an array, but he believed today is more special. Yes, November 6 is more special for him. He ended up in a peer before leaving his room. His smile was a cue that something special is about to happen before he could reach the last step of the stair. And so he was right!

“Happy sixteenth Birthday bunso!” Surprisingly, his sister Angelie who was a decade older than him led a long cheer together with his mom, Dina, and some of the Rodrigo’s clan. The sound from the stereo added glamour as Michael received the message; it’s Click Five’s rendition of happy birthday.

“Aunt is about to call us later to greet you a bash,” said Angelie who seems more excited than him for the call.

“Thanks ate, I’ll access my Skype after this,” replied Michael in a glance, with excitement too. Angelie welcomed him and added a jestful squint, as she always does.

“Happy Birthday son,” his mother intruded. “I am so happy and proud of you.”

“Thanks mom,” Michael replied while expressing a slight contempt by a smile. He was already happy on that because he is man of few words, which not a big matter for the family already. Finally, Michael ended the conversation to his mom by kissing to her cheek.

Michael was pleased by the love and kindness they have given for him after seeing a tarpaulin specially made for him. The message was plain and overwhelming, so he cannot refuse to keep an eye of it. He excused for a while from the cheering crowd to see the detail.

He didn’t bat an eye as he surmounted his way to the waiting tarpaulin. He was excited to overlook the entirety of the canvas. The message was clear that he was turning twelve, but then again that was just a piddling thought for him. What gave him a more rapturous enthusiasm to keep close to the canvas were the spotted photos included on it.

The most treasured photos of him were part of the making – Starting from age one to eleven. His eyes turned the focus on a photo when he was still one year old. A symbolism of innocence reviewed his thought as he looked over with his smile contained in the photo. His feet were lifted by his two hands, perpendicularly expressing something which connects to his present life. The shot was sentimental for him. His mind struggled with multitude thoughts as to how he had become so intent, despite his innocence, to heighten his feet in pair of his fascinating smile as a response to the photographer’s agility. Mystery was his ride for five minutes before he could end his impossible countenance. He was just too pushy on setting things clear despite his empty intellect ten years ago.

Michael’s eyes shifted right away to a photo atop another. This time, he was not sure where the photo was taken, so he endorsed his mind to remember the thing. There were fair snowbells in the photo with a mountain capped with pallid snow situated distantly in space, and there he was precisely posing in his own manner. His flashing peace sign in the photograph matched his well-fitted snowsuit, adding more semblance of happiness as a child.

It did not took him long to recover from his lost mind after he was mesmerized by the photo. Yes! He remembered where the photo was taken this time. In the beautiful Alps, and that place was Switzerland. He was six years old then and the vacation was probably one of the most adventurous parcels of his childhood. This was his first vacation in an external and only with his mother because Angelie had to finish their investigatory project in school. Michael’s mind turned more miscible. He remembered his first flight and his being ignoramus inside and outside. Alas, he should be forgiven for that. His smile in an instant catapulted other thoughts from his acquaintances in Switzerland.