In A Different Light

The End of Georgie Denbrough

It was a rainy October day in Derry, 1988. Many decided to stay inside. One including Bill Denbrough, who was also sick. But his brother Georgie had other ideas.

Georgie ran into his older brothers' room without bothering to knock or do anything similar. It was a habit of his, something his parents and brother didn’t like. It wasn’t on purpose, he just forgot most of the time.

“Billy, can you make me a paper boat?” Georgie asked, looking up at his brother with hopeful eyes.

He was prepared to beg, something that most kids his age were masters at. He wasn’t like most of the other kids, but begging was something almost all kids do at one point.

Bill looked at Georgie as he came into his room.

"S-sure, Georgie." Bill responded.

Bill got out of bed and went over to his desk to get out some paper, then started to fold it. The paper was soon made into a small boat.

Georgie’s eyes widened with excitement as he watched Bill delicately fold the paper. He breathed onto the window, which caused it to fog up in a small circle. He carefully drew two small dots with his finger before dragging it on the window, creating a smiley face that would soon disappear. He looked back at the desk where his boat was now finished.

"G-go and grab the wax. It's in the b-basement." Bill said while getting out a marker to write on the boat.

“The basement?” He whined, looking at Bill.

Like most people, the basement was for sure his least favorite place in the house. He didn’t like the dark and the cold feeling that came with going down into the small room.

Bill looked at his little brother and could tell he didn't want to go down to the basement. He knew it frightened him, a little.

"Yeah, you want it to f-float. Don't you?" Bill had asked his little brother.

Georgie frowned and nodded. He did want it to float, there’d be no point if it didn’t. He just wished that making that happen didn’t require going into the dreaded basement.

Bill looked back down at the boat while Georgie walked away and opened the marker. He then started to write "S S Georgie" on the bottom of the boat.

Georgie stood on his tippy toes and grabbed a flashlight off of the desk that the older boy was working at. He walked out of the room, slowly creeping past the living room where his mother sat and played the piano, sending music throughout the entire house.

He opened up the basement door and flicked on the flashlight, taking a deep breath in through his nose and letting it out the same way. The old wooden stairs creaked quietly as the small boy slowly made his way into the basement. He shined the light around the room in search of the wax his brother requested him to get. An uneasy feeling rushed through the boy’s body as he turned around and stared directly at what looked like a pair of glowing eyes. Georgie brought up the flashlight and pointed it at the suspect, relief running through him as it was just his imagination. To his luck, it was right where the can of wax happened to be.

Thunder crashed outside and lightning flickered, causing him to flinch at the loud noise. He grabbed what he was looking for and ran up the stairs as quickly as his little legs could take him.

“Nope, nope, nope.” He repeated to himself, making his way back to Bill's room.

Bill turned around as he heard Georgie walk back into his room, with the wax in his hand, as he had hoped it would be.

Georgie lifted up the heavy can as he walked into the room, smiling that his trip to the the basement was successful. He put the flashlight back onto the desk and struggled to do the same with the can. He was determined to get it up by himself, but each attempt seemed to be a failed one.