The little boy sat humming to himself on the park bench outside the hospital, his Power Ranger sneakers flashing in the sun as he swung them back and forth. He idly plucked at the hem of his shirt, dislodging a few threads. A well-loved stuffed elephant with one ear missing leaned against his right leg.
"He's going to have a rough time of it," the doctor said, standing next to a worried looking woman a short distance away. She stared at him as if he held her little one's life in his hands, which, in fact, he did. "The treatments for brain tumors are problematic for adults, with the risks and symptoms inherent in it. With the additional problem of the positive test for meningitis, his treatment could be more dangerous. However, we must start chemotherapy as soon as possible for even a small chance of success, and hope the antibiotics for the infection work before his T-cell levels drop."
The woman nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I will bring him back tomorrow." The gentleman nodded and watched as she headed to the bench.
"Kevin!" She called out, and the little boy turned and smiled, exposing a gap where a tooth used to be.
"Mama!!" He cried happily as he slid off the bench, grabbed his elephant by the one remaining ear, and trotted towards the woman. He laughed as the woman scooped him up and lifted him over her head, his hands reaching for the sun.
YOU ARE READING
The Elephant Gate Part 1: The Awakening
AdventureA man who seemingly traveled to an alternate world as a child suddenly finds himself back in that world, fifteen years later. The country is in need of a hero. Will it be him?
