My Dearest Sofia

Jonathon Elliot

It is normal for dreams to be shattered.

Reality does it everyday.

It does not matter if you are rich, poor, orphaned or well loved by a complete, happy family.

Life will deal you cards that you will never expect.

You can wish all you want; pray with eyes and fists closed tight. And yet, when you are done and all prayed out, you will open your eyes and without a choice, welcome tragedy and sorrow...

"Jonathon, please be quiet. It's not safe."

His father's voice was hushed up and with the house deprived of electricity, it suddenly became very quiet and eerie for a ten year old boy. He whimpered against his father's palm which was slapped across his quivering mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut and allowed his father to drag him across the hallway and into the master bedroom.

Once inside the room, Jonathon felt his mother's arms go around him as his father locked the doors. His parent's bedroom is huge and sprawling, with bay windows that let out a stream of moonlight which pierced through the darkness.

He felt a little less scared. He snuggled closer into his mother's arms as his father went into the huge walk in closet. Minutes later, Jonathon watched as his father emerged with a shotgun.

His eyes widened as his father knelt in front of him and his mother. He tried to read his father's face in the dim light. Jonathon was surprised he caught a hint of smile from him. He reached out to touch Jonathon's face and whispered.

"Jon, you're ten now. You have to be brave, son. Remember all those times I taught you how to respond to emergency situations?"

The boy nodded, straightening away from his mother's embrace. He wanted to make his father proud.

"Well, tonight happens to be the night where we get to test out what you've learned. Stay here with your mother, protect her at all cost and do not let anybody get into those doors."

"Jason!"

He heard his mother gasp and reach forward. He is suddenly sandwiched between their hugging bodies. She is now crying, Jonathon despised it when women cried, except of course if it was his mother. He did not want her to be sad.

"It's going to be all right, sweetheart. The alarm has been set off before they cut the power off. The police will be here any minute. I just need you to stay here and be safe, okay?" He whispered and Jonathan maintained his false bravery. He would never let his father down. He is the best father any boy could ask for.

"I'll be right back. Lock the doors and stay hidden in the closet!"

Without waiting for their response, Jason Elliot moved to the door with the stealthiness of a cat and slowly opened it. He gave one last look to his mother and son and then disappeared into the darkness. Jonathon was about to call out but his mother clamped on his mouth, muffling the sound.

He looked at her, his eyes wide with fear but then he remembered what his father said. He quickly pulled out of his mother's grasp and went to lock the door. There was a soft click and he ran back into his mother's arms.

It was strange to see the little boy comforting his mother but Jonathon was trying his best to soothe his mother's soft cries. He could not really understand what was happening except that there was a loud crash somewhere downstairs and then as the alarm rang out, the lights suddenly went off. That was when his father had plucked him out of bed and dragged him to their bedroom.

He quickly assumed that there were burglars or bad guys in their house. He was not surprised, they were always getting threats and troubles from other people. People who wanted to take over their empire and oil company.