Trident Trials: The Glimmer

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

The wet dew on the grass chilled with the small breeze of the early morning as the sun just took the dark from the sky and bring light into the day. Icy wind had created something very close to a frost on not only the grass but all the surrounding plants. The sun would hopefully warm the day and get rid of the frost, but the chances that it would rid the rest of the area from the icy presence that overcame it the night before were very unlikely. Tragedy had a way of making itself present even if we did not invite it. This weather was unusual for Eden, but matched the feeling of the morning well. Frost did not prepare us for the weather or the events of that morning.

The August family from this moment on would never be the same. The accident from the night previous wasn't something that anyone could explain, more so that anyone even knew anything about. No one was really sure what had even occurred. They saw the black van, the police cars, the ambulance, and a boy that lived in that house sitting on the porch with his head in between his knees, like they were all frozen in time. Nothing seemed to move, even though the people all around the property were moving at a fairly great pace. The residents of this house became the staple of Trident. The people here relied on them. They were close friends with many people here. Getting past this would be difficult for everyone, and the initial news suggested we wouldn't even be able to talk about it.

The leaves falling from the trees seemed to be the only other thing that was literally moving in slow motion. The grand fall colors were upon us and the orange, yellow, and brown leaves falling would normally have been James's favorite thing to watch while sitting with his parents. Fall was his favorite time of year, and today was the first day that the leaves were coming down. I'm sure it didn't seem fair to him that today of all days was the day that he wouldn't ever forget. Dealing with the passing of a parent is extremely tough, but losing both in the same morning was a lot.

These colors would no longer remind him of the wonderful days that he had jumping into giant leaf piles, carving pumpkins, gathering up all the other children to help decorate the cabin and the area around it for the coming festivities associated with this time of year. The colors of the leaves would serve as a reminder that everything can blow away in the wind in an instant. It often happens without warning, and of no real consequence to the rest of the world in the same way that it would affect him. The cool breeze wouldn't cause him to move closer to the protectors that he loved, the sunsets wouldn't lull him to sleep, and the glow of the flowers would just remind him of the light that burnt out. Someone of his age should look forward to returning to school. They shouldn't be thinking about what they'll do and how they'll survive in a parentless world.

Another gust of wind blew, stronger this time and everyone standing around seemed to shiver, except three, the Ezra August, Adalyn August, and James. Ezra and Adalyn would've enjoyed the breeze as they normally did, with a cup of coffee in their hand and their son embraced in a sandwich-type hug between them. This morning, they were both still in bed, lifeless. They were patiently awaiting being moved into the bags that the corner's van brought to be transferred to the morgue and opened up to discover what exactly happened. If you had walked into their room, as their son did, you wouldn't have guessed that anything at all was wrong with them. They looked peaceful and rather happy. But as James discovered, their bodies were ice cold and nonresponsive to the desperate yelling and crying of their son. Some people that camped out the night before said that they had to pry James off.

When EMS finally arrived on the scene, they stopped dead in their tracks before they could even cross through the threshold into the house. Just about every single person at Trident knew who Ezra and Adalyn were there. They helped so many people throughout their years here. Once word got out that they died, people gathered quickly. The two EMS personal that showed up were a newly married couple that went to Adalyn for a place to enjoy being around one another. Tales of Ezra and Adalyn spread quickly after moving into their cabin. The love that they shared was something lots of people wanted to enjoy. Adalyn, of course, told them they were welcome there any time. They just need to ask if they ever required anything. The couple spent many long nights out by the beautiful glowing flowers, just as Adalyn and Ezra had. When they arrived, even though they knew where they were going, they were hoping it was a mistake.