The Gift

 

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Introduction

Chapter 1

The boy stood on his back porch looking into the night sky watching the stars intently. The house shielded the yard from the street lamp, allowing the night to be a deeper black, the stars to twinkle brighter.  He concentrated, reaching up to the sky, eyes closed, reaching...reaching...His body became lighter, he reached higher and higher, standing on tiptoes.  I can do this, he thought to himself feeling the lightness overcome his body as he seemed to rise.  He continued his mantra, I can. I can. I can fly.  He could feel the sensation of ...

"Kevin, time for bed," came his mother's voice calling from within the house. "I'm not going to say it again."

Kevin's shoulders immediately dropped, arms to his sides.  "Wow," was all he could say as the feeling of weightlessness left him.  He opened the door to the basement. " I'm coming," he called as he bound up the steps leading to the kitchen where his mother stood finishing the dishes. 

"You know you could very easily place your dirty dishes into the dishwasher when you bring them to the sink," his mom stated.

"Sorry, Mom.  I'll remember next time."  To her surprise he gave her a little hug before going on to his bedroom.  He passed his sister who was sitting in the living room watching TV.  Being older had its privileges but tonight he didn't care.

"Watching a love story," he teased, drawing out the word love.

"Trying to fly again," was her come back.  He just smiled and moved on to his room. He batted at Jupiter hanging among other planets strung from the ceiling,  and eyed several model space craft on his dresser before changing into his Star Wars pajamas.  He hopped into bed and lay there eyeing the poster of Yoda floating in the air and contemplated what had just happened. " I can't wait to tell Tim tomorrow." He whispered to himself.

***************************************************************************************************************************

Rays reflected off the silver star ship striking Kevin's face, waking him.  His brown eyes squinted, turning away as he stretched, then hugged his pillow.  A voice whispered "You can fly", he snapped his eyes open and jumped out of bed with a grand smile.  It was Saturday morning and he would soon see Tim. After pulling on jean shorts and a T-shirt, he rushed through the kitchen to grab a slice of toast "Thanks Mom."

"Not so fast, Kevin," his mother said, giving him a spoonful of scrambled egg. Reluctantly, he forked the eggs onto the bread.  "Before you go anywhere you have to clean your room and the bathroom."

Kevin cringed, "Can't it wait until later, Tim and I have an important meeting."

"Don't worry about Tim. I believe he has his morning chores as well so the quicker you get at yours the faster you can meet with him."

Diane, his sister, pulled a chair up to the table, "So what's with this important meeting?" 

Although she tried to look nonchalant, Kevin knew she was ready to pounce on him.  "Nothing.  I thought this was your day for bathroom duty."

"Nope, I'm going shopping with my friends.  It's your day."  She had her deep chocolate brown hair tied back into a semi bun.  The summer sun caused milky streaks to run down to the ends that spilled out like a duster. "And I cleaned my room yesterday."  She gave a smug smile.

Diane sure can be a pain, Kevin thought as he watched her daintily eating her eggs, but when a horn blew outside, she suddenly stuffed the rest in her mouth, grabbed her bag and rushed for the door. "Back for supper," were her trailing words. 

"She's weird," Kevin mumbled.

"What was that?" his dad just entered the room.  "Mmmm scrambled eggs with cheese.  My favorite." He smiled at his mom and took a plate.  Mother joined them. 

"My sister is weird." Kevin replied. 

His dad laughed, "she's just going through a phase, just like you are I understand."

 Kevin ignored the last part of the comment.  They're a lot alike, he thought as he saw the same brown hair as his sister but without the milk chocolate streaks. They both like to tease.  Kevin felt he took after his mom with a more serious side. "I'll never get weird." Kevin said finishing his breakfast,  "and I'm not going through a 'phase'. Excuse me, chores."  Kevin bounced up,  rinsed his plate and placed it in the dishwasher, making sure his mom saw. "Can I just do the bathroom?" Of the two chores he knew that one he wouldn't be able to postpone. 

"Nope, your room is a disaster."   

******************************************************************************************************************************

     Kevin raced out the front door with one hand tugging at his sagging brown sock, the other hand waving to his friend, Tim, who was arranging a battlefield on the front stoop of his split level house.  Tim waved him over.   After nearly stumbling over his shoelaces and a breathless hike up every other step, Kevin twirled around and landed his behind on his friend’s porch.  Tim was working on getting a trooper into an 'X' Wing fighter.  Green army men were mixed in with other extraterrestrial fighters in battle formation around a Star Fleet. Tim looked dismayed that Company B was being smothered.

     “I can do it, Tim!” Kevin leaned toward Tim for emphasis, “I can, I really can!”

     Tim admired Kevin's imagination. He was always eager to hear about the monsters they would combat, or the forts they would build.  “What can you do?” Tim's blue eyes shone in anticipation.

     “I can fly.”Waiting for Tim’s reaction, Kevin straightened and removed a couple green figures from under his butt.

     “What can you fly?” asked Tim.

    “Myself!  Me!  I can lift myself off the ground!”

     “Wow! Really? Have you done it? When?”Tim stammered, astounded at his friend’s new talent.

     “Last night. I was standing under the stars and just felt like I could touch them. I was out back and stood with my arms outstretched and concentrated real hard on reaching those stars." Kevin stood to demonstrate with his arms in the air. "My feet felt so light I’m sure I was off the ground.”

     Tim looked at his friend, speechless.  Kevin wasn’t bird like with his average frame for a 10 year old, but a cowlick on the back of his head did fan out like tail feathers.  He then asked, “Can you teach me?”

     “I don’t know,” Kevin replied scratching his sandy colored hair, making the cowlick hairs wave in the air. “You have to concentrate real hard.  That’s how I learned.  I looked up at the stars and just knew I could reach them if I really wanted to.”

     “Where did you fly to?”

    Kevin sat back down, “No, dummy, I’m too new at this. I’m sure that will come with practice.”

    The two heard a loud chuckle from the side of the garage. “I don’t believe it.  We have a human bird in the neighborhood.”  Tim’s neighbor Jake just rounded the corner then leaned against the garage door.  “Come on, Kevin, give us a demo.” 

     Kevin turned to face Jake’s small hazel eyes framed by dark brows.  His apple round cheeks made him look as if he were smiling but he actually rarely did.   Jake was odd, you never knew if he was going to snap at you or help you plan the next most intricate adventure. When he turned mean everyone scrammed.

     “There’s nothing to concentrate on in the sky…can't see the stars during the day,” Kevin said.

     “So, you’re one of those fly by night people.” Jake laughed but the other two looked puzzled.

Jake was big but strong for his 11 years.  Although the boys felt he was really smart, he seemed to get the worst grades. One year he was even held back and that's how he ended up in their class. Here he had some power where with his own classmates, he was nothing.  He turned on Kevin and accused, “you don’t know how to fly, you’re just trying to impress Tim.”

Tim interrupted, "We are having problems with this pilot not fitting into the seat. Have any ideas?"

Jake walked up the steps to Tim, with a frown on his face he looked him in the eyes then picked up the fragile model . He gazed at it for a few moments, tore the seat out of the ship then replaced it, jammed the pilot in and gave it back to Tim.  "The seat was in wrong, stupid."

"Well, hello, Jake." Tim's mom was at the door. "How are you today?"

To Tim's and Kevin's surprise, Jake turned a little red.  "I'm Just fine, Ma'am, thank you for asking."

"I brought you all some cookies. Their chocolate chip fresh out of the oven." She passed the plate among the boys then left it with Tim.  " I called your mom, Kevin, and we are planning to go to the pool for a couple hours. Do you two want to go?"

Keith and Tim looked at each other, they both answered, "yes!"   They can get away from Jake. 

"Jake, you are welcome to join us." The two boys held their breath.

Jake looked at them with his squinty eyes, "No, thank you, ma'am. I'm supposed to go fishing with my dad, later."

"All right, maybe another time.  Get your toys picked up, boys.  We're leaving in 15 minutes." With that, she disappeared inside.

Tim and Kevin started packing the toys. Tim offered Jake another cookie, "Sorry you couldn't come, Jake, but fishing can be a lot of fun."

"Nice that you get to do that with your dad.  My dad doesn't fish." Chimed in Kevin.

Jake grabbed Kevin's arm, his eyes narrowed and stared into Kevin's alarmed face.  He pressed his lips next to his ear and hissed, "I'm going to see you fly." He took the offered cookie from Tim, stomped down the steps, and walked casually into his backyard as if nothing had happened.

 

 

 

 

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The boy stood on his back porch looking into the night sky watching the stars intently. The house shielded the yard from the street lamp, allowing the night to be a deeper black, the stars to twinkle brighter.  He concentrated, reaching up to the sky, eyes closed, reaching...reaching...His body became lighter, he reached higher and higher, standing on tiptoes.  I can do this, he thought to himself feeling the lightness overcome his body as he seemed to rise.  He continued his mantra, I can. I can. I can fly.  He could feel the sensation of ...

"Kevin, time for bed," came his mother's voice calling from within the house. "I'm not going to say it again."

Kevin's shoulders immediately dropped, arms to his sides.  "Wow," was all he could say as the feeling of weightlessness left him.  He opened the door to the basement. " I'm coming," he called as he bound up the steps leading to the kitchen where his mother stood finishing the dishes. 

"You know you could very easily place your dirty dishes into the dishwasher when you bring them to the sink," his mom stated.

"Sorry, Mom.  I'll remember next time."  To her surprise he gave her a little hug before going on to his bedroom.  He passed his sister who was sitting in the living room watching TV.  Being older had its privileges but tonight he didn't care.

"Watching a love story," he teased, drawing out the word love.

"Trying to fly again," was her come back.  He just smiled and moved on to his room. He batted at Jupiter hanging among other planets strung from the ceiling,  and eyed several model space craft on his dresser before changing into his Star Wars pajamas.  He hopped into bed and lay there eyeing the poster of Yoda floating in the air and contemplated what had just happened. " I can't wait to tell Tim tomorrow." He whispered to himself.

***************************************************************************************************************************

Rays reflected off the silver star ship striking Kevin's face, waking him.  His brown eyes squinted, turning away as he stretched, then hugged his pillow.  A voice whispered "You can fly", he snapped his eyes open and jumped out of bed with a grand smile.  It was Saturday morning and he would soon see Tim. After pulling on jean shorts and a T-shirt, he rushed through the kitchen to grab a slice of toast "Thanks Mom."

"Not so fast, Kevin," his mother said, giving him a spoonful of scrambled egg. Reluctantly, he forked the eggs onto the bread.  "Before you go anywhere you have to clean your room and the bathroom."

Kevin cringed, "Can't it wait until later, Tim and I have an important meeting."

"Don't worry about Tim. I believe he has his morning chores as well so the quicker you get at yours the faster you can meet with him."

Diane, his sister, pulled a chair up to the table, "So what's with this important meeting?" 

Although she tried to look nonchalant, Kevin knew she was ready to pounce on him.  "Nothing.  I thought this was your day for bathroom duty."

"Nope, I'm going shopping with my friends.  It's your day."  She had her deep chocolate brown hair tied back into a semi bun.  The summer sun caused milky streaks to run down to the ends that spilled out like a duster. "And I cleaned my room yesterday."  She gave a smug smile.

Diane sure can be a pain, Kevin thought as he watched her daintily eating her eggs, but when a horn blew outside, she suddenly stuffed the rest in her mouth, grabbed her bag and rushed for the door. "Back for supper," were her trailing words. 

"She's weird," Kevin mumbled.

"What was that?" his dad just entered the room.  "Mmmm scrambled eggs with cheese.  My favorite." He smiled at his mom and took a plate.  Mother joined them. 

"My sister is weird." Kevin replied. 

His dad laughed, "she's just going through a phase, just like you are I understand."

 Kevin ignored the last part of the comment.  They're a lot alike, he thought as he saw the same brown hair as his sister but without the milk chocolate streaks. They both like to tease.  Kevin felt he took after his mom with a more serious side. "I'll never get weird." Kevin said finishing his breakfast,  "and I'm not going through a 'phase'. Excuse me, chores."  Kevin bounced up,  rinsed his plate and placed it in the dishwasher, making sure his mom saw. "Can I just do the bathroom?" Of the two chores he knew that one he wouldn't be able to postpone. 

"Nope, your room is a disaster."   

******************************************************************************************************************************

     Kevin raced out the front door with one hand tugging at his sagging brown sock, the other hand waving to his friend, Tim, who was arranging a battlefield on the front stoop of his split level house.  Tim waved him over.   After nearly stumbling over his shoelaces and a breathless hike up every other step, Kevin twirled around and landed his behind on his friend’s porch.  Tim was working on getting a trooper into an 'X' Wing fighter.  Green army men were mixed in with other extraterrestrial fighters in battle formation around a Star Fleet. Tim looked dismayed that Company B was being smothered.

     “I can do it, Tim!” Kevin leaned toward Tim for emphasis, “I can, I really can!”

     Tim admired Kevin's imagination. He was always eager to hear about the monsters they would combat, or the forts they would build.  “What can you do?” Tim's blue eyes shone in anticipation.

     “I can fly.”Waiting for Tim’s reaction, Kevin straightened and removed a couple green figures from under his butt.

     “What can you fly?” asked Tim.

    “Myself!  Me!  I can lift myself off the ground!”

     “Wow! Really? Have you done it? When?”Tim stammered, astounded at his friend’s new talent.

     “Last night. I was standing under the stars and just felt like I could touch them. I was out back and stood with my arms outstretched and concentrated real hard on reaching those stars." Kevin stood to demonstrate with his arms in the air. "My feet felt so light I’m sure I was off the ground.”

     Tim looked at his friend, speechless.  Kevin wasn’t bird like with his average frame for a 10 year old, but a cowlick on the back of his head did fan out like tail feathers.  He then asked, “Can you teach me?”

     “I don’t know,” Kevin replied scratching his sandy colored hair, making the cowlick hairs wave in the air. “You have to concentrate real hard.  That’s how I learned.  I looked up at the stars and just knew I could reach them if I really wanted to.”

     “Where did you fly to?”

    Kevin sat back down, “No, dummy, I’m too new at this. I’m sure that will come with practice.”

    The two heard a loud chuckle from the side of the garage. “I don’t believe it.  We have a human bird in the neighborhood.”  Tim’s neighbor Jake just rounded the corner then leaned against the garage door.  “Come on, Kevin, give us a demo.” 

     Kevin turned to face Jake’s small hazel eyes framed by dark brows.  His apple round cheeks made him look as if he were smiling but he actually rarely did.   Jake was odd, you never knew if he was going to snap at you or help you plan the next most intricate adventure. When he turned mean everyone scrammed.

     “There’s nothing to concentrate on in the sky…can't see the stars during the day,” Kevin said.

     “So, you’re one of those fly by night people.” Jake laughed but the other two looked puzzled.

Jake was big but strong for his 11 years.  Although the boys felt he was really smart, he seemed to get the worst grades. One year he was even held back and that's how he ended up in their class. Here he had some power where with his own classmates, he was nothing.  He turned on Kevin and accused, “you don’t know how to fly, you’re just trying to impress Tim.”

Tim interrupted, "We are having problems with this pilot not fitting into the seat. Have any ideas?"

Jake walked up the steps to Tim, with a frown on his face he looked him in the eyes then picked up the fragile model . He gazed at it for a few moments, tore the seat out of the ship then replaced it, jammed the pilot in and gave it back to Tim.  "The seat was in wrong, stupid."

"Well, hello, Jake." Tim's mom was at the door. "How are you today?"

To Tim's and Kevin's surprise, Jake turned a little red.  "I'm Just fine, Ma'am, thank you for asking."

"I brought you all some cookies. Their chocolate chip fresh out of the oven." She passed the plate among the boys then left it with Tim.  " I called your mom, Kevin, and we are planning to go to the pool for a couple hours. Do you two want to go?"

Keith and Tim looked at each other, they both answered, "yes!"   They can get away from Jake. 

"Jake, you are welcome to join us." The two boys held their breath.

Jake looked at them with his squinty eyes, "No, thank you, ma'am. I'm supposed to go fishing with my dad, later."

"All right, maybe another time.  Get your toys picked up, boys.  We're leaving in 15 minutes." With that, she disappeared inside.

Tim and Kevin started packing the toys. Tim offered Jake another cookie, "Sorry you couldn't come, Jake, but fishing can be a lot of fun."

"Nice that you get to do that with your dad.  My dad doesn't fish." Chimed in Kevin.

Jake grabbed Kevin's arm, his eyes narrowed and stared into Kevin's alarmed face.  He pressed his lips next to his ear and hissed, "I'm going to see you fly." He took the offered cookie from Tim, stomped down the steps, and walked casually into his backyard as if nothing had happened.

 

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Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kevin dragged a lawn chair onto the clover infested grass beside a meager garden.  He opened it beside another he had set up earlier .  The chairs were shielded by pine trees in the back, a neighbors fence on the side, the tiny garden with eight corn stalks somewhat hiding the side of the house.  The only exposure was where the driveway edged out onto the street and a bit of lawn on either side.  The house across the street held a simple window on its side and a privacy fence around its yard.  This will do, he thought and plopped himself down on a chair and gazed down the street at the tall corn growing at the bottom of the hill.  Living on the edge of town gave them a country feel with views of farmland mixed in with housing developments.

Kevin hadn't tried flying during the day and felt a little edgy.  It was Sunday afternoon and Tim was coming over. Kevin had promised to teach him how to fly after church. The sky was blue interrupted only by white jet made streams.  Someday I will be a pilot and make those streams , he thought while watching an invisible plane forming two straight  lines that melted into small cotton puffs.   He closed his eyes, smiling as he remembered last night as he tipped at floating until his mom called him in again. His parents were going to a movie soon and his sister had left for a friend's house ten minutes ago so this meant they wouldn't be disturbed. 

The back door squeaked as his mom ushered Tim outside. 

"Your dad and I may eat out after the movie.  You two can make sandwiches or have leftover casserole.  Everything is in the fridge, Okay?" She questioned Kevin.  He shook his head yes. "We're off then.  Have fun you two."

"Thanks, mom. Enjoy the movie," Kevin said.

Tim sat in the other yard chair.  A few minutes later the basement garage door opened and a blue Camero backed out with his mom waving to the two boys, mouthing "Be good."  They waved back shaking their heads yes.  After the Camero disappeared down the hill, Kevin jumped up, "Now we can begin."

Kevin pushed the chairs out of the way.  "First thing you do is find a place that is private so you won't be disturbed.  It takes a lot of concentration to do this." Kevin moved between the garden and the neighbor's fence motioning for Tim to stand an arms length away beside him. 

"We don't want to accidentally run in to each other." Tim chuckled.

 "Now you take deep breaths like this."  Kevin breathed in, held his breath then slowly blew it out.  Tim tried it. "That's good, that's good."

"You need to do this at least three, maybe four times.  You close your eyes after the first breath." Kevin then slowly raised his arms up and slightly out in front of him. "You raise your arms when you breath in." He did it again to demonstrate.  Tim followed.  "Then you take a couple fast breaths and you gradually move your arms out a little to your sides." Again, Kevin demonstrated.  "You concentrate on being light as a feather...and that's when it happens."

The two stood on the grass breathing, moving their arms, stretching, breathing some more, and waited.

"I don't feel light yet, just dizzy," Tim confessed.

"That's from taking too many fast breaths, take more slow ones.  Oh, and I forgot, be sure to say to yourself over and over 'I can'.  Let's start from the beginning."  The two started taking their deep breaths and raising their arms slowly, chanting "I can" when they heard an unwelcome voice.

"I can....I can...what, guys, what?  Fly?" Jake's stutter mockingly filled the air.

Kevin stood with his arms on his hips as he confronted Jake who was standing at the end of the driveway, "Jake, You don't believe so you're not invited," Kevin was surprised at his boldness.

"Of course I believe, but first I have to see it." Jake stated while crossing his chunky arms across his chest. Two of Jake's friends steered their bicycles into the driveway.

"Hi, Jake, what cha doin?" asked the one who Kevin recognized as Joe. He always had a ball cap clamped over his mousy hair with the bill facing the back.  The other guy, tall and lanky, was Steve.  He remained quiet.

"Kevin wants to teach us all how to fly."  The two boys dropped their bikes on the ground. Jake watched the two approach with a half smile, as if  he found a fish for a hungry bear's dinner.

Kevin was aghast. These boys were in 8th grade, they would just laugh at him. "Jake, I don't think they would be interested."

"Of course they are, who wouldn't," Jake replied.

"Yeh, Kevin, teach us," Joe's light blue eyes were fringed in grayish eyelashes.  His look was unsettling. Steve still remained silent but his expression was inquisitive.

Kevin stood in front of them all, watching the expectation in their faces.  Joe, stood with his  muscled arms crossed and kept his blank stare, Steve shuck his head with a you gotta be kidding frown, Jake with his chin up sneer, and then there was Tim's broad go for it smile.  Kevin closed his eyes and said a silent prayer, God please make this happen. Please don't let me make a fool of myself.  He snapped his eyes open as confidence welled inside him.

"OK, this is what you do.  You have to concentrate and look up at the sky."  Kevin explained. He took several deep breaths, searched the sky, found a jet stream, and concentrated on it as his arms slowly rose, chanting to himself. " I can, I can, I can."

His feet were glued to the ground.

"Humph, I may have all the time in the world, but I would rather you do this today, wing boy." Joe started cracking his knuckles..

"You forgot the short breaths," Tim whispered.

"I know" Kevin whispered back then stated, "Just be patient, it isn't easy to concentrate so please be quiet," but instead of quiet, Joe continued cracking knuckles and Jake started clearing his nostrils with short snorts. Tim and Steve looked a bit worried.

After a few more eternal minutes, Joe stepped up to Kevin and rasped in his ear, "If you don't fly soon, then I'm going to clip your wings, and you'll remember not to lie."

Kevin tried again but he felt so weighted down with fear there was no way he could levitate.  He finally brought his arms down, "I can't."

Jake chirped happily," You can't fly?"

"No, I can't concentrate.  There is too much pressure with all of you here.  I just learned how to do this a couple days ago you know."

"Well, that's too bad.  You really inspired me,"  Joe said flatly, " but now I have to clip your wings.  Give me your arm." Joe demanded.

Steve stepped in front of Joe, "What are you doing?" he asked.  Kevin moved closer to Tim.  

"Nothin', just going to scare the kid a bit. He's got to learn that you don't lie to me" Joe replied as he stepped around Steve. Jake had maneuvered himself so that Kevin couldn't retreat to his house.  "Can't get away now, little bird,"  Kevin took his chances toward the back door but Jake grabbed his arm.  Tim threw himself at Jake forcing him to let go.   Joe rushed forward but Kevin tumbled and rolled away under his reach. Steve just stood and watched.

"Run," yelled Tim . Kevin escaped down the sidewalk, running so fast he felt like he could stumble at any moment.   Joe yelled behind him, "I'm coming, Wing Boy." He and Steve had snatched their bikes to race after him. He could hear the steady whir of the spokes crunching gravel as they closed in. Kevin ran through a driveway at the bottom of the hill, they turned to follow. He ran through the backyard half tripping over a lawn chair while the two jumped off their bikes.  A burly man standing by the side door halted the two, saying something Kevin couldn't hear as he continued running across the front lawn, across the neighborhood street, through another yard and behind a house.  Here he finally stopped to catch his breath.  He listened but only the breeze whipping the corn stalks made any sound.  He noticed the gully between the backyard he was hiding in and the farmers corn field.  Joe's and Steve's voices filtered through the air, coming his way.  He crept to the gully, lay on the ground and watched.  Joe's head popped around the house where Kevin had just been, Steve was close behind.

"I was sure I saw that kid's red and white striped shirt head around this way." Joe walked through the backyard toward the next house as Kevin snuck into the corn stalks for better cover.  He saw Steve looking at him and started running through the stalks.  Joe turned,"What was that?"

"Oh, we just startled a bird." Steve replied as he guided Joe back toward their bikes. "I think we lost him for now, Joe."

 

 

 

 

 

 

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