The Leap

In death, he finds his daughter. A very short story

The sand is the concrete gray, and mounded into the dune of some sort. Katelyn and her friends spot it a half a mile down the beach. They tear a path through the dry sand, kicking rooster tails behind their bare feet. There is the smile. She flashes a broad toothy grin and laughter at life. She threw her head back and let the joy fly into the wind that she created with her run.

 

They attacked the hill, and topped it quickly. Unspoken rules developed as they stood. Run leap in midair, and land as far as you could on your knees. Whoever went farther, won. Stand up, race back to the top and repeat. Laugh as much as you could. Let your hair fly and arms wave freely.  I saw each of them in midair froze in joy. Muscles and sinew strain against gravity. Smiles are everywhere and they are contagious. I have caught one and can’t seem to lose it.

 

Now it fades. “Roger, you had better sit down.” He said. I don’t even remember who it was that said it. The words burned in my mind. “Your daughter, Katelyn is dead.”  She was in the car, and had no chance to… escape?  It was unreal that she was gone. Was she gone?

 

She leaps farther than the other four girls. She leans back and looks at them. She is a good sport. The friendship is more important than the game. She is on her feet again, headed back for another leap. She runs and her golden brown hair flairs out behind her. The sand thrown backward by her feet creates a cloud where she was. At 12 she is fearless. She can tackle any challenge. She is a winner and she knows it.

 

Katelyn lies in the casket, dressed in flowers of red and pink. She looks so still and quiet, not like Katelyn at all. I wait for her to start awake and spook someone. She doesn't.  The four other girls stand around her. The five of them are always together. Even in death, the friendship survives.

 

The five roll over and over down the dune. They are covered head to toe with sand. They laugh is endless silence. The joy never stops. Each leap, and fall is the same as it always is. My smile is always the same. My joy is full, and shrouded in pain. I gather the photos from my lap, and tap them into alignment with each other. I tie then together with a pink ribbon. The ribbon is tattered and worn from the many times it had been reused.

 

Today will be my last look at them. I am now dying, and have just today left. Katelyn would have been 47 today. She would have been here to see me make the change.  I place the tied bundle inside a worn white owl cigar box.  I remember buying the box on her birthday and shared the cigars with all the guys at work. It was her box for years. I can still make out the crayon marks on the top. I am closing the top when I see it. Why had I never noticed it before? I know I have looked at these photos over and over for 33 years.

 

“Dad, I want to go with the girls. We are headed to the beach for the weekend. We will stay at the condo, and call every night. Please.” She smiled at me. How could I say no? I wish I had.

 

On the back of a photo showing her flying in the air, in pink crayon was written. “Sorry Dad, I should have stayed. I love you, Bye Katie.”

 

I closed my eyes and ran to the dune where she stood. We leap into the air. 

Reviews

[A.W. Berry]

This was a quite haunting little read. The stark contrast displayed by shifting from an idealistic past the cruel reality of present works very well. The only problem with it is there isn't much of it and it really leaves the reader wanting to hear more about the Roger, Katelyn, and this seemingly supernatural note that she has left behind for him.

[Great Aunt Astri]

Ah, what a poignant story, almost had me in tears!

[zainul]

Sad story engraved in the heart.

[Marie]

THis is long enough. Gives the reader everything necessary.