A Spirit Brighter Than the Sun

8:03 am

Monday, May 11

Mrs. Walker opened up the windows to her bedroom and sighed, relishing the warmth of the sun and letting the cool breeze run through her hair. Suddenly, a young girl at the age of 8 burst through her own balcony, smiling brighter than light itself.

"Hi, Mrs. Walker!" she exclaimed.

"Hello, Alex! What are you up to today?"

"Well...Dr. Morgan is coming again. I don't like her visits." Her smile turned quickly into a somber frown.

"It's okay; they help you so much."

"Sometimes it doesn't seem that way," Alex said, but her frown vanished and was immediately replaced with a wide smile. "But my mommy gives me a popsicle afterwards, and Dr. Morgan brings a lollipop!"

"Yes, that must be very yummy."

Alex perked her head up, listening to something, then spun quickly around.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Walker, but my mommy said I have to go do schoolwork."

"Bye, Alex. We can talk later if you want," Mrs. Walker said, hoping to improve the child's spirits; and the girl's grin was all the answer she needed.

"Bye!" And with that, Alex twirled back into her house. Mrs. Walker laughed, and as she turned to go inside her own home, she gazed at her stomach, which was quickly getting rounder and bigger. Alex's spirit made her even more excited about the coming baby.

2:47 pm

Monday, May 11

"MRS. WALKER! MRS. WALKER, CAN YOU TALK NOW?"

Mrs. Walker laughed, turning to see Alex hanging over her balcony, waving to catch her attention.

"I'm right here, Alex."

"Yay! Mommy said I shouldn't bother you, but I told her that you said it was okay, and she let me come out."

"How was Dr. Morgan's visit?" Mrs. Walker asked.

"It was okay, I guess. Just more therapy, like usual." There was a few moments where neither one of them talked, so Mrs. Walker decided to break the tension.

"Want to play I Spy?"

"Yes! I spy with my little eye something....blue!"

"Could it be...your gorgeous eyes?"

"No, silly! I can't see my own eyes!" Alex exclaimed, collapsing in a fit of laughter.

"Hm, I see. How about...the sky?"

"Yep! How did you know?" Alex giggled. "Your turn!"

"I spy with my little eye something white and fluffy."

"The clouds! The clouds!"

"You got me!" Mrs. Walker laughed.

"I spy with my little eye something round," Alex started. "And it's getting bigger and bigger!"

Mrs. Walker chuckled. "Could it be, by any chance, my tummy?"

"Yes yes yes!" Alex hopped up and down, her blue eyes twinkling with glee. Then she paused. "What's its name gonna be?"

"I don't know yet. Mr. Walker and I are still thinking about it. Maybe you could help. It will be a girl, so keep that in mind."

"Ooh, I like girls so much better than boys!"

"Me too. Oh, darn it. I'm sorry, but I have to go now," Mrs. Walker said, glimpsing at the time. "I have a doctor's appointment today too, but it's for the baby."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Mrs. Walker. Bye!" Alex scampered back into her home, and Mrs. Walker turned to go into her own, wondering how a child that small could keep such a good attitude in what she was going through.

9:23 am

Wednesday, May 13

"Look at that one. Doesn't it look like an elephant?"

"Wow, it does," Alex agreed, waving her arm in front of her nose and making loud elephant imitations, and Mrs. Walker couldn't suppress a laugh. The two laid on their backs, staring up at the fluffy clouds.

"Alex, honey, come eat breakfast!" called Alex's mother.

"Ugh," Alex sighed. "You know, I think I'll stay out here for a little bit longer," she added, smirking.

"It's pancakes and eggs!"

"Sorry Mrs. Walker, but I can't compete with that!" Alex giggled, dashing off to her mother, who was tapping her foot and holding a plate full of pancakes impatiently.

1:56 am

Thursday, May 14

Mrs. Walker awoke to her phone ringing loudly in her ear, and she picked it up.

"Hello?" she asked groggily.

"Yes, hi, Mrs. Walker. This is Karen, Alex's mom. Sorry to disturb you this late, but something happened that Alex wanted you to know about." The voice on the phone paused, and she seemed to be crying. Mrs. Walker sat up. Something was wrong.

"Yes?"

"Well...Alex was having some more pain than usual, so I decided to take her to the hospital. About halfway there, she fainted. The doctors took her in immediately but...it's not looking good. Her words before she...passed out were "Tell Mrs. Walker I said goodbye, and that I'll miss playing I Spy with her."

That was more than Mrs. Walker could take. She hung up the phone and sobbed into her pillow. What would she do without the light of her life?

11:17 am

Wednesday, May 27

It had almost been two weeks since Mrs. Walker had gotten the call from Karen, and Alex nor her mother didn't return to their house. The days grew lonelier and longer. Mrs. Walker would often stare out of her window, which she so often used to laugh and chat with Alex. No one would expect an 8-year old girl and a 23-year old woman to have so much fun together.

Eventually, Mrs. Walker even stopped going into her room because it felt like a part of Alex was still there.

4:52 am

Saturday, April 19

Mrs. Walker, covered in sweat and very tired, gazed down at the bundle of joy sleeping contently in her arms.

"She's beautiful," her husband whispered. "What did you decide to name her?"

"Alex. After the girl with a spirit brighter than the sun itself."

8 years later

3:28 pm

Tuesday, June 13

"YAAAAH!" Alex yelled, bursting into the living room, waking Mrs. Walker. "I command you, mommy, to serve me crackers and cheese!"

Mrs. Walker smiled and shook her head.

"Nice try, buttercup," she said, then closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Alex ran to the door, and slowly creaked it open. "Hello?"

"Hey! What's your name?" A beautiful teenage girl with blonde, wavy hair and striking blue eyes stood in the doorway, smiling from ear to ear.

"Alex," Alex replied, grinning sheepishly. "Mommy said not to open the door for strangers, but you're really nice!"

The stranger took a deep breath, tears forming in her eyes. "Is your mommy around?"

"Yeah, she's sleeping. She does that a lot with another baby on the way. I'll go get her!" A few seconds later, Alex returned, dragging Mrs. Walker along.

"Honey, I told you not- who are you?" she asked, pulling Alex close to her.

"I probably look a little different with hair, but don't you remember?"

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't." Mrs. Walker shook her head. Then, an unbelievable thought came to mind.

"I spy with my little eye something round and getting bigger and bigger," the girl in the doorway said, grinning.

"Oh my gosh." Mrs. Walker breathed. "Alex!" The two embraced, tears streaming down their faces.

"You've grown so much! I thought you..."

"I know. It was a heart attack, but I made it. And, as you can see, I've won the biggest battle of my life."

Mrs. Walker nodded, never wanting to let go of the strongest girl she ever knew. A girl who survived a heart attack. And a girl who through years of battling, teasing from classmates, and no hair, kept her bright spirit and won her battle with cancer.