Grinning Angels

      As Kylie climbed higher up the mountain, her spirits sank lower. Each step she took engulfed her deeper in sadness. She trudged along in silence, not being able to speak from grief or anger or guilt, she did not know. When she could finally not bear to stand anymore, she sat down hard onto the stone cliff.

      She looked over the edge and dizziness swarmed her vision, black crawling into her line of sight, threatening to pull her into cold hands of sleep. Only seconds later she was no longer a speck on the graycliff. She was back in her home with her family. Mom sat on the couch, holding sweet baby Maisey who's blond hair was golden like the sun and dun up in little pigtails with light blue eyes that gleamed. Little Claire lay beside her, head resting on a soft pillow, chestnut-brown hair falling over the pillows, covering her deep midnight blue eyes. Maisey was two, Claire was six. Now they are both dead.

      Kylie's older brother, Michael, had previously dared her exactly fifty days ago to climb up the tall mountain that surrounded their town, "You could never climb that mountain," he had said, "you're too scared and small and weak". He had been right. At fourteen, Kylie was small for her age and had always been very weak. Although she had tried, sports always exhausted her besides everything she did. "It is just the way you are," the doctor had said when she had told him. That had translated to "You are weak and small and pointless".

      When her family had died in a carriage when they had wanted to ride down the grand canyon on horse. "No way!" Kylie had said, "I am never ever going to ride down on that animal". She had been right, a flash flood came in and swept down over her family, the carriage had gone over the edge, Kylie had screamed and looked over the edge. Bits of wood and her family had been... everywhere. She swore she had seen five white, glowing figures rise out of the water and fly to the sky, as if to enter the heavens above, but know one believed her.

      Jolted awake by the memory, Kylie sat up, once again haunted.

"I know that I saw them." Kylie whispers to herself, "They were looking at me. Michael will be at the top, I know he will... If I only had enough courage, enough strength..," Kylie stood up to take a step. She got no further before she collapsed, upper body dangling over the edge. "Take me, I am ready." she says. As the words leave her mouth, an unseen force seems to pull her up, filling her body with warmth she had not felt since the day of her family's deaths.

"Mom? Dad? Michael?". No reply came. The warmth that had gathered in Kylie's body washed out as suddenly as it had come.

"Mommy, Daddy," she sobbed, "please come take me home". Kylie was no longer fourteen, but rather six. "Come back, don't leave me alone".

      Kylie sobbed until her body shook for breath, until her vision was blurred, until her tears ran out, until she no longer cared what happened to her. Anything was better than the pain she felt.

"Kylie?" A familiar voice said, filling her ears with hope.

"Michael," she looked around, "where are you?"

"I am with you Kylie. Forever and always with you."

"With me?" Kylie says in a voice almost so quiet it couldn't be heard.

"Of course". The voice faded as Kylie looked around wildly, jolting her head back and forth until she felt it would come off.

      Finally Kylie accepted her sleepful fate and allowed it to take her once again. Michael came into view. He was glowing a brilliant white and was brighter than the stars. Next came Claire. The same white shade as Michael, grinning an evil grin. Maisey came next with the same evil grin. Then dad. Mom was the last to appear. Her long hair the color of an oak log was white her beautiful twinkly green eyes that used to grin with mischief. "Mama"

      Kylie rose to her feet, still asleep, and followed the figures as they hiked up the mountain.

       "Kylie hurry," Claire says, "we have to beat Michael to the top".

      "I am coming". Kylie laughs a joyful laugh. "We'll beat him, don't worry". As Kylie ran toward her brother and sisters, she felt a joy no one could compare to anything but raw power. It gave her the strength to carry on, to run forever with her lost brother and sisters. Lost? Lost!

      The sudden thought awoke her. She was lying face up on hard, pointy rocks, covered in dirt, and ever so thirsty. She had no bearings, no landmarks, no directions, not even a clue on where she was except that she was now higher up the great mountain. "Water" she croaked with a voice so cracked it would threaten even the driest desert. More weak and tired than she had ever been, Kylie stumbled on every rock, every stone, every uprooted tree, every clod of dirt. Eventually, thought Kylie, I will lay down never to get up. My brother was right, he always is. I can't do this, I can't. I am not enough, I never was. One day, Kylie knew, someone would find her up here, cold and alone in a state that know one could penetrate. "The utter failure of life, " the book would say, "Kylie Jone. She died alone of thirst on the top of a mountain in Greenland".

      No! She could not be that person, that utter failure in life. She could not die this way. "Mama" She calls, hoping amongst hope that someone, anyone would guide her to the top for a small piece of her heart and brain knew that the top of the mountain would provide home. Yet another part of her knew it couldn't be true. There is no home for the likes of Kylie Jone.