Christine

The coffin was carried down the leafy dirt trail, draped in the American flag. A line of people followed us behind. Members of the Air Force carried a series of flags in honor of my father. I covered my face under the shadow of a black hat. My face was smeared with tears, possibly forever stained. The mausoleum appeared ahead, its dismal structure: grey walls and shady structure.

I sat in my wheelchair, not yet having developed enough strength to walk great distances. Jesy, Cory, Ray and Ella pushed me down behind while surrounding me. Their heads drooped as if they were rag dolls without stuffing in their necks.

When we reached the bottom of the steps, they set down the coffin on its stand. They removed the flag and performed the ceremony. Every fold of the flag, every gunshot and salute only seemed to break my heart even more. A new tear developed, spilling over my waterline.

At the very end, the commanding officer handed off the flag to me. It was time for me to speak. I clumsily stood and climbed the steps with help. But, I demanded that I stood on my own.

"We are gathered here today to honor the man I called father. Kearnal Neal Daae, U.S. Army Air Force; a man of great respect and value to this country," I wept through my words. "The last time I saw him, it was September 5, 2011. We went out to lunch and he told me of his adventures in the air, places he'd seen and gone, even a souvenir."

From a pillow held at my side, I picked up a sheathed dagger with my name engraved on the hilt.

"This dagger he received from a dear friend before his death. My dad happily presented it to me, knowing I would keep it safe and never use it wrongly, and I haven't, and never will." From my pocket, I then removed the last letter I received from him. "The Commander found this in his pocket after they recovered my father's body from the crash."

I read a loud,

My Dear Christine,

I promised you my return and that promise will be kept. I have only a week left and I am home to stay. Until then, I leave you with these words. But, this is only part of the message. I will say the rest when I see you again. I love you my Christine. Stay strong my little warrior.

Love,

Daddy

I could hear sobs from other relatives nearly overpowering mine. It was a few moments before I recovered my voice and looked up again. "My father was on a bombing mission, but his plane was shot down. Crews on the ground recovered his body and found this note. He promised he would come back... and so he did. Perhaps not in the way I expected, or any of us for that matter, but he fulfilled his promise."

On the pillow I set down the blade, removing a kleenex from my pocket. Tears continued to flow like a waterfall.

"He may not be alive today, but he is always here in our hearts," I covered my chest. "I love you dad. If you can hear me, I miss you. But I will stay strong for you. I promise... Thank you..."

There was no clapping or a single cheer. Ella and Ray helped me down the steps and into my chair. I continued to cry, unable to stop. The Air Force orchestra played a song and raised a flag in his honor. I sat up straight and saluted him.

"I love you dad," I whimpered.

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Much later in the week, the day was dismal. I sat on my couch with a cup of tea in my hand. I stared out aimlessly into space, eyes blank as if in a trance. My balcony doors remained open, filling the room with a gentle breeze from outside.

At the time, it seemed all I knew was sadness. My happiness had drained completely. Too much had happened to me: In a burning building, threatened by a ghost I thought a myth, kidnapped and held against my will, in the hospital for a week, scars on my body or the rest of my life and the death of my father.

Honestly, with all that had happened, I didn't know how much longer I could handle it. It was almost too much. The school had shut down for further observation. The press was always flooding the lobby. They demanded answers to their questions and a decent interview from me. As always, I rejected them.

My friends were the only ones I admitted into my apartment. They brought up food, groceries and anything else that could help in healing me. In all truth, I wasn't sure if I would ever heal or what I would do. My future was a blank.

Ella and Jesy entered the room with a plate of fresh cookies and sat on either side of me.

"Here you go. A little chocolate ought to do you good," Jesy held it up on front of her.

I refused to move even a muscle. My mind was in shock, out of tune.

Ella furrowed her brow as she started at me. "Chrissy, you've been like this for too long. You can't stay here forever."

A simple nod was my response.

Jesy sat up straighter, her tone firm. "Christine, listen to me. What you've been through I know I can't compare. But this has gone on too long. If you keep hiding, nothing will ever change. Something has to be done."

"Don't you see? I'm terrified," I yelled. "My life has been nothing but trouble for the past few months. None of this was supposed to happen. Mr. Destler, I saw his eyes. They were desperate for me. I know that man well enough to know that he will stop at nothing. He always goes until he is successful. It's the same thing with me. He's coming for me, I know it. I can't risk my life."

At that moment, I knew very well that I was afraid. In me there was nothing but fear. That's all I felt from then on, and I knew it would never cease.

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Hello Friends! My apologies for not updating sooner. I've had to do a lot with school and church. Please forgive me. Anyhow, here is the chapter. Let me know what you think. Luvs to all from ME! God Bless!