The Arrowhead, Davis Swan [books for 20 year olds TXT] 📗

crawling, half sliding down the hillside before running across the grass to the bank of the creek. I was still sitting there and didn't get up until they had jumped across the creek, this time putting a bit more effort into it and landing beside me without incident.

Jason immediately dug out his precious find.

"Look Annie, we found this fantastic cave and inside it I dug this up. Darry thinks that it is an arrowhead." He held the stone out for me and I took it in my hand and stared at it intensely.

"I wish I could have been there. Maybe I would have found one too." I couldn't disguise the disappointment in my voice as I handed it back to him.

Jason’s eyes sparkled as he closed my hand around the stone.

"Yes, but this one is for you Annie. I want you to keep it. That's why I dug around in that dirty old cave for so long; so that I would have something to bring back to you."

I bit the corner of my lip.

"Thanks, Jason. For a big brother you're alright."

Jason smiled and put his arm around my shoulder. Darian joined in and the three of us walked back through the woods to our house, stumbling around trees and nearly falling down several times because we refused to let go of each other.

Over the next couple of years we had other adventures but none were quite as memorable as the trip to the cave. Jason and Darian chose never to go back there again. They told me that the memory that they had of it was too precious to take a chance of spoiling. And I was sure that an actual visit would never be as good as hearing the story over and over.

When Jason graduated from our elementary school and entered the local High School things changed. He started spending more time with his High School friends and less and less time with us. It was a natural progression, but it sometimes made me wish that we could get back to the 'good old days' of water fights and secret 'missions'.

After running through the story in my mind I sat quietly for another minute or two. Then I stood up from the bench, stretched and walked over to the spot where Jason’s memorial was located. He had been killed in a skateboarding accident when I was 12.

For many years I had been very angry with him for being so reckless and leaving such a big hole in my life. I missed him terribly every day. But as I grew older I realized that the memories I had of Jason meant that he would always be with me.

I looked down at the bronze plaque adorned with an image of Jason riding on a skateboard. Even the cold metal couldn’t disguise the fire in those eyes. The epitaph engraved into the plaque read “He had the courage to live life to the fullest”.

I reached into my pocket and started rubbing the smooth, triangular stone that I kept on my person at all times; the stone that Jason had been so excited to give me all those years ago; the stone that I knew was not an arrowhead even though Darian had said it was so that Jason would feel it was special enough to give to his little brother.

I could no longer be angry with Jason. I loved him for who he was in life and I will continue to cherish who he was for as long as I live.

Life is precious because it does not go on forever. That is what I have come to realize. Jason’s was far too short, but he took from life everything that it had to give and gave to others all of the love that filled his heart. For me and for everyone else that had the privilege of knowing my brother, that has to be enough.


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Publication Date: 01-12-2010

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