The Fallen Cranes

For 4 years he had waited, and now 5, his dad was finally back, but in a terrible condition. Kev knew he had to help his dad get better, no matter what amount of chance his dad has to live. Thinking back on everything he knew, as Kev walked back to his mom, he had settled on making one thousand cranes for his father, not letting anyone stop him. He knew that he’d better work quickly; however, Kev also knew he was already behind for he didn’t know how to make cranes.

Waking early one day, Kev found his mom still weeping. Walking up to her, he asked, “Mom, can you show me how to make cranes?” Shocked, Kev’s mom began to show him step by step as Kev followed along with his own paper. Even with rips and tears along the way, he kept on trying. The first crane of his had failed, and he wondered how his mom was able to make that. However, as he kept working, he was able to finally finish a crane. Its wings spread out at its side, the beak turned up towards the sky, almost as if it was about to fly. Kev, smiling, kept working on more, but most times he failed, and there were still more to make.

Sitting by the moonlight, Kev carefully folded the paper as best as he could. Not wanting to awaken his mom, he tried to be quiet. Out the window near where Kev was, flew a crane, as white as snow. Glancing out, he could’ve sworn he saw the crane turn it’s beak towards him. Going back to work, Kev was filled with more spirit. His tiny hands flew, making each crease perfect. At last, with a half-finished crane in his hand, Kev began to fall asleep, left with eight hundred and a half more cranes to go as the moon shined brightly.
Awake before long, Kev noticed the sun out already. He could hear noises downstairs. What can that be? Kev thought. Sliding down the stairs, he noticed there wasn’t anyone down there. Must be my imagination. He thought. Suddenly, his mom appeared from the kitchen holding a cake.

“I know your father’s still recovering, but we must still celebrate.” She tried to put on her best smile, but Kev could tell she just wanted him to be happy. Crying, Kev ran up to his mom and hugged her. His mom reached down and placed a box in his hands. Bit by bit, Kev took off the wrapping paper to save it for more cranes. Inside the box held many more cranes. Kev smiled, thinking about the amount of cranes now ready for his father.
“Now you have more cranes for your room, see?” Kev’s mom proudly held up a crane. Her smile widened. All of a sudden, Kev understood the truth. His mom didn’t understand. The real meaning of the cranes. Angry at how his mom could be so stupid, Kev began to cry. Running up to his room, Kev left behind his surprised mom as he clutched the box. He slammed the door to his room and laid on his bed. As his tears stained his face, Kev decided to ignore what his mom said. He dragged another large pile of papers near the window and set to work. Even though he was trying to be careful, his trashcan still began to fill up. Yet, Kev was still able to make progress, trying to not let what happened on his birthday to stop him. Once again, night came quickly. Counting the cranes before going to sleep, Kev was able to count up to six hundred fifty two.

Days wore on, and no reports came about his father. Even with doubts, Kev still worked his hardest. He couldn’t imagine his father dying. Nights went by, days went by, and many events throughout his day slowed Kev down or tried to stop him. However, Kev couldn’t bear the thought of leaving his father alone, and kept trying to work harder and harder. The cranes soon began to fill up the box. Each crane had a heart on it along with a message from Kev to his dad about the day. Left alone in his room, Kev recalled all the memories with his father. Each memory brought new tears, and with each new tear brought a crane. Finally the last crane was finished and after put into his box, Kev ran downstairs.