Turns So Cold

“Gee, wanna come watch Earth with me?” I looked down at Abbey; the little eleven year-old had decided that I was going to be her best friend from the moment I got into heaven. I smiled and shrugged.

“Sure, why not?” So, she took my hand and led me to the large field, where, in the center, a peaceful, icy lake was. We walked over to the shoreline and got into the little boat that was docked on the shore. I started rowing the boat to the middle of the lake, where we were able to see the life on Earth in the water. We were able to either watch over our family members, or, if we were feeling heroic, find someone in need and watch over them. We could help them, in a sense, I guess.

“Who do you want to watch today, Gerard?” she asked me, placing her fingers into the water. I thought about it, thought about watching my little brother, Mikey, or maybe my mom. Or, maybe I could watch Frank, Ray, or even Bob today.

I looked over at Abbey, about to speak, when I realized that she was already watching someone. I smiled a bit and looked over the edge myself. You could never see who someone else was watching; it just didn’t work that way. So, I decided on being heroic today, and I let the water bring me an image of a random person.

My mind was suddenly transported to Earth, and into a bedroom. I looked around, trying to figure out where I was. My eyes wandered to the bed, where a young girl, maybe sixteen, was laying. She had earbuds in her ears and her eyes were closed, her foot tapping to the rhythm of the music playing on her iPod.

Her short, black hair framed her pretty, pale face. I wanted her to open her eyes so I could see what color they were, see if they were pretty like her.

The door suddenly opened, and an older woman walked in, her face twisted in what seemed like anger.

I was suddenly pulled back to the boat, back in heaven. But right before I left, the girl’s eyes snapped open, revealing icy blue irises.

“Gerard?” I looked over at Abbey, and saw she was shivering. “Can we go back now? This lake is getting too cold.” I just looked at her for a moment or two, the image of the girl still imprinted in my mind.

“Gee?” Abbey asked in a small voice, the slightest hint of a shiver present. I quickly shook my head, and gave her a small smile and a nod.

“Yeah, let’s go.” I said, and started rowing back to the shore. But through that whole day, I couldn't get her icy blue eyes out of my head, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed me more than either of us truly knew.