The Kid

                                                       By kiki

The tired old man with his eyes close was rockin' in his rocking chair when an image of  a kid appeared in front of him. The kid who was about seven years old was running towards the old man. As he got closer the old man thought that he had seen the kid before, but he couldn’t remember when or where. When the kid was upon the old man he took the old man’s hand and told him   ”come with me old man, I’ll show you a shortcut”

“Son, are those little wings on your back? oh no, you don't! I am not ready to go, I still have things to do here” the old man said to the kid.

“No old man, it’s time for you to join us”, the kid with the tiny wings said to the old man as he gave him a tug.

The old man took the kid’s left hand as the kid was tugging him and said to him “what’s that mark on your left hand?”

“That’s a birthmark”

“Funny, but, I too have such a mark on my left hand”

“That’s because we are one and the same” the kid replied

“You are me when I was a kid?”

“Yes, since you’ve always behaved like a kid, the powers that be thought it was appropriate to send me to show you the shortcut”

“No, no, you go back and leave me along. When I am ready I’ll take the shortcut on my own” the old man said to the kid as he pulled his hand away from the kid’s

“Okay, but I’ll be watching you,” the kid told the old man as he took the shortcut

The dream the old man woke up from; was as disturbing as it was bizarre 'Damn, I must be going crazy, seeing myself as a kid, who does that kid thinks he is anyway, wanting to show me the shortcut. I am not ready to go, besides who will take care of my animals if I take that shortcut? the old man thought to himself as he jumped up from the rocking chair.

As the old man was out in the meadow watching his animals grazing he thought that he could see the kid with the tiny wings running around and playing in the tall grass as he once did. He wondered if the dream had returned or was it real this time, there was only one way to find out.

“I am not ready!” the old man yelled as he followed the Kid toward the shortcut.