Page 19 of Set In Stone

I see theriver.

And then I see her! It’s mymother!

She’s standing near the water’s edge. I need to run. I have to get toher.

I run as fast as I can. Left foot, right foot, left foot. With every stride I take to close the distance, that flowing ebony hair gets further and furtheraway.

No! Don’t go away! I’m almostthere!

The muscles in my legs feel like they are on fire, but I need to keepgoing.

Almost there. Keeppushing.

I look down at my small feet, wishing that the tattered running shoes would give me more traction. I couldn’t wait for the day when I could make money. I could buy myself bettershoes.

Cleanshoes.

No moredirt.

No more holes in thetoes.

But shoes don’t matter right now. I only have a little further to go. Propelling myself forward, triumph surges through me when my hand makes contact with hershoulder.

Finally. I’ve found her. My gut churns with nervous anticipation as she slowly turns towardme.

“Alex!” a voice calls from behindme.

Krystina. It’s Krystina’s voice. She soundsafraid.

I turn my head around to see what’s wrong, only to feel the woman within my grasp slip away from me. I reach out toher.

“Wait! Come back!” I cry out. But she continues to move away, so far that I can barely make out hersilhouette.

“Alex!” Krystina callsagain.

Torn over which woman I should chase after, I look down in anguish only to see a pair of bright white track shoes on myfeet.

Clean shoes. Adult sizedshoes.

I’m not a childanymore.

I look up again at the slowly disappearing woman. I couldn’t reach her. I’ve lost my mother again. I have to go to Krystina instead. She’s my future. I need to get toher.

I run in the other direction toward the sound of Krystina’s voice. Daytime turns to night, and fog billows around me as I run. It obscures my vision and I can’t see her, but I can hear her shout myname.

“Krystina!” I call. “I’m trying to findyou.”

“Alexander, you’re hurtingme!”

I look around frantically. A roaring begins in my ears, fierce like the sound of astampede.

“No, angel. I didn’t mean to! Forgive me, please! Where areyou?”

“Alex,please!”

Her voice is closer now. I turn to my left. There she is, standing in a pool of crimson red, clutching her bloodstained abdomen. Tears stream down her face, but her expression isemotionless.

It seems to take forever, but I finally reach her. I’m frantic. She needs medicalattention.