Passing On

“But what will I do without you, here?”

Davie sniffed and wiped at his cheeks, but the tears kept coming.

Edgar, “Ed” Collins, smiled at his grandson warmly from the pillow and squeezed his hand a bit tighter.

“Live, Davie. Grab hold of life and take everything it has to give!” His voice was raspy, but strong.

Ed's wife, Mary, could see in his eyes the effort it was taking to remain in the corporeal world long enough to put his grandson's fears to rest. She had known earlier today that her husband would be drawing his last breaths. The doctor had confirmed it a few hours ago, before leaving them alone here in the bedroom of their home.

Here and now, surrounded by his children and only grandchild, she knew Ed would hold on as long as it took to see a smile on his grandson's face. She placed a hand on little Davie's shoulder and said, rather matter-of-factly, “Grandpa will always be with you, David. And right now, he wants me to tell you the most important thing about life.”

Her eyes locked with Ed's and they smiled back at her as he nodded and covered her hand with his free one. The strain of talking was draining. Knowing she had his blessing, she continued, shifting her gaze to the eyes of the 9-year-old.

“Your grandpa has had more wonderful adventures in his life than most people, because his grandpa told him what I'm about to tell you. He was very young then, just like you are now, but it's important that you listen, okay?”

Those wide, young eyes stayed focused on hers as Davie solemnly nodded.

“We only get to live life once, here in our world. It's a very precious gift, and this world has enough to make it wonderful. While we're here, we should try to enjoy everything we can about living and all the amazing things it has to offer. At the same time, we should always try to be kind to others and help them see all those amazing things, too. People get lost and sad when they don't.

“That's all you need to know for now. The most important thing about right now, though, is that Grandpa is about to have his most amazing adventure ever. And he's happy, because some of his most wonderful adventures here have been with you!

“We're going to miss him, you and I, but we'll be here for each other and right now, we want him to know that we want him to be happy and we'll be happy for him. Besides, the best part of all is, we'll be joining him in that adventure when we're done with our own here.”

Understanding seemed to wash over Davie's face and he clambered up onto the bed before his parents could react. Mary gently blocked them, saying, “Ed wouldn't have this any other way.”

David knelt on the bed next to Ed's chest and smiled down at his grandpa, then lightly lay his head on Grandpa's shoulder as Ed's eyes closed. Without a trace of sadness in his voice, he whispered, “I love you, Grandpa! See you later!”

***

My almost-last-minute entry into another great challenge from L.C. based on this quote:

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” –Albus Dumbledore

Thanks, L.C. for another fun challenge. It took some time to decide which of the prompts to go with, but in the end, Dumbledore's wisdom won. Thanks, also, to those who take the time to read this.