Awake Asleep Dreaming Dead (24 page)

Is that Sam’s old camera you have there?

Yes, it’s the one he had in the car. His mother said I could have it. Sam used this camera to take a lot of pictures.

The pictures I saw of the trips you guys went on looked fantastic. Like you had a lot of fun. Maybe we can take some trips.

After . . . well . . . after the baby comes.

The baby?

I’m having Sam’s baby.

You look happy, Esther.

I wish Sam was here. Oh, I’m sorry, I just miss him.

Don’t worry, Esther, I’ll take care of you.

I’d like that, I’d like that a lot.

Let’s get something to eat, Esther.

Okay, but first, can I take your picture standing next to the oak tree?

My picture? Holiday said.

Yeah, standing next the oak. It’ll be a memory we can have forever.

Okay, Esther, where should I stand? Hey, look! There’s a cat up in the tree. It looks like the one I saw in some of the pictures at your place.

That was Sam’s cat, Esther said, and his name is Harley.

You mean was, right? That can’t be the same cat?

Right, you’re right, can’t be him, then Esther guided Holiday to a spot next to the oak. Right here. Just stand right here, put your hand on the tree, lean on it, and don’t move. Okay, smile! One—two—three! Esther pushed the shutter. There was a flash, and she fell to the ground.

His name was Holiday. He was a dentist. One day he just vanished without a trace. No one knows what happened to him. I took that picture at the playground, that’s where I met Sam. We carved our names in the tree. Esther raised her arm. Holiday made this bracelet for me. I don’t remember exactly what happened that day, but I saw Sam, and then Holiday just disappeared.

You saw Sam?

He was sitting in the tree with his cat, Harley.

In the tree with his cat? How?

I don’t know.

That’s a nice bracelet. Why do you think the guy disappeared?

Well, maybe he had to be with his dad, so bad memories wouldn’t be passed on. Sometimes it’s the only way—

The boy reached into the box, and took out a camera.

Is this your camera?

No, it was father’s camera.

What was he like?

He went to many places, saw a lot of things, and wanted the truth to be told. You keep the camera, it’s yours now. He’d like you to have it.

Can I carve my name in the tree?

Your name is in the tree, right next to his.

Where is he now?

He’s here, there, and in a far away place. A place that’s peaceful with golden sunlight, fluttering butterflies, and singing birds. Where trees reach the sky, so you can climb up on a branch, and see the whole world.

Can I go there?

Anytime you want. I go there all of the time.

How?

Hold the camera up to your eye, look through the viewfinder, and push down on the shutter button.

Now what?

Now think of a place you’d like to be, who you’d like to be with, and it’ll happen.

The viewfinder flashed, and the boy felt like he was on a whirling roller coaster ride. Pictures of memories, images, and sounds of the past rolled by. One after another they appeared. He saw a lifetime of stories that will hover forever on the pages of time.

The boy lowered the camera and said, I’m Sam Young! He closed his eyes, and felt he had done many things.