knack magazine / issue f ive
He had been up all night and was finally sleeping. I sat holding his hand, staring at him. He was so peaceful. I held on to him for so long. He was so thin, like a toy. When he woke up around ten-o-clock he was barely there. “Rob, I need some water.” “…Did you know that it takes twenty people to keep him from floating away?” “Ok. I will be right back.” “… it might take all the people in the world to hold him down!” Back in the den Seth was busy trying to disconnect his IV. In the commotion he woke the nurse. I heard them arguing. By the time I got back, the tubes were out, liquid was spilling. The nurse was trying to reconnect to save the moment. “That’s right! The wind is amazing today, I think he may fly off into the sky…” Seth looked at me. A thousand days of looks. Every second of us went through me and I found myself frozen. His eyes were so clear. I grabbed at his hand and wrapped myself onto him, holding him in, wishing to never let go. I could feel him leaving and found myself screaming – On the television a half-inflated Spiderman balloon collapsed against a building –
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