Chapter 10: a day in the sun, Part 3

After the sun went down, we went back into the park and got up close to the castle.It was so beautiful all lit up.It even sparkled.We watched a parade with lights and then the finale of the night was a huge fireworks display above the castle.It was the biggest fireworks show you had ever seen.There were a few loud booms that you didn't care for.You covered your ears a few times but the songs that went along with the display were all your favorites.

The beeping from his wrist sounded again and distracted Max from the show that illuminated the night sky above with hues of green, blue and purple.

The park closed and like cattle, everyone pushed and shoved their way to the exit.Tired of getting our heels nipped by strollers, we slipped into a big store on a corner and we bought you a big stuffed animal.Well, it wasn't an animal really but a stuffed and soft version of your favorite space ranger.The moment you saw the row of them, conveniently on the second shelf perfect for six year olds I might add, you grabbed one and wouldn't let go.We either had to buy it for you or let the shopkeeper stick a price tag on your bottom.There was no separating the two of you.

Back at the hotel, you introduced your new friend to your stuffed Spider-Man and the three of you fell asleep in no time flat, Spider-Man under one arm and the ranger under the other.What a great picture.We could not have asked for a more amazing day.I would give anything to have just one more day like that.

Max's mom folded the scrapbook on her lap closed and tossed a tissue in the waste basket next to her chair.She reached her arm out and held onto her son's hand.His Spider-Man and space ranger stuffed friends were tucked under the blanket next to him and the machines beside his bed beeped as they monitored his vitals and kept his small body alive.He had been in a coma ever since the accident.

Max's family had said their goodbyes and his mom wanted to tell him one last story before she had to say goodbye to her son for the last time.

She leaned in, kissed his forehead and whispered, 'I love you'.Tears raced down her cheeks as the doctors turned off the machines and the beeping stopped.

Galactic Casualties of War, Part 1

Thornton Wallace III descended from a long line of well-to-do and well-respected community figures.His grandfather was the Grand Master to oversee the Masonic jurisdiction in the northeast while his father was aspiring to be Worshipful Master of the lodge in their hometown of Scottsfield.Both his grandfather and father have left their mark on the community in more ways than one.The elementary school was named after his grandfather and his father just donated a hefty sum of cash to expand the hospital.Once construction was complete, the new cancer research wing will be named after him and Thornton's mother.She lost her battle with cancer three years ago, and Thornton's father did what he knew best by diving into his work and giving back to the community even more, all to make a name for himself.

Thornton was as motivated as his grandfather and father but not in the ways of adding value to the community or being a leader to freemasons.He would rather strive to be commander of Squadron 45, the most gifted and talented Stealth Elf or even, the most powerful wizard in all of Razmos.Thornton's glory and fame came to him when the power light flashed blue on one of his video game consoles.

In the online gaming world, Thornton was a leader, a hero, a god.In the real world, well, not so much.He lived in realms beyond earth, battled alien commandos on Mars, scavenged for supplies and firearms on alien sub-cruisers at the bottom of the Pacific and even saved a Viking princess from the clutches of the evil three-headed troll dragon.However, in reality, his realm was not as adventurous or exciting.His empire was the four walls of the basement in his father's home.

The faded-green couch clung to his backside like an outfielder's hand in a well-worn baseball glove.The right arm of the couch was stained with nacho-cheese dusted claw marks and the coffee table was littered with crinkled wrappers from local various fast-food entities. Yellow and blue wrappers piled high on each other with crusted cheese bits and ketchup stains while aged blackened guacamole clung to foil wrappers.A six-pack of neon green soda sat huddled close to each other, still bound by the linking plastic rings.Four of the bottles were empty and a fifth was half-empty, the carbonation escaping three days ago, leaving a sugar-filled flat liquid that he would eventually drink anyway.

Thornton had everything he needed in the basement and never had to leave, rarely getting up from the sofa except to use the bathroom or grab his next meal, left on the stairs.The housekeeper kept him fed three times a day with his favorite fast-food meals.Sometimes Thornton would get motivated and swap out a bag of wrappers and cardboard containers for a fresh meal but usually the garbage piled up around him for weeks at a time before the housekeeper felt brave and cleaned up the mess.

Thornton landed the ideal job for himself, video game tester at Epic III Studios and he was by far their best tester.It was up to him to find any programming mistakes, glitches and figure out the cheat codes.If he could defeat the games too easily, the game went back to the drawing board or headed onto store shelves at reduced price.Epic III Studios heavily relied on him and more than he realized, Thornton relied on them.In the real world, Thornton didn't have any friends and the closest he came to a relationship with a girl was while playing War Cry IV.One of his online companions was Queen Destiny 38 and they blasted their way through levels together for a few days until they reached the main reactor on the rebel's base.While having her back turned, he fired a proton cannon and she was out.She would have to wait two hours before respawning, giving him plenty of time to take out the reactor to become the sole champion.