Miles To Go Before I Sleep

To Entice A Laugh

To Entice a Laugh

...

She was back again. It wasn't the first time Jack had seen the girl come to the lakeside and he highly doubted it would be the last. He knew she lived within the village – had seen her there on several occasions – and sometimes adults accompanied her (whom he presumed were her parents). But this time she was alone.

Like the last time (and all the times before that) she sat herself down on the lake edge and stared out solemnly at the frozen water. It seemed to be her default expression; he could recall only a few rare occasions he'd seen her smile, and even those had been small and weak. It was like someone had come along with a fun-destroying broom and swept it right out of her. And as someone who prided himself on having fun, it was almost insulting.

"Hey, Jack," the girl – Emma, he remembered – muttered quietly.

He knew it wasn't directed at him; he'd learned that the hard way the first time he'd seen her there. At first he'd been ecstatic – someone could finally see him! – but it was clear that her Jack was someone else when he'd talked to her and moved into her line of sight without garnering any sort of reaction.

"Hey, Emma," he replied anyway, dropping down from his branch. At least he could pretend they were having a two-way conversation, right? That way it would look like neither of them were insane and talking to themselves. Not that anyone could see him anyway.

"I really miss you," she said, her voice hitching as her eyes started to water. "It's just not the same without you."

Her words were almost identical to the last time she'd visited, and like the last time Jack found himself at a loss for how to respond. It was just as well she wasn't expecting one. But nonetheless a part of him pained to hear her grief, wanted to scoop her up into a hug, hold her close and tell her everything was going to be okay. But he couldn't. And it hurt.

"I ran into the Williamson boys again today," she continued quietly.

"Again? Don't those two know when to quit?" Jack frowned, taking a step across the ice towards her. "I should have known it was something like that; you have a habit of coming here to talk when you're troubled. What did they do this time?"

"It was the same old thing. They found out that I still come here to talk to you and they told me to stop being stupid. You're not here anymore and you can't solve my problems for me. They said that I should grow up and move on.

"But I can't! If it wasn't for me you would still be here! I can't just forget and pretend it never happened!" she curled in on herself, burying her head in her knees and hugging herself. Her next words were almost completely obscured by her tears. "Why did you have to die?"

"Hey," Jack frowned, closing the distance between them and kneeling down in front of her. "I don't know who the Jack you're trying to talk to is, but I have no doubt you were as important to him as he was to you. And even if what you say is true – that he's gone because of you – which I highly doubt, I'm sure he wouldn't see it that way. I'll bet he was just glad that you're okay. So don't cry, okay? What do you think he'd rather see; you crying or you with your beautiful smile? Don't listen to those Williamson boys; they're about as smart as a bag of rocks."

Ever in tune with him, the wind rustled her hair and clothes gently in a silent show of support. Emma slowly lifted her head and for a second their eyes connected and Jack allowed him that one moment to believe she could see him before the truth sank in and he realised she wasn't focused on him but the lake behind him.