Sean, Mark, and Rochelle were sitting in the plane while Ivan was piloting. They were on their way to Sallysville, to see Sean’s grandfather, Patrick Lionsgate before he died. Sean felt sorry that he didn’t say goodbye to his grandfather before leaving, so this was his last chance.
“This must be pretty hard for you, isn’t it?” asked Mark. “Having to go back there after what you went through?”
“One of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life,” said Sean. “But, I never got the chance to say goodbye, so, this is my chance.”
Mark nodded and said, “Don’t worry about Roger. If he tries anything, I’ll punch him in the jaw again.”
“Thanks Mark, but I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that anymore,” said Sean. Rochelle moved closer to Sean.
“So what is he like, your grandfather?” asked Rochelle.
“He’s probably the wisest man I’ve ever met,” said Sean. “He always knows what to say no matter what the situation you are currently in. He was always there for me, so now I’m going to be there for him.”
“We have arrived,” said Ivan. Sean looked out the window and sure enough, they had arrived at the Lionsgate residence in Sallysville. They landed the plane safely on the field, and Sean jumped out of the plane.
“Hey, wait for me!” said Mark as they arrived at the front door. Sean knocked and Roger answered.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the insignificant child,” said Roger. “Let me guess, you came to say goodbye to your grandfather in his final moments? Well, you can come at another time, he is busy.”
Sean pointed his sword at Roger’s throat. “You will let us in, or I will kill you.”
Roger stepped back a little. “V-very well sir. Come on in.”
Sean put his sword away and entered the building. It seemed different from what he remembered. So dull and void of life. The place had changed so much. Sean walked slowly to Patrick’s room, followed by Ivan and Mark. Rochelle stayed behind. Sean slowly opened the door and walked to Patrick’s bed and sat in the chair next to it.
“Grandfather? Can you hear me?” asked Sean.
“Well, of course I can hear you my boy,” said Patrick. “I’m dying, not def.” Sean couldn’t help but laugh.
“You always were good at making jokes Grandfather,” said Sean.
“I hear that you had quite the adventure, my boy.”
“That, is an understatement, grandfather,” said Sean.
“I notice that you have my old sword. I am proud of you for being able to confront your father in that way.”
“You know, I never did get to say thank you,” said Sean.
“For what?” asked Patrick.
“For being you,” said Sean. “For being the bravest and wisest man I have ever known, for taking care of me when no one else would, for being my best friend.”
“Sean, no one is truly wise,” said Patrick. “They are only saying the important things because they have the most experience regarding the situation. When you come to be my age, you will have more experience than I ever would get if I could live forever.”
“I’m really going to miss you, grandfather,” said Sean.
“My boy, I will never truly be gone,” said Patrick. “People always believe that you stop living whenever the heart stops beating. That’s not always true. I’ll always be with you, my boy. You may not see me, and you may not hear me, but I will still be by your side. Now, my boy, may I please talk to Jack?”
Sean knew who his grandfather was talking about. Sean nodded and closed his eye for a brief second. He opened it and the eye turned red. Jack was in control again.
“You wanted to talk to me Patrick?” asked Jack.
“Sean cannot hear us, can he?” asked Patrick.
“He cannot, his consciousness is asleep and he is too tired to listen.”
“Good, because what I am about to tell you, is something that Sean cannot know until he is ready, and certainly not this evening. Stoneheart has bigger plans regarding his Suppression Initiative.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Jack, even though a small part of him knew exactly what Patrick was talking about.
“Stoneheart plans on wiping out all children from this world,” said Patrick. “He did not plan the Suppression Initiative alone. He has the aid of a secret yet powerful group of people at his disposal. They have great and terrible knowledge on all forms of the darkest of magic. They plan on using that magic to absorb the souls of the children as fuel for some kind of super weapon, a weapon far more powerful than anything that has ever been or ever will be developed. The weapon has been specifically targeted to attack children and break them down from the inside. And one more thing, Jack.”
“What is that?” asked Jack.
“Sean cannot not know about the secret. He will not be able to understand, and he will be corrupted. You must not tell him, no matter what, do you understand, boy?” asked Patrick.
“Of course sir,” said Jack. “I will make sure that Sean does not know the truth until he is ready.”
“Thank you, my boy,” said Patrick. “Thank you. Look after Sean, and guard him with your life, make sure that no matter what, he does not know our secret, or find out about the truth of Stoneheart’s plan. I’m trusting you.”
With all that said, Patrick took his final breath and died. Jack allowed Sean to regain control. Sean wept for a few minutes before wiping the tears off of his face.
“I want to give him a proper burial,” said Sean. “In the fields. He always loved the outdoors.”
Mark and the others nodded, and even Roger agreed to the burial. So, that night as the sun was setting, and preparing for it’s long rest, Sean placed the tombstone above the buried coffin. The inscription on the tombstone read this.
Here lies the body of Patrick Lionsgate.
A loving grandfather, and respected man.
Sean sat down at the gravesite until nightfall. Roger sat down next to him.
“I would like to apologize for my cruel behavior to you,” said Roger. “I was behaving irrationally, and I hope that you can forgive me.”
“I forgave you when I ran away from this place,” said Sean. “If there is anything grandfather has taught me, it’s that one cannot judge a man by his past, or his story, but only by how what he does in the present affects you. The past is the past, Roger. We have to learn to look forward, and see what could be, rather than what has been.”
“You are already gaining wisdom with experience,” said Roger. “Well, I am pleased to tell you that your grandfather’s home can be used as your base of operations for as long as you wish.”
“Thank you, Roger, I appreciate it,” said Sean.
“You’re welcome, Sean,” said Roger. “Come now, your dinner's getting cold and everybody is trying to steal it.”
Sean couldn’t help but laugh, but the serious look on Roger’s face meant that he wasn’t joking. He jumped up and ran as fast as he could yelling, “Leave my food alone!!”
Roger chuckled as he followed Sean. "Children have quite the energy"
