To live a life of Love (complete)

Chapter 2: Nick

I used to be a happy child. I was a daredevil, causing havoc all over town. I would steal potatoes and fruit to snack on. I would run around causing horses to get antsy and the townsfolk to get tripped up in my wake. I even once climbed the tallest building from the outside and wouldn't come down until my father said he wouldn't ground me anymore.

But even though I was very annoying and as much as the townsfolk complained, the people of my town never really minded.

So when I stopped being the twelve year old boy I once was, people immediately knew something was wrong.

I refused to do any of my old antics ever again and eventually the townsfolk wished for the 'old' Nick back.

But the 'old' Nick died and he will never coming back.

I'm fifteen years old now and I still haven't changed since that fateful day almost four years ago now.

That day was the last time I saw Emma Peterson, the girl who was my one and only best friend. We were as thick as thieves. We were inseparable. Most of my tricks I did with her. You could almost say that we were childhood sweet-hearts in our own little way.

And that day when I accidently kicked her off that pole was the worst day of my entire life.

I went immediately to the hospital after the accident and waited patiently to see her. But each day the Nurse would come into the waiting room, shake her head at me and I would get up and leave.

When Emma left the hospital I thought that things could get back to normal but she never left the house.

In my free time, I would hang around her front gate and sometimes I would catch glimpses of her through the windows, but she would just sadly shake her head and turned away.

The last day I went to Emma's gate, the maid came out of the house and slowly walked over to me.

"I'm sorry, dear." The maid said "Emma's parents won't let you see her and I'm going to have to ask you to not come back again."

I swallowed a growing lump in my throat and said, "I understand."

The maid had tears glistening in her eyes as she turned and walked back into the house, shutting the door quietly behind her.

I stood there a minute more, then waved a hand in a final farewell before turning and leaving for the last time.

At least now I knew that Emma wasn't mad at me, it was her parents who were.

So I never returned to her house. Instead, I threw myself into my studies at school and then when the school closed, I became an apprentice in my Father's workshop.

I grew into a young man over the following years.

I was six feet tall now. I was stronger than my Father ever was. I became a better blacksmith than anyone in town and I quietly went about my life as normal.

In my free time I would read books and help around the town.

Sometimes I would have nothing to do so I would trudge around town doing nothing and the townsfolk let me be alone.

I suppose I'll never get over Emma but I know she would have wanted me to move on with my life, even though that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

So now I only think of her in my occasional nightmare and when I see the flag pole.

I only wish that I could have apologized to her.

Now I probably wouldn't even recognize her and neither would she recognize me.

But that doesn't even matter because we'll probably never see each other again.

And so I went about my life as best as I could and soon Emma was only a shadow in my memory.

It wasn't until that fateful day, the day I finished my apprenticeship to my Father, that I saw Emma again.

And I'm glad I did because during that fateful day, Emma saved my life...