In the Middle of the Bed (A Saira Collings Story)

March 17, 1995 (Jake's Story)

Crushed by a tree. Poor fricken' Jake. Guess that's how it is when you work with the fire department.

That day, the fire department was cutting up trees to make a barrier against the river that flows through my town, so that way they would have plenty of water, blah blah blah. I didn't listen to the rest; too boring for a five-year-old.

But, intrigued as I was, I went to watch them cut down trees. Most of the men were working on tall oak and spruce trees near the river. Jake, on the other hand, was working farther down the river, well out of shouting distance and unseeable through the numerous branches and dust.

I sat on a branch in a tree, and watched Jake work on cutting down a towering sycamore. His axe thrusts were perfectly timed and expertly coordinated; the tree fell within about twenty swings. Jake moved on to the next tree, another sycamore.

His bronze hair gleamed with sweat, even though it was a cool day. His dark brown eyes mimicked the wood of the pine trees. His arms flexed with muscle. He was handsome, to say the least.

Suddenly, though, he made his mistake. He glanced around as he swung, and cut the tree. Problem was, he was staring up at me. Apparently, I had made a sound of some sort, so he turned to see where it came from. The tree fell quickly and quietly.

I pointed behind Jake, and he must've seen my eyes go wide in fear, for he turned around.

Just in time to catch a sharp tree branch through the chest.

I wince, but don't close my eyes. The tree branch exits his back, bedecked in scarlet blood. Jake moans, then goes limp. I see his spirit rise from his body, though he disappears immediately after forming. I feel my soul break again. This shard is blue though, not red, which surprises me, even though I have only killed one person.

I run back to the other firefighters, and the men quickly follow me to Jake's body. All grim-faced, they tell me to go home. I do so, casting fearful glances backwards. I had never seen someone die by a tree before. Never heard of it even.

Jake's scar is a mirror image of Sami's. It travels down my left ribs, barely clearing two bones' width. It, also like Sami's, barely hurt. Unlike this next guy's.