1/18/22 Scars

 Scars

An old grimaced face, covered in scars and stubble, white hair flowing wildly out of his pale white skin. The man sits in his old rocking chair, his ocean blue eyes stare deeply, thinking of the past. 

A young boy, eleven years old, walks into the room, immediately catching the old man's attention. “Grandpa, how did you get your scars?”

The old man lets out a grunty chuckle, “I knew you would ask me that one day,” he says, a rough smile appearing on his face. “Come sit down.”

The young boy sits on the ground, cross legged, in front of the old man in his chair. He looks up at his grandfather with that childlike curiosity, eager to hear his grandpa’s tale.

“Back in the day I was a lumberjack. I wasn’t as big and burly as most but I was damn good at what I did. They would send me up the tall trees, cutting branches as I went. It was dangerous work but it had to be done. One day, I was climbing this tall spruce tree that sat all by its lonesome. I had a man or two spotting me down below but after I was a little ways up, I looked down and the men were gone, scared off by a little rain. I looked up and saw dark clouds, really dark clouds, closer to black than I’d ever seen before.”

 The man pauses, amused by the scared look on the young boy’s face. He continues his tale. “I’ll admit, the clouds scared me a bit too, but I had a job to finish. You see, one of the branches got caught in a powerline and where the tree was they couldn’t get a truck out there, and that’s why they sent me up. As I was about to reach the branch that needed cut, the rain really started pouring and I started hearing thunder in the distance. I pulled on my straps as fast I could, trying to reach that branch. Finally I got to it and started sawing. I got through it and watched it fall to the ground. Then I began my descent down the tree. Everything was going fine u-”

“If everything went fine then how did you get the scars grandpa?” the boy asked, utterly confused.

“I said it was going fine, not that it went fine.” The boy goes silent again, curious to hear the rest of the story. “Just as I was nearing the bottom my sight was filled with a flash of light. I was struck by lightning. I felt my hands let go of the straps and I could feel myself falling down the tree as electricity jolted through my body.” 

The boy gasps, “How are you alive???”

The old man leans in real close to his grandson, “Can you keep a secret?” The boy sweetly nods. “I was saved by a fairy.” The boy’s jaw drops and his eyes go wide with excitement. “The fairy scooped me up out of the air and gently laid me on the ground. She waved her hand over me and magic came out. The pain went away and I fell asleep. When I woke up I made my way home. When I went to look at myself in the mirror, my hair was pure white and these scars covered my face.”

“Awww the fairy couldn’t make the scars go away?” the boy asks with a frown.

“No but I don’t mind. It is a reminder of what I survived.” The man lowers his voice, “Some of the fairy’s magic still runs through these scars, every once in a while, for just a moment, they will glow.”

The boy jumps up excitedly, “Oh oh can I see? Can I see?”

The old man laughs, “I can’t make it happen whenever I want, but if you come visit me more often, you might see it one day,” the old man says with a wink.

A knock is heard on the door. The old man goes to open it and is greeted by his son and daughter-in-law. The young boy runs to the door excitedly, “Mommy, Daddy, can I visit grandpa more pleeeeeeeease?”

The two look at their son, a little confused before the mother answers, “Sure son, I think we can arrange that.” They then look to the old man, with so many questions written all over their face. The old man decides not to answer them and just gives them a quick wink.

“Thank you, thank you!” the young boy says. He turns back and gives his grandpa a hug whispering in his ear, “I promise not to tell them about the fairy.”

“Thank you,” the old man whispers back, pointing the boy towards his parents. They say goodbye and the old man watches his family drive off.

He closes his front door and walks into his bathroom. Turning to his mirror he stares at the scars, as he has done everyday after the accident. Suddenly a little blue spark shoots through the scars, lighting up the man's face for a brief moment. He smiles as he walks away and sits back down in his old rocking chair.

The End

1/18/22