The Red beanie

THE RED BEANIE

I sat in the bay window drawing on the glass. "you should go outside Caleb." I looked at my mother in her wheelchair with her legs missing. "Blake always loved when it was winter, Sarah did too, not as much as Blake but she knew Basketball season was coming." my mom rolled herself over. "we live in Canada, they had to get used to the weather, one way or another, unlike you who was born here." I looked out the window to see the snow on the basketball net in our drive way, at this time my brother would have gotten his hockey nets out, but the nets and his hockey bag stayed in the garage untouched for four years. his hockey bag had to have been a village of spiders by now. "it's kind of ironic don't you think? Blake and Sarah dying in a fire when they loved the winter so much." I heard my mom say, I replied. "not to mention Dad literally lost his shit after the accident." My mom rolled her eyes and said. "he couldn't understand what was going on, Blake and Sarah were two thirds of his world." I looked out the window, staring at the snow falling. my mom left rolling herself out of my room. Four years ago Blake and Sarah went to a hockey game with me and my family, after the game we were going home but the arena caught on fire and it spread quickly, like someone had poured gasoline everywhere, my family ran for an exit but we all got split up, I was split up from my father, mother and Blake.

I was with my sister, Sarah who helped me get out of the building, we met my mother and father outside but my brother was nowhere in sight, my sister asked my father, he looked at me and my sister and said. “I thought he was with you two.” My sister went to run into the Flaming building, I grabbed her and yelled. “are you insane!? You’re going to run into a burning building?!” Sarah put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “Blake would go into the building if it was me or you and he would definitely go in if it was both of us. Someone has to help.” as she ran in to the firey flames, her red beanie fell off her head onto the ground. I picked it up and ran to get Sarah out but the roof had collapsed and the flame grew higher before I could even call out her name.

When the cops arrived nobody who was left in the building survived, which meant my brother and sister died, later we discovered that my mother had giant infected burns on her leg and needed them amputated, after the surgery that was the final straw for my father, that hockey game ruined his life, his big guy and his little girl were gone, there was just me now, my brother was big guy because he was as tall as my dad by ten, and I was little man since I was shorted than him. My dad moved away to a colder place, Greenland, since my brother and sister loved winter so much, he thought it might help, I don’t know if it did, but he never came back home after the accident.

It has been four years with my brother and sister gone and I still wish it was just a bad dream, but in the end it never is.

I’m going to a winter sleep-away camp, I’m excited to go but I wonder how my mom is going to be, she’s seeing someone but I don’t know how this will affect her, I guess she’ll be okay the man she is seeing, Taylor has two little girls himself.

I’m packing right now, I see my reflection in the mirror. My tanned skin tone, the roots of my black hair slicked back, Sarah’s red beanie was covering the rest of my hair. I wear it all the time now, it’s dirty an still has the ashes in the wool, my mom offered to wash it but I refused on washing it, I still think it has Sarah’s natural scent on it with some of her brown curly strands inside it. I looked over at my desk to see a photo taken when my sister started middle school, I was in grade three at the time and my brother was in his freshman year, this was two years before the fire, we were at a christmas concert. Blake had his black hair combed and spiked up nicely with his olive skin smooth, his green eyes looked like limes, he was in one of his christmas sweaters, it had patterns at the top and bottom, in the middle it said “It’s Christmas Bitches!” Sarah was in her Red beanie with her curly brown hair brushed nicely that was let down, her olive skin looked just like Blake’s and her brown eyes shined in the light and I was in an elf hat, People say I’m a mini Blake expect my eyes that are brown like Sarah’s. my brother was holding me like how Shaggy holds Scooby in “Scooby Doo” my sister was smiling with a music stand in her hand since she was helping clean up. I sighed and went back to packing for sleep away camp. I stuffed my leather jacket and my water bottle in. I zipped it up and took it downstairs and grabbed my bus ticket. When I loaded up onto the bus a boy maybe a year older than me said. “hey cool beanie! Where’d you get it?”

I took it off. “It’s my sister’s, she cut the brand tag out when she got it.” I said showing him the other tag where she had written her name. “Kyle.” the boy said. I grinned. “Caleb” we soon got to the camp and I unpacked my suitcase. Kyle threw his bag on the bed next to me. “Have you ever thought of asking your sister?” I hung my head. “I can’t.” Kyle said. “What do you mean you can’t?”

I looked at him. “My sister passed away a while back, she ran back into a burning building to save our older brother who was trapped, and neither of them made it out alive.”

Kyle said. “I’m so sorry.” I Just nodded.

The next day we were going to a village where the people live in ice and snow. As we were passing I saw at least ten people ice fishing. The supervisor said we had two hours to do whatever we wanted. I decided to look around, the advisor had told us that stealing was a big thing so we should keep our belongings close, as I was walking a man covered in dark clothing bumped into me. “WATCH IT, JERK!” I could only see his eyes so I didn’t know how mad he was. I went to look at my watch, but it was gone that man took it. I yelled. “Hey!” Give me my watch back!” The man bolted into the forest, I chased after him, he ran through a forest full of ice and pine trees, it was hard to see where you were going, but with the man in black clothing or navy blue it wasn’t hard to see him. Finally he jumped into a hole, I didn’t have to stop in time which means I just fell, it turned out to be a hill that was layered over with ice. I yelled and fell into a cave, I got up and saw the man, he was standing looking at me, he then turned around and sprinted off, I chased after him with my lungs on fire and pine needles in my clothes and my sister’s beanie. He ran turned a corner that turned out to be a dead end.

He turned around to exit it but I was in his way, I laughed. “Give me my watch back, RIGHT NOW!” the man pushed on the wall and it opened. He turned back and ran I chased after him until he dropped it, I picked it up and looked forward,

I saw a face hadn’t seen in years, the first thing that she said was “wow, You look just like Your brother.” I struggled to say the one word I wanted to say. “S-Sarah?” She nodded. I took a deep breath and reached for my head. I took off Sarah’s red beanie and held it out for her, there we just stood in complete silence with my armed stretched out holding her beanie for her to take it.