• “Here we go…” my grandpa says as he pushed open the way to the attic as hard as he could, obviously.
    “Grandpa, why are we going to the old, dusty attic?” I asked, confused.
    “Why, child? Well, the attic is just the beginning of an amazing history. Watch your head.” My grandpa replied.
    “But why now? Why are we going in the attic at this time?” I asked, more confused then before. It was 3 in the morning! Why are we going into the attic of my grandparent’s two-story house?
    Grandpa just shrugged. “Common sense.”
    Finally, the attic door gave in with a loud creak, and Grandpa just standing on the ladder, his head in the attic.
    “Ah, smells just like home.” He exclaimed. Now I was very confused! He’s already at home!
    But before I could ask Grandpa something, he had already gone inside the attic and I didn’t know what to do. Then a voice came from the place of dust, which said “Well, c’mon! Don’t just stand around like a mindless donkey! Come up!” I heard from Grandpa.
    I gulped. I was deathly afraid of heights, and that ladder was pretty high. Reluctantly, I climbed onto the first step. I flinched every time it made a creaking noise, and I finally made it to the top. There, I saw Grandpa. What really got me surprised was that he was digging through a mess of things in an old trunk. I took a moment to look around the attic.
    It was most definitely a dusty place, I can tell you that. There were a ton of little old things that must have come from Grandma’s and Grandpa’s time. There was a little old rocking chair that sat in the corner of the attic. And also a shelf that was filled with photo albums. But what surprised me the most was what Grandpa took out from the trunk – a plain old small wooden horse.
    “That? That’s what we came up for? That’s why you woke me up at 3 in the morning, Grandpa?” I said, annoyed and sleepy.
    Grandpa gave me a stern face. “No, child. This here horse ain’t just a plain little thing. Now, you got to promise me you won’t tell –“but Grandpa didn’t finish that sentence. My heart skipped a beat as Grandpa fell to the ground, his eyes open, and his breath coming in shallow gasps, obviously trying to breath. I panicked, not knowing what to do. So I did the main thing that most people do when their grandpa has fallen in the attic at 3 in the morning – scream.
    “GRANDMA! GRANDMA! GRANDPA’S DYING!”

    * * *

    “What, darlin’? What on earth is goin’ on?” I heard Grandpa mutter as she hastened down the hall over to me. I had gone down the ladder to see Grandma, but let me tell you something – going down is not as much fun as going up.
    “Grandpa! Grandpa – he’s – oh, what the heck? Just go see for yourself! But HURRY!” I cried. Tears were coming out of my eyes now.
    “What?! Now darlin’, don’t cry.” She comforted. Why the heck is she comforting me when her husband is dying in an attic?
    “Go in the attic!” I cried, the tears coming out of my eyes rapidly, my face was in my hands.
    Grandma climbed the ladder, obviously bracing herself for what she would see. But even that didn’t prepare her for the awful event that happened on that night, when Grandpa was near death.
    “GEORGE!” screamed a distressed Grandma.

    * * *

    “Yeah, we got a dead grandfather here. We are in the neighborhood “Orchard” and we are in house 4326. Yes. Yes, we will get right on that, sir.” I heard from the police. I had called 911, and Grandma was still weeping in the attic. The sirens blared, and the neighborhood had come out to see all the commotion. Most of them came out because they knew that I was in need of comforting.
    My best friend in the neighborhood, Alice, had been the most comforting.
    “They’re going to find out, Susanna. It’s going to be alright. He’s going to be okay.” Alice comforted. She was hugging me right now, and I was crying like crazy.
    “Sweetie, dear. Why don’t you spend the rest of the night at our house, sweetheart? You’ll get away from all the ruckus and it might help you forget about all this.” Ms. Green, Alice’s mother, had suggested for me.
    I was crying so much that I had been hiccupping, so I just pursed my lips and nodded. I was in a blanket right now, and still in my pajamas like everyone else.
    “Come on, darling.” Ms. Green said, hugging me as tight as Alice.
    “I-I- need ‘a t-t-t-tell G-g-“I started, stuttering because I was still traumatized.
    “Your grandma? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. In fact, I think she would believe ‘tis the right thing to do for you right now.” Ms. Green led me to her house, with Alice walking beside me. My bare feet were red from walking on the concrete sidewalk, but that didn’t bother me. What bothered me was that my Grandpa was inside am ambulance right now, heading right to the ER.
    “So, what do you want to do? I think a sip of hot cocoa would be best to drink right now, wouldn’t you agree?” Alice said, trying to change the subject. But I wasn’t going to forget that easily.
    Alice was a nice girl, with dark brown hair and green eyes. Usually, she would be the girl that is friendly and speaks to everyone, and is best friends with the quiet, studious, girl who doesn’t speak (which is me). She would always comfort anybody, and her motto is “If it fits, it works.” But I never know what “it” is.
    I just nodded my head.
    Alice went to her kitchen to heat up the hot cocoa, and she said she would add the last bits of marshmallow in mine because I needed it more then her, but I didn’t like pity. I wrapped the blanket tighter around me while I sat on their very plushy couch and just sat, thinking.
    Thoughts swirled around my head like dumplings in wonton soup. Thousands of questions ran through my head: How had this happened? How could Grandpa almost die now, at 3 in the morning? Why had it happened so fast? What was so special about the wooden little horse?
    Suddenly, it hit me. Maybe that was it! Maybe this is all just a long dream, nightmare correction. Then, I sighed. No, that wasn’t it. My usual nightmares had ghosts and goblins in them, not anything that could happen in real life. But still, Grandpa said that the little wooden horse wasn’t anything plain. He said it was special….. I think. I can’t remember what he said to me, I was too worried calling 911 and leaving Grandpa, who was headed to the ER.
    A single tear made its way to my cheek, and I wiped it off with my sleeve.
    What will I be doing now? I live with Grandpa and Grandma, because my own parents are dead. I remember them, they were the best ever. But a single car accident on their way to work (they carpooled, because they worked at the same place) killed them immediately. If Grandpa was dead, what will happen if Grandma and I are on our own? Was Fate cutting the lives of the people I loved, one by one? What if, what if –
    “Hey, the hot cocoa’s done. Want any?” Alice asked, being gently with her voice.
    “Uh, sure.” I answered.
    She led me to the kitchen, and we both sipped our hot cocoa, and during the time that my hot cocoa was halfway done, she decided to talk.
    “What’s your plan?” she asked carefully.
    I stared at her questioningly. “What do you mean?”
    “Well, let’s just say your grandpa didn’t make it. What are you going to do?”
    I just sipped at my hot cocoa, thinking about that.
    “I don’t really know. Maybe I’ll have to go back to the foster house, but that would really stink. The foster house for the orphan kids, they pity you which really annoys me.”
    “And I don’t want you to leave – we haven’t known each other long enough.” She commented.
    So, we sat there, sipping hot cocoa, until it was time to go to sleep.
    Alice let me sleep in her bed, while she slept on the floor right beside it. But even the soft bed of Alice couldn’t make me fall asleep. It was 6am when I was still awake.
    “Alice?” I asked, not knowing whether or not she was awake or asleep.
    “Yeah?” I heard from her.
    “I can’t fall asleep.”
    “Yeah, me neither. Want to turn the light on?” she asked.
    “Sure.”
    Three loud and clear claps from Alice and the light was turned on.
    We both sat up, and looked above. Even though we weren’t speaking, we were good enough to know what the other is thinking of: Grandpa in heaven.
    We could also talk in our head, even when the other is a million miles away.
    What do you think heaven is like, Alice? I asked her in my mind.
    A few seconds later, then a response.
    My ma told me heaven is like paradise. She said that it was sometimes a state of mind, and that we can visit whenever we want, because God has the door open for us.
    Then I saw a picture sent from her mind of herself smiling.
    God gave us unlimited access then. She answered.
    Do you think my grandpa is up there right now? I asked.
    Exactly one minute later, then she replied.
    Can’t say he is, can’t say he isn’t.
    Then later on, Alice clapped three times again to turn the light off, but we weren’t going to sleep yet. We both talked a little bit more in our heads.
    Do you think I should go to school tomorrow? I asked.
    Heck no, that’s crazy talk. They aren’t going to let you go to school when your grandpa’s almost…. Dead.
    Well, I guess you’re right.
    Boy, am I!
    Ha, well I guess it’s time to sleep.
    But we can’t turn our minds off, can we?
    Well, I guess not. But if the other one gets a nightmare, we wake them up. Promise? I asked.
    Promise. She replied.
    And then I let myself fall asleep.