What do I do now?

by azuell

A Father and His Son

"Charlie, you in there son?" came a deep southern voice from nowhere "Come on now son, don't sleep all our time away" it said this time accompanied by a rough calloused hand gently shaking Charlie from his supposed slumber.

"Wha...huh? Dad? 'sat you" Charlie asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up straight...in a porch swing?

"What, how'd I get here? Last I remember I was...OH GOD!" he yelled as he stood up and started to examine himself to find "Nothing? No burns or broken bones, but I don't get it. I swear I remember laying on the floor of the warehouse with all kinds of rubble pinning me down, and that girl! She's the reason it happened, the reason I..." he trailed off slowly sitting back down in the swing.

"Go ahead son, you can say it" a much older man who looked to be in his sixties said as he sat next to Charlie in the swing.

Charlie's eyes went wide as he slowly turned his head to look at the man sitting to his left. Next to him sat a man he'd known nearly all of his life. From his big bushy gray beard to the crow's feet at the sides of his green eyes. The smile on his face was just as he remembered, kind and welcoming. He was wearing a simple red and black plaid pattered coat with blue jeans.
There next to him sat his father, Red Alizarin Williams.

"...Died. I see, I'm dead and I guess this is my afterlife?" he questioned as he finally realized where he was. The porch was exactly as he last remembered it. The swing they were on was suspended on the left side while simple rocking chairs occupied its right and in the middle, right across from the doorway to the cabin, were the steps down into the snow covered yard. A little ways off he could see the forest he and his dad used to hunt in when they came here. The mountain cabin where they used to vacation was exactly as he remembered.

Charlie's father looked at his son for a moment before leaning back in the swing and saying "Not what you imagined?"

"No it's not that, it's just...well I just think it sucks I had to die like that" he replied looking at his dad.

"Like what?" his dad asked. Charlie looked out into the forest for a moment before replying "I was tricked. There was this girl with long red hair and a white dress. I can't be sure, but I think she set off a bomb or something which set the warehouse I work in on fire. She lured me inside, well maybe lure isn't the right word but that's how it feels. Anywho after I saw her inside I ran in to get her out and that's when it happened, the roof caved in and pinned me there on the floor while she just looked at me smiling. The pain was horrible. I should have known something was up, especially when I was the last one to leave and lock up" he finished with his head in his hands

Charlies dad patted his son on the back gently "That's why I'm proud of you son" he said smiling. Charlie looked over to his father with a confused expression "I don't get it" he said to the old man.

"We'll you never were the brightest crayon in the box" he said chuckling. "Son, you went into a burning building to rescue someone that by all accounts shouldn't have been there in the first place. You weren't even sure if they really were in there, yet you still went in. So things went a little south, maybe that little girl caused that fire or maybe she didn't, at this point that don't matter. What does matter is your actions, you risked your own life to save another, that's why I'm proud of you. There's no nobler act that I can think of"

Charlie just looked at his dad and sighed "Yeah, well, noble or not It doesn't change the fact that I'm dead. I'll never get a wife, have kids, or grow old." he looked out across the snowy yard and sighed "Can I tell you something personal dad?"

"Go ahead son, you can tell me anything"

"All I ever wanted, ever since I got out of high school, was to find a wife with similar tastes as me, marry her, and settle down. Sure, I know it's a simple dream but it's one I held dear and now it's never gonna come to pass" he said tearing up a bit "I wanted to have a couple of kids one day and teach 'em all the things you taught me. Play games with 'em, go hunting, heck I was secretly looking forward to the birds and the bees talk " he finished with a chuckle "Pretty lame huh?"

Charlie's dad looked out into the forest before letting out a sigh "No son, I don't think it's lame. I felt the same way when I was your age. A simple life like that may not be all that exciting but it has meaning" he said as he stood up and walked off the porch.

Charlie tried to get up and follow, but he found that his body wouldn't respond. He looked down to see what was going on and what he saw made him nearly scream out. His body was a mess of scrapes, burns, bruises, cuts, and a bone was sticking out from one of his legs, Yet there was no pain.

"Dad? What's going on?" he called out to his father panic evident in his voice

"Our times up" he said simply turning to face his son "Sorry, but it looks like it's not quite your time after all. You've gotta go back."

Charlie stared at his father for a few minutes before bellowing out "I LOVE YOU DAD!" tears started pouring down his face as he realized this would likely be the last time for a long time he would see his dad.

"I love you too Charles. No matter what happens to you next always keep an eye on the path before you. Love those that would love you, help everyone you can, and when you do get that wife of yours name one of my grandchildren after me would ya? That was always one of my dreams" he said smiling.

Charlie's head slumped down and his eyes, blurry from the tears, noticed everything starting to dim until there was only blackness "I love you dad, I'm sorry..."

Author's Note:

Hello there! Sorry this took so long but I had a lot of things happening to me lately. including but not limited to: severe suicidal depression, a few weeks of massive workload 10 hour days at work, analyzing and trying to correct the things in my life that I don't like, eating right and exorcising (which is hard to do on 10 hour work days), and I lost my phone :/

Anywho thanks to all of you who like this story even a little and to those who started to follow me. Next chapter we'll be going back to the Equestria side of things permanently this time...maybe.

Any advice is welcome as is criticism, peace out everyone! (do people still say that?)

Comments

[SpikeintheHole]

One. I sort of understand what your going through, I went through something like it before.
Two. This story is awesome, please keep it up! And if you might need one, I could be an editor for you.
Three. I still say Peace Out alot, mainly cus my grandpa's a hippie.

[azuell]

3285512 Thanks for taking the time to read my story and yeah I think I may need an editor though I'm not sure im not exactly sure what all that entails

[SpikeintheHole]

3287707
It just means that I view the chapters before they are released and tell you what or if anything needs to be fixed and if you should add anything.

[azuell]

3301151 Gotcha, Well then I'd love to have you if you're still up for it.

[SpikeintheHole]

3301465
Of course, I'd be glad to. Sorry if I don't answer your message right away or if it takes a while for me to proof read, I have a very busy and interesting life that causes me to be away from my computer for long intervals of time.

[HIEfan]

A truley tender moment between father and son.