The Will of the Youngest Son

Emily Harper never takes her eyes off the Operating Theatre sign. The letters blur from hours of waiting, her heart pounds wildly. She clutches her fouryearold son Jacks favourite toya red plastic digger with a buckettightly in her hands. Jack had wanted a blue digger like the one in the cartoon, but over time he grew attached to the little red machine his dad gave him.

At last, a tired doctors silhouette appears behind the fogged glass, the doors fling open and the doctor walks in. Emily leaps up and rushes to him.

Doctor, what happened? How is Jack? she asks, breathless.

The doctor lowers his head, removes his mask, and says, Emily, Im sorry Weve done everything we could

***

Emily lies curled on Jacks bed, the pillow still smells of him. On the mirror opposite, a smudge from his cookiecovered hand remains. Its a small mercy that she didnt wipe it awayhell never dirty it again, and hell never rest his tired head on that pillow.

A salty tear rolls down Emilys weatherworn cheek. Grief burns her heart from the inside. A healthy heart. Thats what Jack never got. Her older son, Thomas, is fine18, at university and fairly independent. But Jack

Her brief, joyous hope turned into crushing sorrow. All the scans had been clear; only moments before birth did they discover a serious heart defect. The radical correction went wrong, and now Jack is gone.

***

Emily closes her eyes, slipping into a restless sleep. Suddenly she finds herself again on a sunlit meadow dotted with colourful, fragrant flowers of every shape. In the distance she sees Jack, smiling his unchanged smile, wearing his favourite shirt covered in tiny cars. He holds a large bouquet of daisies.

Jack! My love! Emily cries, but Jack seems oblivious, absentmindedly sorting the petals.

She runs across the blooming field, arms outstretched for an embrace. No matter how fast she runs, Jack never gets any nearer; instead he drifts further away. Desperate, she screams, reaches out, but cant catch him. Then Jack lifts his eyes to hers, smiles, and fades into the air, leaving only a drifting cloud of daisy petals.

Emily reaches the spot where the petals settle and looks down. A line of neat white petals spells out an address on the green grass.

***

Emily wakes to her phone buzzing. The screen shows Thomass name.

Yes, love, she answers hoarsely.

Mum, Im coming over today. Can you make something for me? Thomas says.

Emily forces a smile. Its been almost three months since Jacks death, but she still has Thomas. She decides its time to pull herself together and live again.

Of course, sweetheart. What do you want? Pancakes? she asks.

Sounds great, Mum! Im on the bus now, see you soon! Thomas replies.

Thomas tries to visit every weekend to distract his parents. He knows how they feel; his own chest aches when he thinks of his little brother. Life goes on, and they must endure the grief togetherthats what a family does.

Emily drags herself to the kitchen. She opens the fridge, rummages through the shelves, and discovers theres no milk. Her husband, David, is at the kitchen table tinkering with a circuit board for his laptop. He looks up and asks, Do you need anything? Want to pop to the shop?

Thomas called. Hes on his way and wants pancakes, Emily says calmly. Were out of milk, but Ill go myself and get a breath of fresh air.

David raises his glasses in surprise. Shes coming back to life, bit by bit, he thinks.

Emily dresses slowly and steps outside. A light spring breeze brushes her face. Birds trill, the trees branches turn a fresh green, ready to sprout new leaves. The world awakens after winters slumber. Emily sighs, Ah, Jack, you didnt get to see my fifth spring.

She shakes off the dark thoughts and walks toward the corner shop.

***

She grabs milk, Thomass favourite sweets, a loaf of bread, and a chicken, then heads to the checkout. Out of the corner of her eye, a familiar laugh rings from a nearby aisle. Emilys chest tightens with longing: thats Jacks laugh. She darts toward the sound and spots a tiny childrens figurine hidden behind the shelves. Knowing it cant be real, she follows the figurine, bumping into a cardboard promotional sign.

She leans down to lift the sign and freezes: on the white background, red letters spell the same address she saw in her dream.

Jack, what are you trying to tell me? Emily whispers.

She returns home, believing the coincidence has meaning. Jack wants to say something, but what? Shell look up the address online later. Not today. Today her only son is arriving, and she must greet him properly and keep herself together.

***

The evening passes unusually warm and pleasant. Emily even finds the strength to smile while listening to Thomass university stories. Thomas devours the homecooked meal, and Emily and David watch him with affectionhes their only child now. Eventually everyone retreats to their rooms and night fully settles in.

Exhausted from the busy day, Emily falls asleep quickly. In the middle of the night she hears a faint humming from the bathroom. Her heart leaps; she knows Jacks voice. Hes singing his favourite song from the cartoon about the blue digger

Emily swallows hard, sits up, and tiptoes toward the bathroom, trying not to startle Jack. She opens the door as quietly as possible, but the bathroom is empty. Tears stream down her face.

Why did I expect him in the bathroom? Hes gone! Its just my imagination, she mutters angrily at herself.

She turns on the tap, washes her face, and looks at herself in the mirror: her own gaunt, pale face reflected, dark circles under her eyes.

In a rash of frustration she rubs soap across the glass, watching the suds run down, somehow forming the addresss letters. A cold draft brushes her back, and a thin childs voice whispers, Im waiting for you, Mum.

***

Why arent you sleeping? David asks, sitting up in bed, the glow of his laptop lighting the room.

Emily sits in a chair, laptop on her lap, eyes fixed on the screen.

David, come here If you feel what I feel, then whats happening isnt just my mind playing tricks

David shuffles out of bed, his heart beating fast as he looks at a photo of a fouryearold boy on the wall. The caption reads, Ethan, 4 years. Ethans parents died in a car crash three years ago; hes been raised by his grandmother, now in care after she passed away.

This address has been haunting me, Emily explains, Its what Jack is sending me

She tells David about the dream, the shop incident, and the bathroom humming. After a moment, David says firmly, Emily, were going

***

Mrs. Thompson, the director of the local childrens home, leads Emily and David down a bright, long corridor, constantly turning to explain.

When Ethan arrived, we thought it would be shortterm. Hes a welladjusted boy, raised in a loving family before his grandmother passed. Hes been through three failed adoptions; he shuts down when potential parents appear. He keeps saying his mum and dad will come back. Lately, for the past three months, hes spoken of an imaginary friend he calls Jack. He says Jack told him his parents will return soon.

Emily and David exchange glances. Could their deceased son be helping a forlorn orphan?

Take a look, meet him. Maybe you can warm his heart, Mrs. Thompson says, opening the door to the playroom.

Emily recognises him instantly. The small, thin boy sits among other children, building a tower of blocks while humming Jacks tune. Ethan looks up, drops the blocks, stands, and rushes to Emily and David, shouting, Mum! Dad! I knew youd come!

***

Mrs. Thompson speeds up the adoption process, genuinely moved that Ethan finally connects with a family. Learning of Jacks death touches her even deeper. Within a month, Emily, David, and Thomas travel to collect Ethan for good. As theyre about to leave, Ethan suddenly pulls his hand from Emilys grasp and cries, Mum, wait! Theres Jack at the end of the hall, he wants to say goodbye!

Emilys heart tightens again, but this time its a gentle ache, knowing she cant change the past, only move forward. Now Ethans future rests in her hands, and she must stay strong for him. She will never forget Jack; his love remains with her, but now another little life depends on her courage.

Ethan dashes to the end of the corridor, pauses by the window, then turns and runs back to his mum, dad, and older brother. Behind the window, a white dove rises from a shiny metal railing, circles the building, and soars into the clouds, disappearing into the sky.