This is a combination of fiction and nonfiction from a lit project. :)
(Oh, and PianoWizzy bit the dust today. Don't choke wiz.)

“What do you mean you're leaving!?” said Stevie, as anger and confusion melded into a passing tear. There are some things people never forget. The passing of a loved one, the day they realize they're in love, or the day a friend moves away. “Where are you going!?”

William Evans was a kid. He was one of Stevie's best friends. He had short brown hair and dark brown eyes. Most of the people in Covenant Fellowship Church knew him as a pastor's kid. Stevie knew him as one of his best friends. Will carried whatever he could get his hands on, whether it was gum under the table or a penny left on the side of the street. His pockets were always full of rubbish. William was smart, genuinely intellectual, and he knew how to think deeper thoughts. He always had this weight on his shoulders, the heavy weight of responsibility. Perhaps it was his pockets that weighed him down; all the discarded gum wrappers, change, and bottle caps started to accumulate into a condensed ball of adventure. Then there was the Bible. It was a tiny little brown thing he somehow manged to jam it into his oversized pockets. He'd pull it out, with its worn leather cover, and it would always seem to warm the hearts of other people. One thing is sure, it certainly had an unnatural effect on the people around it. These weighty objects gave him an usually serious demeanor, something he inherited from his dad, but that didn't stop him from joining them on their many expeditions.

All of the guys, there were four of them at that point, wore the same type of clothes: t-shirts, shorts, and the occasional sweater. It never really seemed to matter what they were wearing, as long as it kept them warm enough and their parents didn't mind. Bill McMullin, resident energizer bunny, was an advocate of shorts all year round. The others joined in too, they couldn't help it. They all had the impressionable attitude of young boys; it was this impressionability that marked them. They also shared this sort of on-the-go mentality among themselves. If they weren't doing something, they were looking for something to do. There was one time where they got bored at the church during their siblings' enrichment classes. They tossed around ideas, searching for something to do. “We could play tag,” Will suggested.

“Nope, we just played tag. Besides, I don't really like it anyway.” Stevie fiddled with his shoes. Bill backed him up on this one, as he too began to play with his shoe.

“What about hide and go seek?” Stevie suggested, wriggling out of his left shoe. A glint came into his eye, “Or better yet, what about hide and go seek with shoes?” Will wasn't instantly infatuated with the idea as he was afraid he wouldn't get his shoes back, but they eventually convinced him. Years were spent playing that game. Running with shoes, hiding shoes, and carrying shoes.

This continuous search for thrill led them to their love for exploration. It's something that they all shared; they all loved to search out undiscovered territory. It isn't just the boys though, it's an innate desire that man has. Perhaps deep down, everyone has that desire to explore.

What is known is that the desire to explore is what led them into the dark sewer tunnels. Will loved it. It was full of all kinds of random bits and pieces. The smell though, the smell was something that they all carried with them. The clinging odor of a thousand rotting objects flushed down the drainage hung on to their clothes, drenching them in a thousand scents, not many of them being pleasant. The dark sewer tunnels were endless. All there was to see was black and more black. The darkness encroached on them, it called them names. It laughed at their fear, and enjoyed every minute of their pain. It never left them, at least not entirely; darkness always lurked in the back of their minds. Some of them were better at hiding their fear than others. Stevie started to slow his walking. “Guys, I don't like this dark. What if we never come out?” He hated being a coward, but something was telling him this was both stupid and wrong. Bill dropped back to keep him company, “It's alright, it's just like the Christmas play song remember? 'Take a step of faith, take a step of faith. When you can't see your hand in front of your face just take a step of faith.'” Before they knew it they were laughing and singing. Bill somehow knew the only way to fight the darkness was to carry something else. In this case, a tune that eventually became a memory. Darkness was no longer omnipotent, it had a foe. A foe that challenged its strength: melody.

Countless songs flowed through their subconscious, whether it was “Jesus Loves Me” or other Christmas play songs like “Take a Step of Faith”. These songs reminded them of their support, of their faith. The songs lurked in their minds, waiting to be utilized in moments of trial. They all carried one uniting thing that few others really shared; they had a faith that held them to reality. It's this exact truth that they carried above everything else. They carried Christ close to their hearts, a remarkable devotion to something besides themselves. As much as they carried it, it carried them; they each leaned on it for support whenever something went wrong.

Troubles were finite, they came and they went, that was how life worked. That was how troubles were carried. Like the time it was raining and they were playing outside. The Evan's backyard was divided into thirds, the back third dropping into a lower area with mud and bamboo growing at the very back. Stevie was on the swing, the rest of the guys were down in “the pit,” a huge muddy lowered area in the back yard, playing kickball. Stevie was swinging back and forth until he suddenly felt the swing hit something as he swung back. Jane, Will's younger sister lay on the ground crying. The simultaneous desire to get as far away as possible and the overwhelming guilt that pulled him back overtook him in that moment, as vital as it seemed back then, faded away. That's the beauty of youth. That fleeting moment left no real scars, physical or mental, only memories As soon as something became too bothersome, they would give it to someone else. They bore the innocence of youth, all its advantages and all of its disadvantages.

Another member of the troop was Josh Demi, the short, shy kid always wearing his large glasses. His huge family's house was an excellent meeting place for our crew. There were unforgettable hours of playing indoor golf with a K-Nex windmill spent in the ancient mansion. Up the three flights of scarcely lit stairways to the top, this is where they shared scary stories that followed them into their dreams. The endless laughter that echoed through the large crowded bedrooms, lots of silly laughter, giddy laughter, and memorable laughter. One night, the four friends crept down the stairs, out the back porch, and up into the maple tree in the front yard. There was a lot of stifled giggling throughout that night. In the morning there was a rude awakening when they were pushed out of their perches to fall the eight feet to the ground. The four of them looked up to find Josh's brother and their dad howling with laughter at their screeches. They weren't punished further for sleeping in the tree, their punishment had already been inflicted. They were all ashamed of sneaking out to sleep in the tree, but at the same time, they wouldn't have traded anything for that experience. The laughter they had that night would follow them through their lives. They would remember when they were children, when every small thing was just as intriguing. The memories would seek after them.

The lake was beautiful in the summer at the church retreat. A small red boat sailed across the water. The summer light reflected off of the lake, a blinding reflection. “What do you mean you're leaving?!” The trembling tear, the dark expression of pain. Will shuttered and remained silent. He felt ashamed, he hadn't even had the guts to tell Stevie himself, he had to get his dad to do it. Those events that seemed so important, so vital to the future. The events that made one question whether or not they would survive. The scars of a broken friendship, split apart by thousands of miles. The shame that he carried until it finally faded away into an intangible blob of confused feelings. The two boys shook hands and said their goodbyes.

The beauty of youth is innovation, and appreciation for the small things in life. This wonder and appreciation for the magnificent world around seems to fade as most people get older. It's a shame, really. Will, Stevie, Bill, and Josh knew something about the world, something they couldn't help but believe. They believed that the world is a place of excitement and adventure. It is this knowledge that drove them up the maple tree, through the tunnels, and into the nooks and crannies of hiding places. They had a simple faith in the world around them. They believed in God and that there were things to do and people to see. They were innocent and impressionable. They were unmarked by the events in their life, but rather strove forward into more expeditions. It was even true that day on the lake, the day when Will left.

The lake was a large one, ringed with trees along the edge with a few clearings scattered across the far side. The single little red boat was sailing across it, slowly making its way toward the opposite side of the lake.

“Goodbye Will,” said Stevie, looking Will in the eyes.

“Bye Stevie,” said Will, returning his gaze. In that handshake passed an understanding. I'll see you in a few years, okay? said Stevie's eyes. You know it. We'll share all our stories, returned Will. The two held the glance for a second or two, then dropped it to look off toward the lake. In a minute or two Will's dad urged Will off toward the car. As Stevie watched, Will's car disappeared around the corner of the road. He turned to look out toward the lake. The little red boat had disappeared...