Never let go. That’s what they used to say. They went ahead and let go anyway. They said it would be all right.

My name is Mason Retz. I’m sixteen and I just lost my parents on a mountain climbing trip. There was an avalanche and they got buried, except my mother’s arm. I held on to her hand as long as I could then she went cold and her grip loosened and she let go. I fell I don’t know how many feet and hit a ledge with a hard thud. That’s all I remember of that moment on the mountain. I must’ve blacked out or something.


When I wake up, I’m in a bed that isn’t mine, a room that isn’t my room, and a nightgown hell, I don’t even wear nightgowns. I look at my hand and there’s a needle in it attached to a tube. I see a bracelet on my wrist. I don’t think I was wearing a bracelet when I came in. I notice there are words on it. It says my name, my blood type, and all that medical crap doctors need to know. That’s when it hits me. This is real. I’m actually in the hospital, hooked up to machines that do who knows what but, I can’t figure out why. Then I remember. I see the whole thing play in my head like a movie. The avalanche, letting go of mom’s hand and falling.

The door opens and my brother, Rick, and his wife Nellie, walk in. their faces are sad ones. Nellie walks to my bed and puts her hand on my arm. Rick puts his arm around her and they stare at me for a while. I get fed up with that after two minutes. “Why are you staring at me and why are you making sad faces?”

“Mason, your parents are… well…” Nellie stops.

“”What about my parents?”

“Mason, mom and dad are dead.” Rick blurts out. Way to be suddle about it, Rick.

“No they aren’t. You’re just messing with me. They are alive!”

“Mason. Do you honestly think I would joke about something like this?” I look at rick and see how hurt he looks. Then I realize, that it is true. I no longer have parents. I’m an orphan.

“Mom and dad really are dead, huh?”

“Yes, buddy.”

“God, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t suggested we go mountain climbing, none of this would’ve happened. Mom and dad would still be alive and I wouldn’t be in this weird smelling hospital and… Ow!” I feel a sharp pain in my chest. I breathe in and force it out because it hurts too much to voluntarily do it.

“Mason, it’s not your fault. You can’t always pin a fault on someone even if it seems easier that way.”

“Rick, it is my fault. I was the one who suggested we go in the first place.”

“But did you wish for the avalanche to happen?” I look at Nellie.

“I guess not. Hey, how did you find out about all this?’

“The doctor said they got mom stable long enough for her to tell them she wanted me to be your guardian. She didn’t want you living with some random stranger r in a boy’s home. They couldn’t get dad back though but they did get his blood to give to you because you lost a lot. So in a way, you’ll always have him with you no matter where you go.” Rick pushes the hair from eyes. “You need a hair cut.”

“I think I need more than just one hair cut. I need ‘em all cut.”

“Quit being so sarcastic, you know it annoys me.”

“That’s why I do it.”

“Now you’re just being rude.”

“Sorry.”

“Hey. I heard CSI reruns are on this time of day on CBS.”

“Let’s watch if this place has that channel.”

“Well, while you guys are doing that, Ill go talk to the nurse about those papers so we can be Mason’s guardians.” Nellie walks out of the room and I turn on the TV.

“How can she not like CSI?”

“I don’t know. Crime shows have never really been her thing. The only TV she watches is the news and soap operas.”

“Sounds boring.”

“Yeah that’s why I don’t watch TV with her.”



Two days later, I’m allowed to go home but I’m not allowed to do any strenuous physical activity. This bums me out because I signed up for a benefit run for my friend’s kidney transplant. (A few weeks ago his kidney started failing. So, his parents, being the jocks they are, decided to hold a 5K-benefit run.) So, that’s that story. Now let’s get back to this one.

Rick brings me to his very tall truck in the wheelchair the doctors put me in. I get out of the wheel chair and open the door. I grab the back of the passenger seat and lift myself in.

“I’m going to have to get a step bar on this aren’t I, shrimp?”

“I’m not that short.” I close the door and buckle up. Rick gets in the driver’s seat and starts driving. “What about Nellie?”

“We’re meeting her at the front door. She has to sign some paperwork.”

“What for?”

“So they know you know we’re taking you home and it’s okay for us to do so.”

“Okay.” We drive around to the front and see Nellie come out.

She stops at rick’s door. He rolls down his window. “Mason needs to sign these.”

Rick takes the forms and hands them back to me. “Is there a pen back there?”
I look around but don’t find one. “Nope.”
Rick looks around in the front and finds one and hands it to me. I sign the forms and hand them back to Rick. He hands them to Nellie and she goes back inside. We wait a while longer and she comes out and we go home. On the way home, I fall asleep, probably because of the medicine the doctors gave me.

“Mason, wake up.” Rick is shaking my shoulder. I open my eyes, grunt at him, and go back to sleep. “Alright, have it your way.” Rick undoes my seatbelt and picks me up. “Wow, you lost a lot of weight. Was it because the medicine made you lose it?”

“No. I didn’t like the food so I didn’t eat it.”

“You sure made it look like you ate the food at the hospital.”

“ I have my ways.”

“Mind showing me some of your ways.”

“No, you would just use them against me.” I put my head on Rick’s chest. Rick gets the keys out of his pocket and opens the door. He puts me down and Jock, their Scottish Terrier, starts barking at me. I pick him up and scratch his ears. “Quiet, boy. You know me.”

“You always were good with animals. I guess you still are.”

“Crap!” I put Jock down and cover my face.

“What?” Nellie asks.

“I forgot about Meiko!”

‘Who?” Rick asks.

“A stray kitten I found at he grocery store. I’ve been bringing him food every day since he was young. The grocery store manager wants him dead. I need to go get him.”

“In the morning.”

“No, I need to do it now. The manager could kill him now that I haven’t brought him food tonight.”

“Okay, I’ll take you.” Rick and I go back to his car and we drive to the grocery store.