5 Years Later: He sat forward in the chair, watching as his Mom brought him his breakfast “eat up fast, we’re going to be late, Ryan.” She smiled; her blond hair was pinned up. Ryan picked up his bagel and started into it eating it as quickly as he could “Where’s Taylor?” he asked looking around for his sister. “She’s still in the bathroom.” His Mom said, “Taylor!” she called up the stairs, Taylor opened the door leaning her head out her curling iron wrapped in her hair. “Just a second!” she said. Then leaned back in the bathroom. “Mom,” Ryan looked up at her, “I had that dream again.” “What dream?” his mother sat down at the glass-covered table, she had her major in social sciences, and she loved delving into people’s lives. When she and her husband had found him, they were ridding around a ridge in Kentucky. They had permission through some friends to go hunting on the land, that was where she found him, she was digging around in the rocks, because she heard something. Her husband insisted it was her hearing that found their boy; he was battered bruised, and abandoned. Since her husband was s surgeon they flew him off the premises to a hospital back in their hometown, Maryland. “I can’t remember now” he said squinting, Taylor walked down, she was five years older than he was, and today she was graduating. Ryan was just thirteen, and in middle school. She ruffled his hair, sitting down beside him looking at him. “I want to hear the dream” she said excitedly she always liked the tales her brother told because they were so lifelike. Like the time when he had a dream he had escaped a huge storm, he was slipping and sliding, missing lighting as it came down around him, it was so vivid. “I don’t remember it,” he said looking at her with a smile, “Didn’t you hear me.” He laughed. “Yeah, but maybe I’ll hear it again, if I ask you” she said smiling. “What?” he laughed, he and his sister were close, despite their age difference, he was a quite child never got into trouble, and his mom always said he was such an angel. “Let’s go you two” she said picking up her purse, her husband would meet them there. … As they reached the parking lot of Woodson High, Taylor was all squeals, she had her robe on and her “I’m a Cavalier” Ryan hollered in his falsetto voice, fallowing his sister and her two best friends along, jumping up and down making fun of them. “Mom!” Taylor said annoyed, she was bursting with laughter though “Ryan, Mom’s leaving you, go” she said pushing him along playfully, he pushed back a little then smiled leaving her to go with his mom. They walked up the steeps towards the bleachers waiting for his dad to arrive, he was certainly living the life, he was so happy. They watched as the graduates came walking through the door the graduation song playing as they marched in single file lines meeting between two sets of rowed seats. “Go Man!” Ryan yelled watching his sister, as she sat down. The two long speeches were followed by the valedictorian, which was Ryan’s sister, and then finally the procession of names came. It obviously started of with the Valedictorians and Honor students first, then followed the rest of the crowd, Ryan was feeling board, until he heard someone’s name being called. “Harold Baker Littrell the 3rd” the announcer said, a young man, with a wide smile walked up onto the stand shaking the mans hand receiving his diploma, along with another shake from his principal, vice principal, and other various people, before he walked off the stage Ryan, watched as he walked off, hearing voices in the crowd cheering him on, calling his name. Ryan searched around. ‘Ryan?” his mom looked at him, he was standing up in the middle of a crowd of people searching around for the one’s cheering for this kid. “His name” Ryan said sitting down; again, he looked at his mom. “Honey it’s not funny to make fun of people’s names.” “I wasn’t” he protested, watching where the young man sat, he felt his heart beat pump faster “Oh” she said looking at him “good” she smiled and looked back ahead. Finally the long procession was over and the students could be recognized. “Please welcome the Woodson High Graduating class of ‘88,” the principal announced, all the graduates raised up from their seats throwing their hats high into the air. “Go Taylor!” Ryan yelled again watching the balloons colored in red, white, and blue fly up ahead of them. As soon as they could Ryan raced down the floor dragging his parents with him to great his sister. “Oh look at you.” His dad hugged his sister, his Mom got a big picture. Ryan popped his head in, smiling at the right moment. “Ryan!” his Mom laughed “you are such a ham, get out of the picture goofball.” Ryan did as bid, calming himself down, he hear someone call out the name again in the distance. “Littrell!” Ryan whipped around, seeing the young man again, he was hugging a fellow graduate and talking, two people were beside him, but their backs were to Ryan, the man had a little girl in his arms, she was sleeping on his shoulder. “Baker, Dude –“ one of them hollered running and jumping on the kid. “Dude, when do we get to meet the girlfriend.” One of them asked. The kid identified as Baker pointed over towards Ryan and his family, he ducked behind his Mom, she placed her hand on the camera to early, her son had bumped it. ‘Ryan!” she exclaimed, he was acting fishy, “honey I’m not going to be able to take any pictures with you standing behind me.” She said looking around, Ryan had already disappeared scoping out these people. Baker stepped forward saying a hello to Taylor, Ryan’s sister, he looked up at Taylor and Ryan’s parents. “Mr, and Mrs. Benson these are my parents, and my sister” he said. Ryan tried to peak around a throng of people to get a good look at them. “Well” his Mom said putting down her camera, letting it go around her neck, “This is my husband, Pete and our daughter Taylor, and I’m Pam.” The two parents nodded shaking hands, the little girl who had woken up covered the man’s face. She was resting her chin on her dads shoulder investigating everything she could see behind her. ”Where’s Ryan?” Pam asked, looking around. “He probably found Brooks little brother” Taylor smiled, the two families conversed for a few minutes, then Pam started to get worried, she was wondering where her son was. Finally after the Littrell’s had made their way to the door, Ryan re-appeared. “Where’d you go?” Pam asked, she had become a little frightened. “Nowhere.” He replied “I told you I wanted a drink of water, so I got one” he lied. “Ok” she smiled “lets go then.” She said “Taylor that boy seems like he’s a nice kid.’ She said looking at her daughter, Ryan’s dad agreed walking alongside talking with Ryan. “You snuck out, really fast.” He said looking at him, “Where’d you go?” he asked. “I was just wanting to see some people.” “See some people” his dad said wrapping his hand around Ryan’s shoulder “See who?” Ryan shrugged, “Don’t know.” … Weeks went by and Ryan was shipped off to summer camp, he got letters and random calls from his sister with pictures of her visiting her ‘official’ boyfriends parent’s house. There wasn’t a week went by that he didn’t get a letter or send one back. One letter he received from her, he got a bunch of pictures along with it, some of the Littrell’s house, and of Baker and Taylor, and Baker and Taylor, as he thumbed through them, laughing at his sister, he found the last two pictures, one was of Baker, his little sister that he was playing with, who was sitting in-between Baker’s parents. As Ryan looked at the pictures, he felt a wave of emotions flow over him, like he had hit a rock and it had woken him up. He ripped open the small seal that had his sister’s letter inside. “Hey Ry, Ry, How is life in the tee tons? I can’t believe Mom and Dad sent you clear the heck out there, but hey it just means you get all these lovely letters from your big sis, whom you better respond to after you’ve finished, these letters. Baker thinks I write love notes or something, and I have to explain every time it’s my little bro his on the other side of the world, well at least nation. So, I bet you are asking what the heck these pictures are all about, well I spent the weekend with Baker’s family, and they are the coolest people ever. Honestly they are to die for, if I don’t make it into their family by marriage I want to somehow get an agreement that I’m partially theirs. HAHA :o) . You better love that smiley. So anyway back to the pictures, to explain them, Baker’s family, well his parents invited me to church with them one Sunday. It was a little different than I thought it was going to be, but the pastor – that’s what Baker says he’s called – was really something. They were so cool. Baker’s dad is a real sucker for Baker's baby sister, I know I saw him giver her a piece of candy behind Jackie’s back, it was hilarious, because he was caught red-handed. Jackie is Baker’s mom, she is the sweatiest person you will ever meet. I wish you hadn’t just skipped off that day; you could’ve met some cool people. I’m learning how to cook, how to really cook. Jackie won’t let Harold near the stove I learned too, gosh it was so funny, she left the kitchen for like eight minutes, to get Kate from her nap, and Baker’s dad was making some sort of mush, in the end Baker started stuffing things in there too, it tasted gross, needless to say Baker’s mom wasn’t happy. The last picture, is purely just Baker and his family, it’s so cool because this is exactly how they are, laid back, and laughing. Baker and his dad and his mom can carry on jokes for hours. Oh Gosh, it’s so funny. Anyway I’ve got to go, we’re going out to this restaurant tonight. Yummy. I bet your jealous now, in your little tent, soaking wet by the rain reading this by flashlight, well little bro have fun, you’ll be the coolest camper ever, and probably the only one I’ll ever know. Your sister. The coolest ever. Tay Ryan sat and stared at the pictures again and again, his mind mulling over them, looking at them, they felt so real in that picture, why was he so afraid to meet them before. They seemed like genuine people. “Hey Ry go to sleep man.” His tent-mate growled, Ryan stuffed the pictures and letter back into the envelope stuffing them under his pillow sheet. Then looking up at the top of the tent he closed his eyes, and went to sleep. … “Do it again” the voice giggled “...Mom want’s you to stay away from the creek.” “You’re not a dead log, you’re a little laughing boy” the voice smiled “and the tickle monsters gunna get you” “Mommy, Daddy” someone whimpered