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Amelia opened a diary she found in the attic in an old trunk her great-great grandfather had once possessed. Inscribed in the leather bound book was the name of "Bumlets." She opened it with curiosity, opening to a random page, near the back, to find a story scrawled in neat handwriting on a few pieces of paper, the name Dr. Lucero written in the corner. With a flashlight she sat down on the moth eaten chair and made herself comfortable brushing away her thick wavy black hair from her face and began to read. Friends come from the places you would never expect. I met her while I was visiting Crutchy in the hospital. She wasn't in the same wing as Crutchy, but suffered from something similar, along with various other medical problems. She wasn't as pretty as some of the girls on the street, but she had this amazing personality that never seemed to fade, even as her life began to. I can still hear her laughter echo through out the hallway. I work there now. Just to walk down the hallway and remember the small girl, who changed my life forever, and showed me the meaning of a true best friend. August 17, 1900 Crutchy waited in his room impatiently. Since the strike Crutchy along with Denton's money had provided Crutchy with a routine check up every month on that leg of his that seemed to give him troubles. "I'm going to look around." I said glancing at Crutchy a moment, listening to the sound of laughter ring through the corridor. Crutchy nodded and with his famous goofy smile chuckled. "Go ahead Bums, since you were the only one who offered to come here with me." I smiled and brushed some of my hair out of my face and started towards the laughter that still rang out. Not annoying, but like a sweet melody. I followed it into a room where I saw a girl, about the age of 9 or 10 sitting in a bed. I watched her from the doorway. She had a pale complexion, with a tint of rosy cheeks, most likely from a fever, short and choppy chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes. She had freckles all over her face and a full smile. I watched her for a moment before she turned her head in my direction. "Is someone there?" she asked her voice loud and confident. I watched her pondering why she couldn't just see I was there, when it hit me. She was blind. "Sorry ma'am didn't mean to bother you." I said beginning to leave. She sat up a bit more the covers falling down by her waist exposing a never-ending line of bruises. "No, wait, please don't leave." She said a somewhat hint of desperation in her voice. I glanced down the hallway looking for a sign of Crutchy before entering the room and proceeding to her bed. She patted the side gently. "Sit." She instructed with a smile. I sat down a smile creeping onto my face. "Who are you?" she asked titling her head to the side. "Bumlets." I answered playing with the sheets, staring into the full of life hazel eyes, only to have her not see me back. "What made you come by here Bumlets?" she asked leaning back against the bed and waiting for his answer. "My friend is here. His name is Crutchy. He has a limp." Bumlets sighed, feeling as if he were talking to a four-year-old. "Oh. Crutchy. He's come by here a few times. A sweet boy he is." She nodded, before frowning some. "You don't have to stay here if you don’t want." She said. "How do you know I don't want to be here?" I asked pressing her a bit. "Because you are all tense Bums." She giggled. Bumlets couldn't help but laugh. This girl may not be able to see, but she had character. "Do you sing?" I asked her after a round of laughter. She nodded eagerly. I smiled getting an idea. "How about you write me a song. And sing it for me sometime?" I said glancing up and seeing Crutchy in the doorway. She nodded eagerly. Bumlets laughed standing up and rubbing her head messing up her hair. She grinned and waved to me as I receded towards the door. With one last glance over my shoulder I saw her smile before laying back and closing her eyes. On the walk home, Crutchy remained silent about the girl, and filled me in on what the doctor had said to him. I listened to be respectful but my mind kept wandering back to the girl. I just smiled and nodded as we entered the lodging house. Holding the door open for Crutchy I looked up at the sky and saw a star straight on and towards the moon. The following weeks were passed with the same routine as always and on Saturday morning I rose early to go with Crutchy to the hospital. I waited with Crutchy before going down to the room. I waited outside the door and the nurse exited a frown her face and frowned a bit, muttering, "Things only keep getting worse." I went into the room and she was sleeping, I just sat there, feeling at an unusual peace with my surroundings and myself. I was about to leave when I heard a voice. "Hey Bums?" she asked quietly. "Hmm?" I responded sitting up. "Next time, can we talk?" she yawned again. I nodded even though I knew she couldn't see me. "Sure. Next time we will talk." I ruffled her hair before leaving the room closing the door behind me. A nurse stood waiting in the hallway. "You have a kind heart sir." She said writing on a clipboard and a frown on her face. I looked up at her confused. "Thank you ma'am. But why?" I asked curiously. "Ever since her illness has spread her folks only come by every now and then. When a check needs to be paid. The only visitors she has are you and the boy with the crutch. We didn't think you would come back a second time. But you did, you have heart young man. Keep that." Smiled the nurse as she tapped a needle preparing medicine for the young girl in the room. I nodded and watched her enter the room closing the door then reopening it and looking at him with a small smile "Take care and God Bless." I left the hospital before Crutchy reemerged from his appointment and headed towards the park. I need to think. I needed to escape reality for a while. I lay down on the park bench over looking the small dirty watered pond and closed my eyes humming the tune that I had heard at Medda's the other night and slowly drifted off to sleep. I awoke to be splattered with a raindrop. I rubbed my eyes wearily and sat up looking around. Raindrops speckled the sidewalk and the water. Raining lightly I fixed my gray hat on my head and made my way towards home. As I entered the lodging house after my walk home I looked back outside and up at the sky. The clouds around the moon were parted and the star I had seen when I first met the girl was shining, just not as brightly. I watched it a moment as it hid behind the clouds and a steady down pour of rain began. I closed the door, shutting out the rain, and the dreariness and coldness of the world. The next few months with the trips to the hospital remained an event I looked forward to every month. Except every time I entered the room the girl looked worse and the nurses frown seemed to get deeper, tiny wrinkles on her forehead began to show. Yet, her health never seemed to damper her spirit. Every time I came, in those few hours she made everything go away. Our differences seized to exist. Social status was no longer a barrier of friendship. Appearance didn’t matter. We had a chemistry between us that pulled us closer together as the hours flew by. She told me her life story, how she had a loving family and home life, they just didn't know how to deal with her illness and her disabilities. I opened my life story to her, about how things were great until the bills began to pile up and the horrific day my parents died in the fire. I wondered how she managed to pull herself through the never-ending pain that absorbed her life. "How can you take all of this?" I asked her one day. She was lying against her bed; the white sheets seemed to swallow her whole. "What? The pain?" she asked her eyes closed her voice somewhat airy. "Yeah." I managed feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Because, well. I don't know, I will have to think about it." She said a small frown on her face. "Okay." I nodded. The door creaked open and the nurse entered and smiled warmly at me. "Okay Bumlets, visiting hours are over. I let you stay a bit later then I should have." Explained the nurse. I stood up and smiled nodding a thank you to her. I ruffled the girl's hair. "Next time Bums, I'll have that song of yours ready." She smiled sighing with content before rolling over and falling asleep. I smiled down at the scrawny girl and then at the nurse before making my way out the door. The nighttime had taken over and the deep blue sky had enveloped the city. Stars shone and the moon seemed brighter then ever before. I looked up into the sky and looked for my one special star. I nearly missed it. It was faded to almost invisibility. I frowned a bit and then went back to the lodging house. Tomorrow I would make an extra special visit to the girl in the hospital room. I entered the room the following late afternoon; I had run there from selling, the smell of newspapers still lingered in the air around me. The girl looked up at me, her eyes wide and deep pools of black oceans sparkled in the light. "I wrote that song." She said in a sing song voice. I laughed and took a seat on the bed and leaned down so my back was across the bed. " I sure did Bums. I did what you told me. Do you want to hear it?" she asked as she looked around the room, only seeing nothing but waves of darkness. "Sure." I said wondering how good of a singer and songwriter she might be. She cleared her throat and began to sing quietly. "All through the night I'll be standing over you. All through the night I'll be watching over you. And through bad dreams I'll be right there. Holding your hand telling you everything is all right. And when you cry I'll be right there. Telling you, you were never anything less then beautiful. So don’t you worry? I'm your angel standing by." she finished after a few minutes. I sat there dumbfounded by the brilliant voice this tiny girl possessed. She yawned, her body physically drained. She lay back closing her eyes and sighing with content. I sat up and looked at her. "Wow, That was amazing." I managed. She just smiled some. "Thanks Bums." She sighed. I stood up and ruffled her hair. "Bye, and thank you." I closed the door and went out of the hospital and made my way home. I didn't check the star tonight. I think that was my biggest mistake. I went upstairs physically drained and exhausted. I climbed into my bunk and fell asleep. I awoke late that night, around five or six in the morning. Something just didn't feel right. My body was numb and cold. I stumbled out of bed and pulled on my hat and my vest and went down stairs and outside. I looked up into the sky and looked straight on and towards the moon. The star was gone. I blinked. Why was it gone? Was the girl gone? Why had it faded as the days worn on? Was that because she had been getting worse? All of a sudden it all seemed to click. I hesitated a moment before running towards the hospital. I ran, exerting all of my energy into getting to that hospital. As I entered the hospital I raced towards the room where the little girl had lain for so long. The nurse with her clipboard stood outside the open door, her face was solemn and was writing again. I pushed past her and into the room. Nothing remained in the bed. The sheets had been changed and remade. Everything was neat and orderly. The smell of disinfectant seemed to be stronger then ever. The nurse touched my shoulder. I jumped turning around. "I'm sorry sir, She died this morning around five o'clock. Her body just gave up." The nurse explained. I backed away wildly as she burned my heart with her words. I felt my insides rip. I turned and ran from the building and I ran to the lodging house, towards a place of comfort. I crawled into my bunk and cried. I cried for the first time in long time. I didn't care if anyone saw me. By the time the newsies had returned from their selling, Crutchy had heard word of the little girl. He defended me while I lay curled up in my bunk, wishing away everything. As dusk fell upon us, and the night sky soon overtook the city I climbed up onto the roof, bringing a blanket with me. I lay down and looked up at the sky, straight on and towards the moon. I searched for the star; it was no longer there. It was gone. Gone forever. One person can change the stars for another. I thought to myself, pondering everything the little girl had taught me. She had changed my stars, changed everything from that moment I set foot in her room. I never looked at life, the same way ever again. I began to sing softly to myself the song she sang that one time, letting the words comfort my tortured soul. It's been twenty years since the girl passed away it is now 1920. I never even knew her name. I know her as my star, the one star that had a voice of an angel. I think she is my angel, my guardian angel that hovers on my shoulder to help me when in need. She made me realize three things, which helped me earn the respect and the life I have today. I worked hard to keep my life a success I became an intern at the hospital, working with the children, they seem to have this fire that never seems to disappear. With the support of the newsies I am what I am today. But every time I am out at night. My eyes drift straight ahead and on towards the moon, looking for that missing star. I get a constant reminder, appearance doesn't matter, differences seize to exist, and social status is no longer a barrier to friendship. And anyone, can change the stars. |
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