Connected

Chapter 3: Hana

     Leah remembered a substitute teacher charging into their classroom one afternoon and posing a mind provoking question before the class, "Who here is not afraid of death?"

     She was seated at the back of the room and in a quiet murmur she responded, "Me."

     And to her surprise the teacher heard it because when she said these words her eyes were critical as it bore on her, "Everyone who isn't afraid of death is a hypocrite."

Why should we fear death? Is it because it is the end of all good things?

How should we measure good? Is it through the numbers in your bank account and the sumptuous spread you get to enjoy every day?

Then should we consider the poverty of life as bad? That if a poor man is wrestling with death, we should willingly let him go because his life isn't at all good and not worth fighting for.

What if there is something more beyond what we call good on this side of life? Where true justice is observed. Love is not unfairly portioned. Paper money doesn't control human life. And there is unending peace and joy abounding in every soul.

Yet truthfully if we are to speak about death only those who went through the grief of parting ways with a loved one are the ones who truly chewed on the bitterness of death. They are the ones who are keener on living under its stalking shadow.

"Let's do something exiting!" Jacob announced out of the blue as he got up from his seat. He smacked his hands together, rubbing them as if he was planning something sinister. "Like how about a contest?"

Leah lazily glanced up at him, "Contest?" She raised disapprovingly not at all interested in what Jacob is suddenly up to.

"Yes! We need to have a change of air," Jacob said enthusiastically.

"Let's see, of course!" He exclaimed as if achieving eureka. "Let's have a running competition. Yes! A race when the cars start moving again." He suggested his face glowing with animation from this recently developed proposal.

Leah shakes her head at him. She turned to the street filled with cars and immediately thought no. "Please whatever mad idea you've got going in your head, don't drag me into it."

"Come on!" Jacob's foot nudged her shoe.

"No!" Leah firmly responded.

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"You're crazy!"

"I know!" Jacob shouted and it suddenly made Leah giggle and before they knew it, they were both laughing.

Jacob gave her a slight punch in the shoulder which made her look up again to him. "Don't be a chicken, Leah." He said holding her eyes tauntingly, flashing her a daring grin.

Leah was made to contemplate after Jacob's goading statement. If there's one thing Leah knows when she's being challenged, and she never ever backed out from one.

Standing up and staring into Jacob's eyes squarely she declared, "Oh, I'm no chicken."

"Leah all I'm saying is this may be the only time you'll have the power of invisibility and why not use some of it to have some fun." Jacob further urged his eyes glistening under the lights. "I swear to you, you won't die. Not tonight."

"Oh, I see. Is that supposed to reassure me?" Leah's lip curled upwards. Then shrugging her shoulders, "Well what can I lose, right?" She answered feeling dangerously wild all of a sudden.

Under no normal circumstances would Leah agree to such ridiculous things as this. It's just that right now she needed a distraction from overthinking and Jacob was right, this may be the only time she'll have the power of invisibility and why not play with it a little.