The Acclaimed Spine-Tingling Series Continues

Prologue – Someone always dies First

A good friend once told me that every relationship has an expiration date. And he was right. That friend was Frank Collazo. 

With the loss of his father, Salvatore, at the age of only fourteen, Frank learned far too young that sometimes death ended relationships with a finality that slowly drained one’s soul of any desire or willingness to carry on. He used to say that the notion of ‘til death do us part’ was a tragedy because someone always dies first. The living half of the relationship must go on surviving. To go on drifting and wandering through life, its maze of uncertainty, and its caldron of loneliness and despair.

Frank would learn at a young age that the survivor who lost a loved one would sometimes wallow in hopelessness and misery, almost wishing for death. Frank knew he wouldn’t live forever, and that thought was the only thing that kept him going, marching through his agonizing pain and impossible sadness. 

In the end, I imagine Frank looking down at his feet and then back up at Penny and smiling. Reaching for her hand, he looked at his little Bonnie, safe in her mother’s arms, and then back to Penny. I bet little Bonnie looked at her father, returned his smile, and ran for him. Yeah, I can see it now. That little girl ran. She ran to her father.

 I’m sure on that day, many of Frank’s friends were there to meet him. All, ready to comfort him and help him continue his story. I wasn’t there, though, and that brings me great sadness. How I wish I were there, though.

I wasn’t there that day, but I can only hope that my friend got confirmation of what he already knew; he and Penny would be together forever. While confused during troubled times, I’m sure everything made sense to him for the first time since he was fourteen. Any hint of sadness, confusion, or emptiness would’ve been gone.  

You see, my friend Frank Collazo wandered through most of his life, never really knowing how things would end up. Sometimes, he felt he would push through and fill the void left by his father. Other times, he felt that his pain and loss were insurmountable and a mountain far too big to climb. But, oh, he did climb that mountain. He knew he would become whole again when he reached the top. 

Time after time, we’d sit and talk about life; his and mine, and he’d tell me that he would sometimes stare out at the picket fence and hope one day it would finally be mended.

I haven’t seen him for a while now, and I miss him. Frank Collazo wasn’t just my friend, you see; he was like a son to me. I’m not sure where he, Penny, and Bonnie went, but I can’t leave until he visits me so that we can catch up and talk about the old times. Hearing his voice echoing in the wind again would bring me great joy and maybe even a laugh. 

Don’t forget about your friends, Frank. Come back and see us again, would you?  

About the Author

Michael Cook is a published poet, author, accomplished business professional, and entrepreneur. Michael is also the owner of the #7 Escape Room experience in the World, Odyssey Escape Game, located in Atlanta, GA and Chicago, IL.

Originally from Ohio, by way of New York City, Michael is a resident of Suwanee, GA. Michael Cook is a father to four children, a husband, a brother, and a friend.

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