Read The Light (Morpheus Road) for Free Online

hired Ennis whenever she went somewhere on assignment. He would help with the gear and travel arrangements and basically free Mom up to focus on taking pictures instead of sweating logistics. Ennis was with her when the earthquake hit. As I heard it, he was nearly killed himself. He was able to salvage most of Mom's gear, which is how I got the film with the picture of the temple. More important, Ennis worked hard to cut through the red tape and transport Mom's body back home quickly. We owed him for that in a big way.
    He was almost as torn up about Mom's death as Dad and I were. I want to say that when I think about him, the first thing that comes to mind is his quick smile and easy laugh. It isn't. I picture him standing over my mother's grave at the funeral, crying. He put a small bouquet of flowers, which he told me came from a tree called lignum vitae, on her casket. He said it produced wood that was so strong, it was called the "wood of life." He loved my mom. We all did.
    Since the funeral, he'd send an e-mail to check in every
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    once in a while, but we hardly ever saw him in person . . . which is why it was a total surprise when he showed up at the trophy shop.
    "How are you, Marshmallow?" he asked.
    He had called me that ever since I was little. It was cuter when I was little.
    "I'm good. What are you doing here?" I asked.
    "Visiting you, my friend. My, you've grown."
    I shrugged. What are you supposed to say when somebody comments on your growth curve?
    "Have you seen Dad?" I asked.
    "No. I do not have the time. I am leaving on assignment to Pakistan this evening. It is you I came to see."
    That was odd. It wasn't my birthday or anything. Ennis seemed nervous, shifting his weight from foot to foot while his eyes darted around, as if looking for something.
    "Are you all right, Marsh?" he asked. Ennis's speech was normally kind of loopy. He stretched out his vowels in a way that made it sound like he was singing. Now his words were clipped and short.
    "Uh, yeah. Fine. Why?"
    "And your father? How is he?"
    "He's fine too."
    "I worry about you two," Ennis said, deadly serious.
    "We're okay. I mean, we both miss Mom a lot. But what can you do?"
    He looked me square in the eye as if trying to figure out if I was hiding something. It was weird.
    "Good, good," he finally said, satisfied that I was telling the truth. "Here, take this."
    He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a business card. It only had his name and a phone number.
    "That is my cell phone. Call me if you need me. Anytime. Promise me that."
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    "Okay, sure, but. . . you're giving me the creeps, Ennis. What's going on?"
    "Nothing, nothing, Marsh. I am being an overly cautious fool."
    "About what?"
    He seemed to relax a little. I think maybe he finally believed there was nothing wrong with us.
    "You are my friends," he said, sounding more like himself. "My family. I want you to know that if you need anything, I am there for you."
    "O ... kay. That's cool. Same here. Is there anything you need?"
    "No, Marshmallow, I am fine. Especially now that I know you are too. Please give my best to your father. I will come for a longer visit when I return from Asia."
    He grabbed me and gave me a hug. It wasn't one of those quick handshake-style hugs either. I'm not sure how to describe this, but Ennis held me tight, as if he wanted to protect me or something.
    "You sure everything's all right?" I asked.
    Ennis let go and backed away. "Yes, absolutely. Do not lose my card. And call me."
    "Yeah. Sure."
    "Good." He turned serious again. "Take care of yourself, Marsh. I will see you in a few weeks."
    That was it. He turned and left quickly. I didn't know what to think of his visit. Ennis was always an open book. That book had suddenly turned into a mystery. There was definitely something going on that he didn't want to explain.
    I told Dad about it that night. He didn't know anything more about it than I did.
    "It was strange," I said. "It was like he was expecting