By Kellie, age 12, Ontario.
Inside, there was another little box. The first thing I saw in the little box was a note: "Please do not open until September of next year."
The decorations on the box instantly reminded me of my creative BFF Madeline. Though I knew the box couldn't have been from her. She was currently in the hospital with Leukemia--a cancer of early-forming blood cells. During the last few months, she has been at the hospital a lot. I was scared for her. I pushed that thought out of my head and put the box in my room. I wondered whom it could've been from.
Later, I decided to go and visit Madeline at the hospital. I brought some homemade cookies. When I got to Madeline's room, she was sitting on the bed, reading. When she noticed me, she gave me a huge smile. While eating our cookies, we talked about everything BFFs talk about. She said she was getting bored at the hospital. I thought,
I should visit her more often.
And I did. I made it a habit to visit her every day after school, even if it was only for a little while. I stayed longer on weekends. Still, I missed her between visits.
On her birthday, I made a picnic for us with all of her favorite foods and a small cupcake. She really enjoyed it.
One day, the doctors said that she'd be fine and finally let her out of the hospital. But not too long afterward, she had to go back in. I was confused and didn't quite understand what was going on. I watched as Madeline became smaller and weaker each week.
Some nights, I cried myself to sleep. Other nights, I stayed up the whole night thinking about what I knew was coming...Madeline's death. I knew she didn't have much time left. I thought about the good times we had together, like all the summers we spent splashing in her pool. She was always there for me no matter what.
During the second week of January, Madeline died. I had lost my best friend. The floor underneath my feet seemed to fall. I tried to move on, but it was hard.
The following September, I was cleaning my room and found the decorated box under my bed. I opened it, and tears began to stream down my face as I looked inside. There were a bunch of pictures of Madeline and me, and little mementos that sparked up so many good memories. Then I noticed a note:
Dear Rachel,
I miss you. I wrote this note to let you know that I am your guardian angel. You used to help me so much. Now it is my turn to help you. I'll always be there for you.
Love,
Madeline
XOXOXO
I smiled knowing she was watching over me and that we were going to be best friends forever, no matter what.
