A Moment in Time

Iolaus sank to his knees, sobbing and shaking--tears streaming down his face as he reached toward the grave. Clutched in his hand was a charred remnant of a yellow cloth. He gently smoothed the precious fragment between his fingers--sensing the aura of his best friend. He reached forward and attached the cloth to a marker he'd made and placed on the grave, fastening it securely. Two graves rested side by side there at the edge of the forest overlooking the sparkling blue lake and the mountains beyond. The second was marked by a child's doll. Iolaus finally reined in his emotions and stood up, noticing the sun's position directly overhead.

"High noon? So much has happened in the last four hours." The hunter's thoughts wandered back to sunrise on this most horrible of days.

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"Come on, Iolaus. Rise and shine. Time to get going." Hercules poked the hunter gently, knowing his partner really wanted more rest. Not only wanted it, he probably needed it too.

How easy it is for me to forget his mortal needs compared to mine, thought Hercules. He's always so active, but I know he needs more rest than I do. Wish I could give him the extra time, but we are so close. The Son of Zeus sighed and spoke to Iolaus.

"Okay, Pal.That's it. Rise and shine Birthday Boy!" The two had been tracking a band of marauders for over a month--just missing them, getting to the site of their attacks and finding their carnage just after it happened.

"Let me alone,Herc," Iolaus begged, snuggling down under the covers.

"Nope, we're so close. I made breakfast; let's eat and get on the road. I just feel good things are going to happen on your birthday."

Iolaus peeked out at his friend. "You made breakfast for me? What are you trying to do, kill me?" Then his contagious giggle erupted and he stood up, hugging Hercules. "Thanks, Pal, I'd forgotten what day it is."

The two ate in record time and hit the road. From the top of a hill, they spotted smoke curling upward in the distance.

"That looks pretty fresh to me. Iolaus, You take the west side and I'll take the east. If we are lucky, we'll find some survivors. Be careful, partner, there could still be some marauders or scavengers around."

Iolaus raced off to the west. It didn't take him long to search through the totally destroyed buildings. A mixture of rage and sadness boiled inside him as he hurried back to meet Hercules, completely absorbing his thoughts and obliterating the demigod's warning. A brilliant fireball and a thunderous explosion quickly brought his thoughts back to reality.

"What's Hera doing here? Didn't these people suffer enough without that witch?" Then it sank in. "Hera isn't here for the villagers. She's here to use this devastation to cover another attempt on Hercules!"

Iolaus reached the site of the fireball's target, awestruck, enraged, and totally unbelieving what he found. There on the ground was the body of a small child cuddling a homemade doll. Next to her was the outline of a body formed from its own ashes. Caught on a piece of wood was a yellow fragment which brought a lump to the warrior's throat and a pain-filled scream that escaped his lips.

"Nooooooooo!" Iolaus shouted, clutching the fragment tightly against his heart. Time stood still for him--another moment in time. His senses slowly returned, bringing the horror of reality and pain of realization that much needed to be done.

Iolaus forced himself to gather Hercules' ashes into a container. Then he picked up the little girl's body and her doll and carried the precious items to a peaceful spot overlooking the lake. He placed his friend into one grave and the child into another, covering each with warm sand from the beach and soft fragrant needles from the pine trees. He fashioned markers for each, carving a personal inscription on Hercules' and a childlike one for the little girl.

This took time--tears often clouded his vision and he had to stop. Finally he was satisfied and placed both markers and personal items on each grave--the child's doll on hers, and begrudgingly--the last piece of his best friend's shirt on his.

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"Just four short hours ago, Herc! I'd give anything to hear you wish me Happy Birthday again. You said good things were going to happen today. Instead, from now on this day will hold nothing but bad memories for me. There's so much I should have told you. What went wrong?"

Nothing but silence--no answer to his question. No reassuring words from the person who was the center of his world.

"Get used to it, Iolaus. You are on your own now."

A tap on his shoulder brought the hunter to his feet in a warrior's stance, ready to take on whatever he faced. Only now did he remember Hercules' warning about a possible marauder still being in the area.

"Better late than never. Get ready to join my best friend, you swine," the incensed warrior screamed as he turned, sword raised to strike the first blow.

"What the--" Iolaus stammered as he dropped his sword and stood in amazement and disbelief.

"Hercules! My eyes must be playing tricks on me." Iolaus grabbed his partner in a bear-like embrace, laughing and crying at the same time.
"I thought you were dead."

The Son of Zeus returned the enthusiastic greeting with a hug of his own.

"Sorry I put you through all of this, Iolaus. I was coming out the door, carrying the child's body and pushing a scavenger who was robbing the victims when I saw you coming. Just as I called out to you, Hera's greeting knocked me backwards. I felt the child pulled from my arms, saw the marauder incinerate, and felt a piece of my burning shirt catch on a branch. I landed half a mile away behind a pile of rubbish--out of sight and out of this world."

Iolaus' blue eyes sparkled to life as he realized the scavenger's ashes were in the grave he'd thought was Hercules'. "We'll leave him in there, but this comes back to you," he said as he reached down and retrieved the missing piece of his partner's shirt.

Looking intently at the demigod, Iolaus questioned pointedly, "Why didn't you stop me before this?"

Rubbing his head, Hercules replied, "That lightning bolt packed quite a wallop. I only came too a little while ago. I hurried back to find the child and saw you placing her body in a grave. I figured what you must have assumed. As soon as I got my breath, I came to you. The rest is history."

"You big lunk! I was thinking this day would forever be a reminder of your death. Now, your words will make it good memories. Thanks for the best present ever, Herc--you!"

The two warriors' embrace came to an end as Hercules reminded Iolaus, "Okay, Birthday Boy--no rest for the weary.We have more personal ewasons to catch that gang now. We have marauders to catch, monsters to slay, and many more birthdays to celebrate.!

Iolaus' vibrant smile and infectious giggle were all the thanks Hercules needed as they set off to explore another moment in time together where they belonged.

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Finis