George... My Uncle George

• Lucas Lotorto, Grade 2
• Short Story
• 2013

His brother Michael died in October 2012 in a motorcycle accident, he was 26. His grandmother passed away in November 2012. He lost his first cousin Jon to cancer in January 2013; he was only 23, he use to play for the Parramatta Eels.
He used to be a plumber, now he owns a Lebanese restaurant – I eat there a lot with my family. He was my dad’s friend first for a very long time. Now he is very special and dear to me and my family. He is tall like a giant beanstalk and dark like the sunless night, he is big and strong and has bulging muscles and he has a very pretty, long haired girlfriend, Parisa.
He is George Mannah. To me and my brother he is Uncle George. Uncle George who would hang me and my brother upside down, holding us only by the ankle in mid-air, Uncle George who would always make us laugh, Uncle George who would throw the ball around with us, Uncle George who would always interested in what I had to say, Uncle George is always so much fun. Spending time with Uncle George is like spinning around and around and around without the dizzy feeling.
I didn’t know how much Uncle George had lost in such a short space of time until my mum sat down to explain it to me. I still don’t understand 100 per cent, but I do know that my Uncle George is very sad and that his heart is hurting.
My mum told me that even though Michael, his grandmother and Jon have gone to heaven, they are still with Uncle George. Once again, I didn’t understand. She then told me that Uncle George has magic dust following him, always half a step behind him. The magic dust is his brother Michael, his grandmother and his cousin Jon.
Once you go to that far away white place way above the clouds, Heaven, you never come back, you stay there. The only time you get to see the people in heaven is when it is your turn to go. I do believe though, if you talk to them during prayer, they are up there sitting around listening.
He has started to smile, but it’s not the same as before. He doesn’t look the same as before. His once clean face is now filled with bushy spiky hair, the funniness has almost gone, and his short hair is over grown. He still tries to be the fun Uncle George, like before, but it is not the same.
I am lucky; all the people I love are here with me. I wish I could have shared a bit of my luck with Uncle George.