Crossing Over

For most of his life Alfie was the man responsible for stopping the traffic flow and bringing the school children safely across the Tumbin Road intersection to the main school gate . He always took extreme care when crossing and the children were quite used to his firm and welcome advice .
Now and then Alfie would tell a funny story or share a good morning smile with the children on their way across .

It was a big shock one morning when the children discovered that Alfie was not there in his spot . For the first time in years there was another person there waiting to bring the children across the busy road .
As he stood there the school children looked at his face .

"Hello my name is Tommy . Its my first day on the job . Are you all ready then to cross over ?

The school children all said .
"Ok Tommy tell us when . 

"Now and come . Watch for my signal and then follow me . "
Came the reply .

The new traffic control man walked onto the road and raised up his hand and stopped the traffic . Then he waved at the children who began to move from the footpath to the roadway .
Half way across Sinead butted in .
"So tell me where is Alfie anyway ?

"Too many questions and there is no time to loose . Hurry up and cross over."
Replied Tommy with a kind of warm smile .
Sinead smiled back .

Suddenly on the other side of the road a tree began to grow and flowers began to shoot up in the concrete . Next thing you knew other trees started growing until a forest had sprouted up before their very eyes .
Tommy took out a tambourine and started to shake it and sing a song .

The school children all looked across at the other side of the road and they saw Alfie waiting for them . He was waving to them and when they saw him they all ran over to him . They were so glad to see him again .

He seemed much younger was and his voice was not as rough and cracked as they had heard before .

Alfie said to them .
"Thanks for coming to say hello . Come and I'll show you a few things 

Tommy said ,
"Ok then Alfie I'll wait here until you return ."

As the kids all walked off down the road with Alfie he tried to explain about where he was and why he had to leave . Even though it was all a wonderful experience for them they all listened entranced as he spoke .

"Sometimes children we get old and have to cross over to another place
where we are refreshed again and given a new lease of life . This place where we are now is the road to where I must go . "

"Can we go there too ?
Asked young Jerome .

Alfie replied .
"Yes of course you can . But when the time is right . That time fro all of you will come some day . For now you all must look around on your side for a little while and then when you're ready to come over I'll be there waiting to bring you all safely to the other side ."

As they walked down the road they saw beautiful trees adorned with flowers of many colours . Some of the children stopped to touch them .
To the children's surprise they discovered that the trees were all made of toffee . They tasted delicious . All the kids stopped and eat their fill .

When they had finished Alfie pointed out the end of the road was just ahead and that it was there that he would have to leave them .

At the end of the road there was large gate that stood in front of a complex that itself was so huge that there was no end to its height or width .
When they all reached the main gate there was a man called Peter who stood with a book . In the book he had a list of names .
Alfie told Peter his name and Peter handed a plastic card to Alfie . It had a special number on it and Peter showed Alfie a machine that required Alfie to insert his card . Once he did that the gate opened and as the gate opened there was a personalised message for Alfie to hear .

"Welcome Alfie . You must now leave all your friends behind and enter a place that is reserved for you . Please enter the transit building on the otrher side of the gate and wait there until we bring you home . "

Alfie turned and smiled and thanked all the children again for coming to see him . He seemed so happy and as they said their goodbyes he was getting even younger still . The kids all turned and headed back to where they had come from , Sinead looked back and waved goodbye to Alfie once more .

She noticed that he was now as young as they were .
Just at that moment a wind swept up and blew toffee treats from the trees .
The kids gathered up all they could into any empty space in their pockets .
The road back seemed long and it was starting to get hot . Suddenly the school children were met by a small army of toy soldiers . As they walked along with them they took a detour to toffee town . On their way through toffee town all the kids noticed that everything was made of toffee . The village shops, the post boxes, the decorations and around the village was the same fascinating thing and fantastic thing . In Toffee town all things were Toffee . Even the people who lived there . There where little toffee houses and little toffee sculptures that were placed all around the village . Everything there was purposely made to send the imagination running wild .
Another special feature about Toffee town was the Toffee hedges with a soft coating of caramel on the edge that made each leaf gleam .

As they made their way out of toffee town Tommy met them .
Well my young friends its time to return now to the other side . Follow me ."

Young Jerome asked ,
"Can we come across again Tommy ?"

"Some day you will . But now my good friends we must not get stuck in here for very soon the warm sun will rise and the toffee will melt and if you are still here then you may never leave this place .

With those words they all hurried along with Tommy to where they had once been . Tommy walked out and raised his hand . The traffic all stopped and all the children started to cross the road .

Half way across Sinead looked back and saw a red sun rise in the sky and saw all the Toffee melt . It ran like a river and continued to flow its course to a place where no one had ever been . The river of toffee was so hot that smoke poured out as the toffee flowed like lava along its winding way .
The river slid through another arched doorway and cascaded over into an abyss . As all the kids stood watching intensely at the scene around them
and were totally amazed . Tommy briefly intruded and spoke .

"Hurry up keep walking children, we are almost safely on the other side ."

They finally made it over and were standing outside their school gate .

"Here is your destination . I must return . Tomorrow another person will be here to bring you across the road . Remember Alfie and know that where he is life is a very happy place . One day you will see him again ."
Just before the kids all went into school everything went black for a while .
A dark cloud drifted across the sky and in that moment something strange happened . The kids all sat motionless for a while on the ground as if in a deep sleep . When they awoke the memory of where they had been was erased from their mind .

Tommy smiled at the kids and asked ,
"Excuse me I think I am lost could you please tell me where I am ?

Sinead replied ,
"This is the Tumbin Road intersection . "

Tommy said ,
"Oh thank you little girl . "

"My pleasure sir "
Said Sinead .

Tommy handed her a coin and Sinead took it . As she tried to put it into her pocket she discovered the toffee sweets . In the same instant all the other kids discovered their toffee sweets as well .

The school bell rang and a wild wind blew the dust up into a kind of whirly swirly shadow . The kids watched as the wind continued to spin until it was gone . When it had disappeared so had Tommy . Not a sign of him was to be seen anywhere .
Sinead said ,
" Lets get into class quick before the toffee disappears too ."

They all laughed and ran into school and sat behind a tree talking about what had just happened . Some of them said the stranger must have been a magician visiting the town . Some other kids didn't really care who he was they just enjoyed the lovely toffee in their pockets .

Suddenly outside a loud sound echoed through the entire school .
A very bad car accident had just happened right outside the school gate .
There was confusion as the police and ambulance arrived .
There was broken glass and bits of metal scattered all over the road .
One person was very badly hurt and taken away to hospital in the ambulance with the siren going .
Everyone was badly shaken and as the morning progressed some bits of information began to present a picture of what had happened .
The person hurt was an old man called Alfie who for many years had brought kids safely across the road to school .
Piece by piece the story unfolded . It told of how Alfie had stood in front of a speeding car that never bothered to slow down at the school crossing sign . The driver of the car lost control when he tried to avoid hitting Alfie .
His car ran off the road and hit another coming in the opposite direction that led into a pile up of cars at the front gates of the school .

On the news that evening the sad news came that Alfie had been died on the way to hospital .

The End

By Paul McCann