Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Bridge to Terabithia. Katherine Paterson created the Story, and owns the rights. Although I don't own BtT, many of the characters in my story, The Greatest Gift, specifically Jamie, Taylor, Thomas, and Andrea are mine. Whatever that means. Anyway, I hope you will take some time to read and review my story. Thank you.

The Greatest Gift

Circa 1980

Chapter 1 Home sweet home

Jamie Larson ran the familiar dusty road, over the hill, through the old pine grove, and past the freshly plowed fields. Down past the grazing cows who lift their lazy heads and watch him run by, all the time chewing. He welcomed the extra weight of the sugar and the milk he carried in his pack. It would give him a good work out. The slanting rays of the early morning sun blinded him as he turned the corner; he ran up the driveway to the old house that is his home. The screen door slams with the familiar creak, bang.

"Why must you slam that door boy" his father barked.

"Sorry" Jamie said as he puts down the milk and sugar for his fathers coffee. He had run to the store and back, over three miles, and this is the thanks he gets. His father never treats his sisters like that.

"Sorry" he said again as he slid into the chair across from his father.

"Damn kids" he heard his father hiss under his breath.

His mother called to his sister Hannah.

"Come on honey Jamie's back with the milk for your cereal." Hannah came skipping in from the living room where she had been watching her cartoon shows on TV. She was almost six and would be in the first grade in the fall. That meant he would have to ride the bus with her, what a pain. She was OK most of the time. She mostly kept out of Jaime's way and that suited him just fine.

Andrea, his other sister, was another story. She was older then Jamie by about four or five years, he could never remember, and he really didn't care; he hated her, and she hated him; they were always fighting. They couldn't be in the same room with each other for any length of time before they started in on each other. She was still in bed, which was a very good situation for a Saturday morning.

Jamie had had an older brother, Thomas, but he died in an accident several years ago. Jamie had been too young to remember too much about him, just a couple flashes of recollections, but nothing much at all. His father had taken it pretty hard from what Jamie had learned over the years. He had blamed himself for the accident,

"I could have prevented it." He had heard his father say. There was no consoling him, he had closed up, spoke little, and was so gloomy all the time. That's probably the main reason Jamie ran, to escape, It was his nature; he could no more stop running than he could stop breathing; Jamie had two speeds stationary and running. One time his mother had asked him to run to the store. No sooner did she get the words out, that Jamie was out the door and half way down the driveway before he realized he didn't know what he was going to the store for and he had to double back to the house. So it was no surprise that Jamie was the fastest kid in town, maybe the whole county. Whenever there would be a race, at the church social, or town picnic, or at the county fair Jamie would usually win for his age group. He was fast, fast, fast.

It was Saturday morning; his mother was making breakfast, eggs and sausage, mmm smells good he thought.

"Smells good mom" he said out loud.

"Be ready in a minute," she said smiling at him.

His mom was OK, he could talk to her about most stuff, he felt that she was the only one that cared at all about him. He felt like he didn't belong, so he mostly kept to himself.

"Would you help me Jamie and set the table please."

"Sure mom" he said and got up to do that.

His dad cleared his throat and said,

"I need you to do some chores for me before you go off with your friends."

"Sure dad whatever you need."

Jamie tried to be helpful and good so his family would like him. He had this overwhelming feeling that they all wished it was him who had died instead of Thomas, even Hannah who wasn't even born when the accident happened.

Andrea had even come out and said it once.

"I wish it was you who died instead of Thomas." She said, right out loud during one of their arguments. His mother gasped and screamed at Andrea.

"Andrea!" she screamed.

"What a dreadful thing to say. You apologize to your brother, right now, and I never want to hear you say anything like that again." Andrea did apologize and she seemed to be sincere. She appeared to be as shocked at what she had said as his mother had been, and she has never, ever said anything like that again, no matter how nasty their arguments got. Still, Jamie thought that was what they all really thought deep down inside.

After breakfast Jamie headed out to do his chores. His father was repairing the screen on the back door. He was going to oil it to, Jamie didn't know about that. That creaking sound it made was somewhat comforting; it was as if the house was saying welcome home, Jamie.

He could see the dust cloud before he could make out the mail truck as it came bumping up that dusty old road. It stopped at the end of the driveway; old Mr. Collins stuffed the mail into the box, tooted his horn and waved, to no one in particular, just friendly like. Jamie waved back. Then watched the truck bump and bounce off down the road trailing a cloud of dust.

Jamie ran down to the box, took the mail out and ran back up to the house. He slipped around his father so he wouldn't annoy him; he was annoyed anyway.

"Damn kids" he heard his father hiss under his breath. He dropped the mail on the table and got himself a drink. His mother picked up the mail. She sorted through the few bills, the catalogs filled with useless things, and the junk letters. Jamie watched while sipping his drink. She stopped; one letter had caught her eye.

"Jim" she called, still holding the letter, looking at it.

"Jim" she called again.

"What?" his father asked, coming into the kitchen wiping his hands and still looking annoyed.

"Jim, look at this letter, it's from some law office in Boston."

"Huh, let me see that."

"It's addressed to you," she said handing Jim the letter. He stared at the letter for a moment as if he was expecting it to do something, explode maybe. Then abruptly he tore it open, and read.

"What is it?" Jamie's mother asked.

"It's about my Uncle Oliver."

"Didn't he die several months ago?" Jamie's mother asked.

"Yeah, he did" his father said with a far away look on his face as if he were thinking out loud, he continued.

"I haven't seen him since I was… ah um like, around Jamie's age."

Jamie had heard that his dad's Uncle Oliver had moved away a long time ago after some big fight with Jamie's grandfather. That was the last time anyone had heard about, or from, Oliver Larson until a few months back when he died, and now this.

"Says here that I'm named in the will and they want me to come to Boston." His father added.

"When?" Jamie's mom asked.

"Next Thursday"

"We can't afford to go to Boston, you should call them," Jamie heard his mother say as he headed out to finish doing his chores. He could still hear his parents talking, the sound trailing off as he hopped down from the porch. He ran down the driveway, back to his chores.

The school bus stopped at the end of the driveway, Jamie jumped off, ran a few steps, turned and waved to his friends as the bus drove away. In the house he found his mother packing.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Your father and I are going to Boston to meet with some lawyers about Uncle Oliver's will."

"I thought you said you couldn't afford to go to Boston."

"Well, Your father called the law office, and they made all the arrangements; Uncle Oliver's estate is paying for the trip." Then with a little twinkle in her eye she added.

"Apparently your father has a sizable inheritance."

"Really? That's good? Right?"

"Yes Jamie that's very good."

"What are we going to do while you're gone?"

"Mrs. Grey is going to be staying for a couple nights while we're away."

Good Jamie thought, that means Andrea wasn't being left in charge, that would have been horrible. Besides Mrs. Grey was a great cook, and a nice old lady. She was like having a grandmother stay. Jamie felt comfortable around her. Sometimes he felt closer to her than his own family.

"So when will you be home?"

"We should be back by Friday afternoon when you come home from school."

Little did Jamie realize, his whole life, his whole world, everything he knew was about to change.

Friday afternoon the school bus stopped at the end of the driveway, Jamie popped off like he was shot from a cannon; he zoomed up the driveway. His parents were home. He heard them talking and laughing as he approached the house. Gently opening the screen door and holding so it wouldn't slam, he slipped into the kitchen, they were all there, his mother, his father, Andrea and Hannah. Jamie stood by the door for a moment before they noticed him.

"Jamie" his father said and grabbed him up in a great hug. OK, what have they done with my real dad? His father had changed overnight. The trip changed him; maybe it was something in the water or the air in Boston. Whatever it was his father was happy. He seemed genuinely happy. Jamie was glad to see his dad happy after so many years.

"So" Jamie said, still a little confused about his dad's transformation.

"How was your trip?"

His parents countenance changed to solemn glances between them. They had anticipated that Jamie would not like what they were about to tell him.

"Well Jamie" his mother began, she paused and his father cleared his throat and added.

"Well you see son we're um… going to"

Andrea interrupted all excited.

"We're moving to Boston, isn't that awesome."

"What?" Jamie was taken by surprise.

"Why?" he asked, he was shaking. Moving, what were they thinking?

"Why do we have to move?"

"Your father and I thought it would be best for all of us."

Jamie could see that Andrea was enjoying watching him squirm.

"But I don't want to move, I have plans, I have friends here. We were going to build a tree house this summer, and swim at the lake and…"

"You'll make friends in our new home." His mother said and added

"They have good schools where were going, you'll get a better education, and your father can find work there."

Then Andrea broke in with.

"Now that we're rich we can leave this dusty old town."

"Well we're far from being rich, but things will be a little easier to manage." His father said with a little chuckle, at his daughter's enthusiasm.

"Well I don't want to go" Jamie shouted and ran out of the house. He ran down the driveway; turning the corner he continued running down the road. His feet pounding the ground raising little dust clouds as he ran past the cow pasture and he just kept on running. He ran all the way to town, but when he got there he didn't know what he should do, or where he should go. His heart was pounding, and his breath was coming in short gasps, he was dizzy, confused, and unsteady on his feet. Maybe he would run away, maybe hide in the woods, live like a hermit deep in the forest where no one would ever find him. Make a whole new world for himself that no one could enter.

"Jamie" it was his father calling. Damn, he thought, busted. He started to run, but his dad grabbed him. He climbed up into that ratty old truck of his father's and they rode home in silence. His father cleared his throat, and Jamie thought that he was going to say something but he just glanced at Jamie. Jamie felt bad now, that look on his dad's face, he knew that he had hurt him. Maybe moving wouldn't be so bad if it made his father happy.

Later on, Jamie was in his room doodling in his sketchbook, other then running drawing was his favorite thing to do, and he was pretty good at it. He kept it to himself though he didn't show his drawings to anyone, thinking that he would be thought of as silly or weird. So when his mother came to his room he hid his drawing away and grabbed a book and pretended to be reading.

"Jamie" His mother called.

"Yeah" he replied looking and feeling guilty of some crime.

"May I talk with you?"

"Sure mom"

"Look I know you're angry because we're moving, but I need to tell you. They have better schools where we're going and more opportunities for you and your sisters. That's why your father's happier than he's been in a long time. He feels that he can finally give you and your sisters what you need what you deserve a chance at a better life. Do you understand Jamie?

"Yeah I guess, but why do we have to go all the way to Boston, why not Richmond, or Arlington?"

"Well we're going to move into Uncle Oliver's old house. I think you'll like it. I promise."

"OK, I'll go, but I won't like it"

"Give it a chance Jamie, please for your father and me."

"Yeah, OK whatever."

He was still angry, but Jamie resigned himself to the fact that he was moving to some god forsaken place near Boston, a million miles from his home,

Home sweet home he wrote in his sketchbook. Then he made a quick drawing of his house, dated it and put it away under his bed.