Ember Leanne was an unusual name and that name went with an unusual girl. But she wasn’t unusual in the bad sense, she was just well, unusual. In fact, Ember wasn’t bad at all. Ember was a very pretty girl with a very big heart.
I’m Jack Hill and unlike Ember I was a pretty average kid. But how I met Ember is probably the weirdest way anyone has ever met.
While walking home after work one day I sat down at a bench next to a streetlight. I was drawing in my sketch pad when someone whispered, “You’re really good.”
I jumped and whirled around but no one was there. Then I heard the voice again, “Look up.”
I swerved my head upward and sure enough a girl was sitting on top of the street lamp. A few strands of loose hair escaped from her braid and were moving with the wind.
She was smiling at my confusion and bewilderment.
“What–? What are you doing up there?!” I spluttered.
Casual as ever she replied, “Reading.”
“Who are you?” I asked her, astonished.
“Ember. Ember Leanne. And who might you be?”
“Jack Hill.”
Then she went right back to her book. I sat there flabbergasted for a moment and then I made up my mind.
“Would you want to come down and talk to me?”
She came down and set her book on the ground. Then she reached under the bench and pulled out a pair of roller skates.
This girl was full of surprises. I watched her for a minute as she put on her skates. Then gathering my courage I asked, “Do you read up there often?”
She laughed. “Yes, but sometimes I just sit in a tree.”
“You know you are the most peculiar girl I have ever met.”
“Then you haven’t met too many girls. Here in Chicago, I’m not the only peculiar girl.”
I laughed. “I guess so.”
“Why do you read in such odd places?” I asked her.
She smiled with her glittering white teeth. “What’s the fun in reading in normal places? How can you escape into a book when you’re lying in bed?” She looked at her watch. “Oh! Whoops. I really ought to be going now. It was nice meeting you though!”
Then she stood up and began skating away. “Wait!” I called.
She skidded to an easy stop. “What?”
“Where are you going?”
“Follow me and you can find out if you’re that curious, Jack.”
She promptly began skating again this time at a slower rate so I could keep up. We’d only been slipping through the streets for five minutes when she stopped in front of an old building. Puzzled, I looked up at the sign posted above the door. It read, “Holy Covenant United Methodist Church.”
“What are we doing here?” I asked her as she rushed for the door.
Barely pausing, she waved for me to follow. I rushed after her. Inside were fifty or so homeless or struggling people, all getting food from tables where staffed by several volunteers.
Ember ran over and she too began serving the food. Cautiously I weaved through the people to her side.
“You volunteer here?”
“Yep.”
“Why?” I asked her, surprised.
“Jack, you have lots to learn. But to start, what’s so bad about helping people?”
“Nothing but—”
She cuts me off. “Exactly. Nothing.”
“Yes but—”
“What’s the difference between me and these people?” She asks accusingly.
At my silence she snapped, pleased with herself, “There is no difference. You know, I needed help once too and no one was there for me. I want to make sure I’m there for anyone who needs it. ANYONE.” She says emphasizing her last word.
Surrendering, I helped her finish passing out the salads.
***
Later that night I walked home left with the day’s crazy events swirling through my mind. After our conversation we’d gone back to talking normally but she’d left me thinking. I mean she had a point.
In the morning I woke up and got ready for the day. I went to work and then I went to the soup kitchen. There skating up to the doors was Ember. She turned as she heard my footsteps approaching.
Then she smiled, “I was hoping you’d come back.”
“Well I did. But before we start I have a few questions.”
She shrugged her shoulders, “Okay.”
“One, how old are you?”
“Seventeen, you?”
“Twenty two.” I answered.
“My second question is, do you have a car or do you just use your skates for fun?”
She laughed. “I don’t have a car but yes I use these for fun too.”
Then she skated through the door.
Laughing to myself I raced after her. We worked for an hour before she said we could leave. Once we were outside she said,
“I want to show you something,” and then she grabbed my hand as she spotted a cab and waved it down. To the driver she said, “Forest Glen Woods please.”
The cab driver nodded and sped through the streets. When we arrived, Ember pulled me out of the cab.
Then she ran through the trees with me chasing her laughing. She stopped all of a sudden and said, “Welcome to my home.”
She laughed as she whispered, “Look up.”
There above me in the trees was a treehouse. Ember raced over to the tree and then climbed up the rope and into the treehouse.
I slowly shimmied my way up the rope to her and pulled myself into the structure. I gazed around in amazement. It was fairly large and from the ceiling dangled Christmas lights.
There was a mattress in the corner, a box serving as a table, a sleeping bag, blankets, and pillows. There was a small stack of clothes in the corner.
Ember told me all about how her dad owned the wood and when he died he left it to her.
On our way back, Ember smiled and said, “Look up.”
I did as she asked, and saw the most beautiful sunset ever.
I looked at Ember’s radiant face. “You’re always telling me that.”
She looked at me, confused. “Telling you what?”
“To look up.”
“Well, a rare amount of people ever do. People always miss the beautiful things in life because they’re always looking down. For example, there is my favorite bird.”
A blue jay was sitting high in a tree looking down at us. Ember, as always, was right. People always miss the beautiful things in life because they never look up.
The months that came after were wonderful. Before I knew it, it had been a full year since the day I’d met Ember.
In those months it had soon become routine for her to eat dinner with us and after eating we would play games together. In no time Ember was a part of the family.
Looking back, there are lots of things I would change, but none of them had to do with Ember.
Then on December 15th the event that would change my life happened.
It was a normal day and everything seemed fine. As always, we ate at my parents’ house and then I told her goodnight and she left. I was getting ready for bed when the phone rang.
I ran downstairs and picked it up. About halfway through the call I started shaking.
Once I’d hung up the phone I broke. The cry that emitted from my mouth was one of pure agony.
My mom had come to my side had asked me what happened.
I said, “Ember. She’s gone. Her cab got into a wreck. All three of them were killed instantly.”
My mom held me for hours as I cried. The sadness I felt in her absence was the most horrible feeling I have ever felt.
Over the next few days I sat with my grief. I barely got out of bed. I just sat there with my dark thoughts.
The day of the funeral it took everything I had to get ready.
I don’t remember much of the funeral, but the thing I do remember is that when I had said my goodbye’s I had heard a chirp. I looked up and there sitting in the tree was a blue jay.
After the funeral my parents took me to the Chicago Parks Foundation. Every day I walk to the church and every day I stop at our bench. Every day I sit there and gently brush the plaque on it. The plaque that reads,
Ember Leanne
December 16th 2005 – March 26th 2023
“Look Up”
Like her name Ember Leanne was a very unusual girl. But she was not unusual in a bad way. In fact Ember Leanne was the nicest, bravest, and most extraordinary girl I will ever meet. Ember Leanne will never be forgotten by those she loves and certainly not by me.
Malloree Mullins absolutely loves writing books. She also enjoys reading, playing basketball, and track, and hopes you enjoy reading her story as much as she enjoyed writing it.