Dear Readers,

Thank you for your time and patience. Perhaps many of you have forgotten this story and no longer read it, but I felt compelled to finish it with this closing chapter. Katherine Patterson's Bridge to Terabithia has served me as a template for years as an author. When I first wrote for FanFiction, I devised the "Life Goes On"" series, a short entitled "Why I Fight For You," and then this, "Goodbye Terabithia," a sequel to "Life Goes On." It all was at a time when I myself was growing up, feeling the extremes of love and heartbreak, and somehow the comfort of Leslie Burke and Jesse Aarons provided me a stability, a vent, and even an appreciation for those sentiments. My first love may be gone now but I have this series to remember her by, some of it written from personal experiences we shared.

We all are aware of those extremes of love, at some point in our lives. One of the most profound qualities of love is loving enough to let go.

Chapter 8 – Goodbye Terabithia

Leslie walked down the stairway and we then made our way to the front door.

"Do you have all your homework?"

"I never leave without it." she tried to smile.

I opened our umbrella as we placed the luggage into my car's trunk, a P.T. Cruiser I bought in honour of our former dog.

"Keep the umbrella over my head stupid." Leslie barked.

"I'm trying," I laughed. "You shouldn't have bothered to dry your laundry Les. "

She closed the trunk lid and gave me a light jab in the side. "You're driving."

Then we hit the road. We rode by our old houses and ventured on.

The familiar streets we knew passed by before our eyes and soon, the countryside wrapped around us as we neared Terabithia. There was a narrow dirt path that granted cars a small one lane through-way, the same road that Leslie had taken before when we learned Judy bought Terabithia for us. I smiled and watched the treetops glisten with the gentle rain of the afternoon. How familiar it all was to be here, to be leaving from where we all came together.

The gentle rain became a downpour, though.

With lights on and the wipers to full, I wondered at times if we were still on the road. Eventually I was forced to a stop, shutting the car off.

"We should have left earlier." the passenger beside me complained.

"Well Les, if you uh...hadn't taken a whole hour."

"Are you accusing me-the fastest runner in Lark Creek-of being slow?"

"You know me better than that."

"Good, because..." Then she started to sob.

I reached over and held her.

"I'm sorry."

"You're my wife, and I'll literally be with you until I die, Leslie."

"And I you, Jesse." she whimpered sadly.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The thunder shook us, and the lightning flashed in our eyes.

For an instant, I thought I saw our Kingdom—all its magic come alive, but I didn't—it was just a forest harbouring a winding river, and by now, a really, really, old treehouse. When again I glanced at her, I now saw all the magic in my Leslie.

"You were right about the treehouse, Les."

She looked at me, intently.

"I'll let go of it." I offered.

She beamed. "I think Judy would understand."

"I think so too."

As the rain began to lighten, we stepped outside of the car, standing beside as the sunlight began to part through the trees.

I stretched my arm across the roof and held her hand, just to take in the beauty of our past once more, with her.

"Goodbye Mom." Leslie exclaimed.

"Goodbye Terabithia." I said.

And then Leslie smiled, a kind of smile I hadn't seen before in so long.

"What about that vacation, now?" she snuffled to clear her throat, with a grin in that way only my Leslie Burke could.

I started up the car and the two of us left the canopy of trees onto the now brightly shining road ahead~