By John Hughes <jrhughes3068@yahoo.com>
Rated: G
Submitted: February, 2007
Summary: Clark recalls the life of his parents and how their love for him will shape the parent he is to become.
Notice: Ownership of the following characters belongs to others. The following fan fiction is written with the knowledge that no profit beyond personal enjoyment in writing the story has been gained.
***
The sky above the family farm and the lands surrounding the little farmhouse were dark and promised rain. A brisk wind blew the branches of an ancient fruit tree. Clark had always liked the rain. Even now, as he stood below the wide branches of a tree that in his youth he had climbed hundreds of times, the approaching storm brought back a flood of memories from his childhood.
Looking down, Clark reached out to touch the two small, stone markers that noted the resting place of his parents.
Martha and Jonathan Kent had lived full and rich lives together. They shared love, laughter and the joys of raising a child together. Jonathan's passing had been hard on his wife, but Martha remained strong during her husband's decline in health and then his eventual death.
She bravely took on the responsibilities of the family farm with the help of several hired hands and kept her husband's dream alive as best she could. After five years apart, Martha was called to her husband's side.
Clark gazed at the writing on the stones. Additional memories of countless dinners around a kitchen table and the deep laughter of his father echoed in his ears. The memory of his mother's reassuring hand seemed to rest lightly on his arm. Looking up in surprise, he realized that he had failed to notice the arrival of his wife. Lois observed the tears on her husband's face and wrapped her arms around him in a close embrace.
Clark held Lois briefly and then pulled back. He reached down and touched her swollen belly. A child rested in the calm safety of his mother's womb. This second child would only have stories of his grandparents, but Clark was determined to pass on the stories and heritage of his parents and the values that they imparted upon him as his own children grew up in a world that most took for granted.
The memories and lessons learned by those we love are never lost. As long as we honor their memories to the best of our ability and teach our own children the value of life, love and laughter.
THE END