In the Arctic by Art Collins Page A

that Meatloaf would be buried with full honors in Arlington National Cemetery. He also said that the PSA had made arrangements for her to attend.
    She ended her letter by saying how much she’d enjoyed the time they’d spent together even though it was much too short, and also how much she was looking forward to seeing him again.
    The last two words in the letter, “Love, Willow,” must have been on Archibald’s mind when he went to sleep that night after watching television and seeing the lighted globe drop in Times Square.
    Although he rarely had vivid dreams, that night a dream that Archibald had on another New Year’s Eve several years before resurfaced from the depths of his unconsciousness. In both dreams, he was standing at a makeshift altar that had been constructed in his backyard. His eyes were riveted on a young woman dressed in white who was being escorted down the aisle by a silver-haired gentleman.
    Then something caught his attention at the far edge of the yard. Hunched over and walking with a cane, a very old man emerged from the forest and took a seat at the end of the last row.
    As his bride-to-be took her place next to him at the altar, she winked at his best man. When Jockabeb winked back, the service began.
    In his original dream, all the images had been hazy, almost as if filtered through a murky lens. This time, however, there was no haze to cloud his vision as the words, “We are gathered together,” were spoken.
    When he faced his future wife to begin their wedding vows, he clearly saw her eyes—the largest, most beautiful pair of dark eyes he’d ever seen!

SECOND EPILOGUE
    It was mid-January when another letter addressed to Archibald was delivered. It was a letter he’d been eagerly awaiting. Three months earlier, he’d applied for a spot in a student living abroad program. It was the same program in which several students from his school had previously participated. The return address on the envelope was from the organization managing that program.
    If selected for the program, he would move in with a pre-screened family and attend summer school in a foreign country. The program would start in mid-June after his current school year ended, and it would conclude two months later. As a surprise sixteenth birthday present, Aunt Claire had graciously offered to cover all of the costs associated with the program if he was accepted.
    “Hey, Mom,” he yelled excitedly, walking quickly toward the kitchen, “It’s here. The letter from theliving abroad program is here! I’m almost afraid to open it.”
    “Well, you’re not going to find out anything until you do,” she answered.
    Before completing his application, Archibald and Jockabeb had researched all the cities where the participating schools were located. He’d then marked those cities that were acceptable, and those that were not. He was also asked to list his top three choices in order of priority.
    When he opened the envelope and read the letter inside, his face brightened. “Mom, I got in!” he said excitedly, practically jumping up and down. “And guess what? I got my first choice. I’m going to Hong Kong!”
    “That’s wonderful,” she exclaimed. “Wait until everyone else hears! You need to call Aunt Claire and give her the good news. She’ll be thrilled.”
    Then almost immediately, a worried look crossed her face as she said, “Archibald, you know that you have a tendency to get yourself into trouble when you leave home, and this time you’ll be all alone on the other side of the world. I just hope you’ll be careful.”
    “Come on, nothing bad is going to happen me,” Archibald answered, shaking his head. “I’ll be living with a great family. Plus, all the kids at school who’ve gone on the program have had really good experiences without any problems. You don’t need to worry, okay?”
    As he did his best to reassure his mother that she needn’t be concerned about him going to Hong Kong, Archibald had