Chapter 12 - THE BOY WHO SAVED HIS FRIEND
The music box was restored.
Not perfectly.
The rosewood still carried faint marks where it had splintered.
The glass case was replaced.
The tiny silver roses were carefully repaired.
But Cole chose not to hide the damage completely.
He wanted Noah to remember that broken things could sometimes be repaired.
And that telling the truth mattered.
One afternoon, Cole placed the music box on a low table in the family room.
Noah stared.
“Am I allowed to touch it?”
Cole smiled.
“Yes.”
Noah looked surprised.
“Really?”
“Really.”
He opened the lid.
A soft melody filled the room.
Noah began crying.
Cole knelt beside him.
“What's wrong?”
Noah shook his head.
“Mommy used to play that.”
Cole's eyes filled.
“I know.”
Eli stepped closer.
He placed his green dinosaur beside the box.
“For Noah.”
Noah looked at him.
“Why?”
Eli shrugged.
“So you're not sad.”
Noah smiled through tears.
Then hugged him.
May you like
Cole watched.
And understood that the bravest person in his house had been a four-year-old boy who thought protecting a friend was worth taking the blame.
