The dim office was musty, mostly from the ancient tomes that lined the bookcases and the red leather chair that had been worn from years of use. In that musty chair sat Robert Smith. Robert was a 23 year old lawyer employed at Pilkington Defense. Pilkington Defense had been a average law firm for years but lately had been picking up business. It was about 6 o' clock in the evening when Robert began to leave his office. As he was walking down the hall he ran into a group of his co-workers. They approached him brimming. "Oh Robert how have you been?" they greeted him. After talking a while they discussed business and a big break that would make them all very wealthy. Robert said sure without really getting into the details and then left the building. There was a slight drizzle as he got into his car and started to drive home toward the outskirts of town and just up the start of the country road.

A half hour later he reached his country estate that sat on the first hill overlooking they grey shapes and balls of light. He went inside and picked up the phone. He dialed up his girl Emily and talked with her for hours. They had been seeing each other for a few months and had helped him through the hardest time of his life when his little brother Erik and his mother had passed away just weeks before.

A few days later he found out his friends at work were involved in illegal activity and the job they wanted him to do would require breaking the law. While trying to figure out what he was going to do about the job he became more and more stressed and it was obvious in his relationship with Emily. They started talking less and less and when they did it was emptier, more like hallow echos of their voices.

Days later Robert went out of his estate into the hills nearby and stood on the highest hill and reflected and thought about his life. He sat there all day and when night came he stared up and watched the sky, where millions of tiny lights danced in the cool darkness. He began to see things in a new way, his mind became more open and suddenly anything seemed possible. He seemed to understand things he never could before. His thoughts turned to his situation in this new light. He thought about his job, relationship, and life.

THe next day he reported his co-workers, they got caught in the act and though he expected nothing, his boss promoted him and gave him a pay raise. He also went to see and apologize to Emily. A month later they got married.

Forty years came and went, in that time Robert and Emily had three children and grown into a beautiful family. That tesuday the family was talking from where they left there car to the local park. His youngest son Sam wondered into the street. Then came the car. In the street lay Robert. He was dead. He had given his life to save his son, just as his father had saved him. That was the story of my big brother Robert who I have been watching with my father.