The Labors of Hercules Beal

by Gary D. Schmidt

“Courage is shown in what we do, not in what we’re feeling. I think you showed real courage.”

And maybe what you start to learn is that even when you miss someone who is gone—I mean, really really miss them—that doesn’t mean that everyone is gone. And it doesn’t mean that the ones you miss have been replaced. But it does mean that you’re not alone. And that’s something, right? 228

Holidays are the worst. Really. The worst. It’s like they eat you alive. You’re supposed to be so happy, and every commercial is about how warm and cozy you’re supposed to be and in every commercial it’s always snowing but everyone is still warm and cozy. And everyone in every commercial suddenly has this huge family and they’re coming from far away and suddenly they’re all sitting at Thanksgiving dinner or gathered around a shining Christmas tree getting new cars and stuff. And there are so many stupid holiday movies, and they all end the same way: happy, happy, happy, happy. Holidays are the worst.

Thanksgiving wasn’t something you could just skip because you were going to be busy the next day and how traditions mattered and we needed to keep them and human beings needed to remember that some things were holy and that meant we paid attention to them.

Then we went back home and drank hot chocolate by the woodstove. It was like we were practicing being normal. It was like we were practicing not getting eaten up. It was like we were practicing what it could have been like. I missed them like I would miss the sun.

“So I’m not telling you not to be angry, Beal. That would be telling you not to be a human being. I’m telling you not to act when you’re angry. There’s a difference.”

Mr. Moby came with a cheesecake—which was not exactly my favorite, but Mrs. Bontemps acted like she was delighted—as if anyone could really be delighted with a cake made of cheese.

He sat down at the driver’s seat, pulled the door shut, turned the wiper blades to Extreme Emergency speed,

I don’t know what happiness beyond belief would feel like. I can imagine, I guess, but I’m not sure what it would feel like. What I am sure of is this: Who would not want to give someone else happiness beyond belief? 193

And we went on like that for a long time, choosing stars, laughing, being okay I guess, not losing each other, so glad we were in the same galaxy, sharing the stars.

You know, you know, people think that hell is all these flames and stuff, and demons running around, and all that. It’s not. It’s freezing, freezing cold, and nothing is moving.

Maybe, the stuff we hold up, we don’t have to hold up by ourselves all the time. Maybe sometimes we can let someone else hold it up too. Maybe that’s how we can get by. Maybe that’s how we can do a whole lot better than just get by.

We are here to help you carry the sky when you have to, and we are here to help you put it down when you need to. Why else would anyone ever become a teacher?