He told his young nephew that in his dream lately, he started to cross the bridge because of his eagerness to get hold of the gold cross medal. And so, he dreamed about crossing the bridge and the farther he went, the weaker he became until he could no longer talk about the dream.

Gregorio Evangelista woke up one cool morning with beads of perspiration on his forehead. He was groping for 12-year-old Fred, his favorite nephew who slept beside him.

            “What is it, Uncle Gorio, are you not feeling well?” asked the sleepy lad.

            The 61-year-old World War II veteran continued to perspire profusely. Apparently, he had been having a nightmare, that same dream about the war where many of his comrades were killed. He himself had been badly hurt in the battlefield when a bullet pierced his right knee so that the doctors had to amputate his leg.

            “I dreamt about it again, that gold cross medal,” he told Fred, wiping off the sweat on his forehead. For several weeks, he had dreamt about the same scene. He was on a hill laden with dead soldiers, struggling with his crutches to walk on uneven ground when a bearded old man appeared before him and said: “You have been a good soldier, Gregorio. A prestigious award awaits you. Do you see that bridge over there?”

            The old man was pointing to a certain direction and without waiting for Gregorio’s reply, he continued: “You have to walk across that bridge and when you reach the other side, you will see a huge boulder. On top of it is a gold cross medal. It belongs to you now.” Then the old man disappeared.

            Uncle Gorio sat up on the bed while the boy pretended to listen. The latter had grown tired of listening to his uncle’s same old dream. He once thought of him as being insane but nevertheless he loved him dearly. Fred was entrusted to the old man at the age of five when his parents separated. His father was the youngest brother of Uncle Gorio. As his uncle never married, he had no family to take care of him. Of course Uncle Gorio’s spinster  sister looked after him since the day he lost his leg but Fred’s assistance and companionship delights most.