Level Two. Bravery.

Level Two. Bravery.

By Michelle Lloyd.

How could you define it? Explanations for it, there were many… and none of them felt to Little Herbert adequate enough.

At school, history had been an increasingly interesting subject for Little Herbert. He had learnt about conflicts that had seen men in battle, acts of heroism that had taken his breath away and amongst it all had been one experience that had altered his concept of bravery forever.

A class project about a particular time in history had been the means as for Little Herbert having to go to see his grandad. He wanted a face to face with him about his own experiences of lifetime during that period. In his mind, Little Herbert had planned it all out and it was through his grandad’s eyes that he wanted to view bravery…actually what was to become an experience for them both would mean that a personal take on the subject was going to be far more pertinent.

The pair had been involved in intense discussions about grandad’s interpretation of events that he had lived through. They had talked, relied on a few specific photographs and grandad had even taken Little Herbert off to a monument which he felt did his re-enactment through words, a little justice.

It was as they were about to embark on their journey home that the experience occurred. Little Herbert had been deep in thought about what his grandad told him earlier that day and how what he had seen brought those same points to life, but it was as his thoughts took hold that he had forgotten one of his dad’s keen and sometimes viewed as overly eager talks on road safety rules. Always look first was not what Little Herbert did and instead of walk alongside his grandad, he stepped out into a nearly what would have been too late set of oncoming traffic.

Grandad’s quick thinking and outstretched arms were the only things to have kept Little Herbert as safe as he had been.

Grandad had always been his hero. As far back as he could remember Little Herbert associated grandad with heroism and that was for a number of reasons. Many might guess at what they were, indeed some had but were wrong, because for Little Herbert his motivation for making his grandad a hero was tucked safely away in his heart.