Family Pictures: Every Heartbeat Summary

Judd remembers a time when he straddled his bike beside the brook in their lower driveway, allowing himself to become hypnotized by the flow of the water. A thought occurs to him as he watches the water flow, that he could be gone just like that. Then, his dad and his brother, Mike, drive past. It occurs to him that they, too, could be gone. It is a thought that will stay with Judd for a long time.

Family Pictures: Every Heartbeat Analysis

The brook and the water flowing symbolize the passing of time to a young Judd and mortality, as a child understands it. This foreshadows the coming destruction of the Mulvaney family.