It’s 10:50 pm
“Hey, how did it go. Are you alright with the kid or do we need to sleep with one eye open?”
“We’re good now”
“Although now I owe Sebastián a favour”
“Huh? Was he there?”
“Ah, well, he cleared some of my points”
“Man, perhaps I really should hire you as my social situation interpreter”
“Oh baby, for you it’s all free”
“You’re insufferable”
“Heehoo”
“Eepy time, then? Two Mimir? Did you brush your teeth on the way? I’m already done with my skincare routine”
“Yeah…”
He puts on his pyjama and sits for a little while.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing. I just… been thinking”
“About your dad again?”
“About the house.”
“Did you… feel something?”
“No but, what if this is, let’s say, some kind of evolution?”
“A sneakier house?”
“Maybe.”
“Remember when we analysed the doctor’s investigations? The feeling we proposed it might be?”
“Grief.”
“I fear that. If we or our friends or the other passengers or by accident…!”
“If someone breaks the current purpose, could we…?”
“Could someone accidentally give it a new one with their grief?”
“Are you thinking of someone specifically? Nina, maybe?”
“Ah, well, this thing is hosting a ton of people so, possibilities are not zero”
“Oliver. Do you think you…?”
“No.”
“No. I have nothing to grieve for. It’s been plenty of time already.”
“It’s not even been a month”
“I know. But by any means, I shouldn’t be grieving”
“Grandma lived a long and fulfilling life. She had her chickens. She had her family. She had just enough to be happy.”
“She never had to worry about the city life, content with the wonders of the south”
“Everyone got to see her at the hospital. And she died in her sleep. The most peaceful way to go”
“You even got to meet her. To talk to her. To know her. And she liked you”
“She liked you enough to ask to come by next year…”
“Oliver…”
“And she would’ve hated for us to be sad. She would’ve wanted us to throw a party instead of a gloomy funeral. To remember her as she wanted to.”
“By all means, I have no reason to be sad.”
“…But then why it still hurts so much…? ”
The pressure in his chest, silently present since that day, grew tenfold.
He felt his as if his heart was painfully pumping tears out of his eyes.
It hurt. Even deeper than his chest. His heart. His soul.
For a second, he feared getting completely engulfed on it.
Until
A heart next to his, separated by a pair of ribcages.
“It that happens. I’ll fix it”
“I’ll buy this whole train if necessary. I’ll live in it. I’ll change it.”
“So, don’t bottle this up any longer, okay?”
“Grieve as much as you need. I’ll take care of the rest”
He thought he couldn’t cry any harder. He was wrong.
Grasping into Ángel, as if trying to completely unite their hearts, he let himself feel.
He misses her. He misses her. He can’t visit anymore. He doesn’t know what happened to the animals. He wishes he did more.
But the pain doesn’t eat him whole. There is a warmth to it.
A warmth embracing him, shielding him, applying a new pressure. A welcome one.
When he looked at that sunrise, he imagined a bright future. A perfect future.
One where Mozilla didn’t get sick. One where he wasn’t afraid of heights. One where he didn’t have nightmares.
One where everyone he loves lives forever.
Accepting reality used to be easier. When he wasn’t fragmented.
When he wasn’t haunting any buildings.
He should’ve spent more time with her.
He should’ve known, more than anyone, the importance of time.
He feels a kiss on his temple
“We’ll visit her, yeah? Every year. We’ll bring the prettiest flowers”
“She gave me her lemon pie recipe. I know I’m not the best, but”
“I’ll do everything to make it perfect”
This is the reality he lives in. And it’s the best it has ever gotten.
His pain might never pass. Part of him doesn’t want it to.
But it will always be cushioned around strong arms.
Accompanied by another beating heart, two ribcages away.
One day the pressure will be lighter, accompanied by joyful nostalgia. That day is clearly not today.
But he will look at the sunshine once more. Even if it’s cloudy.
He can be brave.
Because he knows that there will be times where he doesn’t have to.
His tears are not yet done with him, so he stays.
Ángel gently sways him side to side. It makes him sleepy.
Who could’ve thought that a busy day travelling and emotional turmoil would make him tired?
He closes his eyes and dozes off.
It’s 11 pm