I hope everyone likes it! There will most likely be mistakes that I didn't catch before so feel free to let me know!
I do not own Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising.
Epiphany
"How's it going, David?" The man in question looked up from his computer. His brown, shaggy hair hung over sunken blue eyes. Bags were clearly visible on his gaunt face.
"Just finishing that latest article that the boss asked me to write." He sighed while looking at his as-of-yet unfinished paper. One article too many, he thought. He has been working the entire day with only time for a short lunch break and a couple bathroom breaks. The day seemed to drag on yet move faster as if he didn't have enough time to finish his work. His job shouldn't be hard yet with what his boss was giving him, he wasn't getting paid enough. His real desire was to be a musician. It was a secret hobby of his that not many people knew of, of course except for his friends and the place he would sometimes sing at. He hadn't been at his normal saloon in a while, maybe that's he's been so tired lately. It cheered him up a lot when he went there; he was doing what he loved to do.
"He's pushing you, you know." His editor said with concern on his slightly chubby face. He seemed to always be acting like a mother hen towards David. They were friends and co-workers. It just seemed to work this way. There was no hard criticism or misunderstandings.
"You're the best writer we've got and everybody loves all your articles." He paused. "But lately you just seem overworked…" Now this was a first. Normally, his friend would stop at the whole 'pushing you' thing. It seemed as though he might be critiquing him. They all turn someday, right?
David stared at his friend. Maybe it was true and had been overworked. Given the job and the eager boss he had, there were just a lot of things he had to get done. No time for singing, drinking with the few friends he had. Just working.
"Take a break of something. Go on vacation, I don't know, just rest okay? It's already nine o'clock." He said while looking at his expensive watch that he got with his bonus money. "You gotta be here in the morning. Go home." And with that parting note, he left. David sighed again and resumed typing.
He finished around a half an hour later and sent it to his friend and editor to get checked out. This would just give him more work to do the next day. He couldn't think about it. It would stress him out more. For now, he would make his way home and pass out on his inexpensive mattress on the floor in his meager apartment.
---
The next week went in a similar direction. He worked until late in the night and didn't give himself much time to think about his health. He needed the money after all. He was hoping to get a nicer apartment, maybe a new bed.
He had had a long night previous and was slowly making his way through work. His eyes just wouldn't stay open. After arguing with himself, he decided to let them close for just a minute or two.
An hour later his editor found him passed out on his keyboard drooling onto his desk. He brought this up with their respective boss who thought that maybe it would be a good idea to let David rest a little while. He was their best employee.
Two weeks later, David found himself sitting on a train headed for a small city in Wales. He figured it was a paid vacation and that it must be needed if his boss noticed his lack of sleep.
It would be nice to go to a place where there weren't hordes of people crowding around and shoving their way through. A place where car horns were the noise you heard or where smog or skyscrapers were all you saw. No, just the sea and the people that live around it. Fresh air, birds singing, and maybe a couple of drinks would do him some good. It was about time that he relaxed. He might even find a story in the small sea-side town of BLANK. His home.
His brother, Adam, would be happy to see him. It had been a while. They couldn't be separated when they were younger and then college came and they went into different directions. His brother wanted to keep up the family fishing business when their dad died while he wanted to go to the city and find a "city job" he had called it at the time. Since David never went home, even for most holidays, they hadn't really seen each other.
The train ride was coming close to an end and he would get to breathe the air he had been missing for around nine years. This really was a good idea. He would have to remember to send a thank you card to his editor and boss for letting him breathe.
Right as he got off the train he heard a yell and his brother flung himself at David completely defying his age of forty-one. He could see behind his brother the family Adam had made. He had a wife and two children around the age of six, it looked like. Everyone was smiling. It was good to be home.
---
A week had really done him good. His face wasn't as gaunt looking as it had been at work, his eyes had brightened considerably. He met his family and mourned the fact that he had only seen pictures of the wedding and birthdays. He had been working and really couldn't afford to leave. But, in this day and age, there were plenty of moving pictures in frames that he could see. Many pictures were of the kids growing up, some people around the area it seemed, and friends.
He wished he could stay here but he didn't have the knowledge needed to work the high-tech fishing boats. Much more technology went into fishing, more than in the twentieth-first century. His brother was making enough money to sustain his family in a really nice home. He even offered to give David money, but he refused.
Like the past couple of nights, after the family dinner, Adam and David went to one of the local bars. They normally had a game of something playing. The brothers went to people-watch and to catch up on the years they lost.
It was a cool night and the moon was bright in the sky. The town was small enough that they didn't need to drive. In David's opinion it would have been much too loud for this type of night. The silence was almost unbreakable except for their feet hitting the pavement. Then through the darkness, around a hill, a small quaint city came into view. The brothers smiled at each other.
"Race you there!" Adam said and started running. David laughed and sprinted after him. But his job doesn't help his endurance and he had to slow down to a walk. He caught his breath before he met back up with his brother who was grinning maniacally.
"Let's get a beer." They entered the bar and went to the counter. Tonight there wasn't a game on, just some muted television show. It seemed they would people watch that night. He only had a couple more nights in town so he would make the most of what time he had. The old bartender, who looked to be going on seventy, handed them their cold ones.
They saw many of the regulars that they had seen earlier that week. Some waved; others just ignored them for the television. They started talking about random things and touched on little topics, both not wanting the night to end. But it seemed that Adam had to get up early for work in the morning and his sleep schedule wouldn't change for anybody. He yawned.
"You go on ahead; I think I'm going to stay a little longer." David said smiling. His sleep schedule was very flexible. His brother gave a farewell and stumbled a little out the door. David took a sip and moved from his chair at the counter to a booth in the corner. He would have a better view of the bar's occupants.
He was just finishing his third beer that night when a boy, no older than fourteen came through the door. He gaped. He didn't know they let young kids into bars nowadays. A lot must have changed for them to do that.
The kid would be hard to spot in a crowd. He was almost abnormally normal. He ordered a drink from the old man and sat down. They began talking as if they were the oldest of buddies. They stayed like that for about an hour or so before the kid waved and walked towards the door. He said some words and it sounded like he promised he would be there tomorrow. Just before he exited he glanced over at David as if expecting him to be watching the boy. Then he left.
He decided to call it a night as well. But he was curious about the boy. No one else seemed to care or they were just used to it. Maybe it was a small town thing? He closed in on the old bartender and asked, "I thought the drinking age was eighteen." He stared pointedly.
The old man laughed. I've known that kid my whole life." He laughed again. "It was nice to see him again. What with his wandering, he doesn't come here too often." He glanced fondly at the door.
David just looked confused. "You mean his life." He said, thinking this man was getting a bit old. The bartender just shook his head and took the tip handed to him from another man. David just left it at that. He would ask his brother when he got back from his work, fishing.
---
The next night, his brother worked late and so couldn't join him in the bar hopping they had been doing. David decided he would go to the same bar as the previous night. When he entered the bar, he noticed the same kid sitting in the booth he had been sitting in. He went up and ordered a beer again and leaned against the counter. It seemed like an invitation.
He grabbed his beer and just before he could head over to the booth, the old man whispered in his ear, "Don't go too hard on him; he's probably weary from his travels." David nodded and continued walking. When he got to the booth he just sat down without asking.
For the first time, David noticed the kid's eyes. They seemed very old as if he had lived a thousand years. This seemed to just add to the mystery. This child with old eyes was an enigma that the writer inside of him wanted to solve. They stared for longer than he felt comfortable. It felt like he was being judged by some sort of higher being.
The kid made the first move and it was simple really; he smiled. It seemed to light up his entire being, making him look his age again. "I thought you would want to talk to me," he said softly. "You made it quite obvious." His smile never left his face. If it had been David, he would have been creeped out about all the attention: some older guy staring at you all night.
"I was just wondering why a kid your age would be in a bar like this." He responded. The kid smiled sadly but said nothing. David felt like this just added to his unsolved riddle. "I'm David, by the way." He said putting his hand out for the boy to shake.
"My name's Will." The boy took his hand in a strong grip, one that he wouldn't expect a child to have. And so with that, they started talking. At first, it was little things here and there. But it went into a whole plethora of topics: politics, food, movies, the latest technology, the past. Once they got into the past, David talked about his story and growing up. When they got to the topic of his favorite book, it looked like Will jumped a little. David was deterred, but elaborated.
"My favorite character was Merlin, what with the magic and all. It really amused me." Will just nodded and smiled. At the time, David wouldn't think of it, but later he would remember it being forced. They continued on their journey through the topics and went into his life. When he got to the reason for him coming here, Will added his sixpence, "I believe you need a change of pace." He looked David straight in the eye. Wise, old grey stared at young blue. "In my life I have learned many things, my friend." He continued staring. "But the greatest thing, you'll ever learn is…" he paused, not for dramatic effect as one would think, but it seemed like he was trying to choke out something. It was whispered quietly with a lot of meaning. "To love and to be loved in return."
---
David thought long and hard about his vacation. It was nice being with his family and enjoying the sights. But the real impact was that boy who really wasn't a boy. The one who could so easily direct the subject away from himself or talk about little things for hours on end. He seemed eager to help David with his problems and get over his feeling of being stuck in the road when it forks in two different directions.
He was back at his computer at work feeling better than he had in years. It had been weeks since his vacation to BLAH and yet it was still on his mind. He found himself realizing that he really didn't like his job. Yes, he knew what he was doing and was making money for it but he just didn't feel right.
His fingers stilled over the keyboard. He had to do something about it.
---
He looked over the audience sitting in front of him. Sitting on a stool with his guitar on his lap, he calmly glanced through the crowd. He figured he would do what he loved and found he could make more than he did at his meager writing job. His career sky-rocketed almost at once. Lady Fortuna seemed to be on his side in this. He smiled a small smile to himself. Mythology was a wonderful subject and one he used for most of his songs. But this song, he wrote in dedication to the one who sparked his fire.
In the audience he saw his brother and his family. He saw his girlfriend, who smiled encouragingly, like she did every time. Everyone he loved was here to cheer him on. He leaned forward and started.
There was a boy
A very strange, enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise
Was he
And then one day
The magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
"The greatest thing
You'll even learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return."(1)
Unbeknownst to David, a boy who was often seen around, who seemed to know more than his age should know, smiled and left through two old, magical doors.
.1. I do not own this as it is from Moulin Rouge, a very good movie that everyone should see.
Yay! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!
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