It lurked at the back of his mind; gnawing at him. A deep, unending pain, as impossible to ignore as a toothache.
There were times he could almost live with it. Times when other pain pushed it out of his conscious mind. Times when friends, laughter and love eased the emptiness. Times, even, when he could forget for seconds on end, long blessed seconds of forgetfulness and peace.
Then there was today. When the despair pulsed through him, making it hard to think, hard to breathe; hard to live. Pain, guilt, desolation.
Today, oblivion sang to him.
"Happy birthday, Charlie."