Title: Foreshadowing

Z is for Zinnia

Zinnia: A New World plant with dense, colorful flower heads.

Timeline: Late fifteen.

Noll felt a sense of something twinge in his chest, and his knees started to shake. He put a hand on the railing of the stairway, gripping it until his hand turned white. He took deep breaths, trying to regain himself over the sudden wash of emotion.

Noll managed to straighten himself from the railing, counting his breaths to calm himself.

He put his hand to his head, shadowing his eyes with it. "I must be coming down with something," he said softly, reminding himself very much about how Gene always talked to himself.

Since Noll had forgotten why exactly he had been going up stairs, he carefully walked back down them, feeling like he was in a daze. Some twilight-zone stupor that he would much rather not get lost in.

He wrapped his arms around himself as he walked into the kitchen, expecting Gene to be sitting at the table, practicing his newest obsession, origami.

He wasn't there. Of course he wasn't; Gene was in Japan. Noll knew that. Gene had left for Japan three days ago, looking as chipper as he always did as he got onto that plane.

Gene was in Japan. Safe. He would come home in a month.

There was a vase of zinnia flowers on the table. A bouquet of white that Luella had bought yesterday.

Zinnias, what did they stand for? Gene would know. Maybe it said so in that little pocket book that Gene used to read. The same book that Gene had coined the name Amaryllis from. Noll should have asked what Zinnias meant then, he hadn't known, and now Gene won't be able to tell him.

Noll slowly sat down in the chair that Gene had called his own. Noll swallowed so hard that it hurt his throat.

He grabbed the sides of his head in his hands, gripping the hair and pulling until it hurt.

He never wanted to know foreshadowing. He never wanted to know if something would happen before its time. He never wanted to know the things that were whispered into his ear without his consent, because the future was not set in stone.

The cell phone in his pocket started to ring, scaring Noll half-to-death. He put a hand to his racing heart as he picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Noll! You should have really come to Japan! It's awesome," Gene's voice said.

Noll released a slow breath, "I'm happy here, thank you."

"Suit yourself. I just wanted to guilt trip you for a minute. I need to go; we're going on a hike."

"Don't get separated," Noll blurted out before he thought.

Gene laughed, "That's impossible, Noll, remember? I always walk in circles. Bye!"

Noll listened to the dull hum of the phone by his ear. Gene was in Japan. Safe.

He's just absent from home right now.

Then why do I feel such sorrow? Noll thought, as if it'll be a lot longer than a month until I see him again.

...

- The Victorian meaning of the zinnia was absence, as well as its emotional correlation, sorrow.

Thank you everyone for reading my first ABC prompts list, "The Not Too Distant Past".

Every Review, Favorite and Story Alert really kept me going! It is awesome to see this list completed, and I had a lot of fun writing it. :-D