Tears welled in the corners of the amethyst colored eyes of the boy whose trembling hands held the letter and rolled freely down his cream colored cheeks. Even though he had known since the beginning what was to become of him and his friend, letting him go had been one of the most difficult things he had ever had to do. To find first the poem, then the letter, in an envelop tucked away on the top shelf of his wardrobe, way to the back as if hidden in the shadows, now, reminded him of that time and almost broke his rapidly pounding heart – again. It was like re-discovering a long lost friend only to have to let said friend go all over again.
It wasn't fair!
Life isn't fair. Life has never been fair and never will be, a cold, harsh voice echoed loudly, painfully, in the back of his mind. He should take both the poem and the letter, drop them in a bin, and burn them both. Instead, here he was, sat in the middle of the floor in his room above his maternal grandfather's game shop, staring at the pieces of paper he'd discovered whilst cleaning out his wardrobe, bawling his eyes out like a child who had just lost his best friend.
Well, hadn't he? When he was younger, he had desperately wanted friends. So, one day, when his grandfather had presented him with a challenge, he had taken it upon himself to accept that challenge and to show his grandfather what he was truly made of. He had had an ulterior motive for accepting his grandfather's challenge as well, however. If he could successfully complete the challenge, his hearts desire would be granted.
Unlike most young boys, his hearts desire wasn't a companion of one sex or the other. Nor did he desire fortune or fame. No, he desired friendship; that special bond that forms when two people whose hearts share the same thoughts and feelings connect and are able to spend time together. He oftened wondered where this need for friendship arose. Was it because he lacked a father with whom to engage in father-son activities? A basic human need? Perhaps it was both.
This was what he believed; that both the lack of a father and the fact that all humans seemed to require a level of closeness with another, whether that closeness was sexual, romantic, platonic or otherwise, and he was human, was the reason he desperately craved friendship. In other words, he longed to fill the void in his heart known as loneliness.
Perhaps it was that longing, that desperation, which ultimately lead to the events that unfolded next. If he hadn't been so desperate, things would surely have turned out much differently.
/That's right. If I hadn't been so selfish, only thinking about myself and how desperate I was for friends, none of that would have happened. I'd still be small and meek, never realizing my full potential. I guess there is some benefit in being selfish, and yet, if I had known in the beginning things would have turned out the way they did, I... /
The boy frowned. He was being selfish again.
/No, if I had never accepted grandfather's challenge, had never completed the mysterious object known as the Millennium Puzzle, not only would I have never realized my full potential or made such amazing friends, I never would have met 'him.' As painful as it was to let him go, I... I'm grateful I had the chance to met someone as wonderful and amazing as 'him.' That's one thing I will never regret for as long as I live!/
The corners of the boy's mouth turned upright into smile and the tears of sadness he had started crying when he'd first found the pieces of paper tucked away in his wardrobe turned to tears of happiness.
/No matter what the future might hold, I cherish the friends I've made and will always do my best to be there for them when they need me and to watch over them and protect them from danger. In this way, not only will I honor him as well as myself, but I will keep him alive in their hearts and in my own. I'll make him proud./
The boy brings his hand up and wipes away the last of the water droplets from his face, a determined smile on his face.
/Yeah, that's what I'll do. What I'll always do. I promise!/
His mind made up, the boy folds the pieces of paper and places them back on the shelf in the wardrobe where he found them and closes the wardrobe doors. Without uttering so much as a word, he turns and walks out of his room, down the stairs, through the game shop, and out through the door which will no doubt take him on his next adventure.
AN: After re-reading the previous chapters, I realized this 'story' felt "unfinished," so I added a third chapter. It feels short and like it could be a lot better, but I did my best and this is the end result. I'm really tired too and starting to lose my focus. Anyway, I was locked out of this account for a long time and not sure if I'll update my other stories. Even so, if you happen to see this chapter and decided to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. Thank you!