Date: May 16th, 1883
Location: Unnamed Village,
Gloucestershire, England
'Thoughts'
"Dialogue"
'Sounds'
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It is a cold spring night. The songs of crickets chirping rhythmically tore through emptiness of the void, an orchestra in night. As the night crawlers and other creatures alike become animated in the lawless maze, darting between the tall grasses of the field and creeping through the dark labyrinths of the shadowed branches of the trees that loom over the seemingly vast plains, waiting to pounce any and all who dared wander into their territory with their jagged, ruthless claws. No matter the dangers of that lurk within the foreboding shadows of the night, the moon's silvery light crept through the openings between the trees to reveal a tall bespectacled man in a black suit, unblemished by the nature that surrounds him. The man laid in the soft grass under the trees that stared down at him with their shadowy faces. However, he paid no mind to them as inhaled and exhaled softly, his ears drank in the sounds of the night, relishing their tranquility. The stars above him flickered, reflecting the light off of the speckles that rested delicately on his pale face. The scattered stars try to outshine each other as they begged for the mysterious stranger's attention. Paying no heed to their constant begging and pleas, he instead listened to the orchestra of crickets performed their piece to all creatures of the night willing to listen, him being one of them. Unbeknownst to the bespectacled man, a small impish figure stalked him from behind a tree not to far from where he laid amongst the tall strands of grass.
Suddenly, something sharp hits the man in the face, narrowly missing his spectacles. He opened his eyes to reveal that they are a prosphecsent chartreuse colour, the eyes only held by beings known as grim reapers. His eyes - alert landed on the sharp object that now sat in his lap, it was a rock.
Not any sort of special rock, just a rough, grey pebble. Just a wandering puzzle piece from a world full of rocks. It sat in the reaper's lap with impressive nonchalance, almost as if it's mocking him. The reaper's attentive, yet cold gaze darted around him. Searching for the one who threw the pebble at him, ready for a fight with an unknown creature. However, as his watchful gaze had seen nothing out of the ordinary, focused it back on the pebble in his lap. Despite this, he never let his guard down. For, a feeling in his gut had told him that he was being watched. Trying to briefly ignore his instincts, despite the alarms blaring in his mind, he concentrates on the pebble before him. It seems as though the pebble thought it was a diamond.
"Are you sleeping?" A voiced asked.
Instantly, the reaper's neck snapped straight at inhuman speed to see the owner of that hesitant, young voice. Not to mention, to lock stares with the assailant that threw the stone at his face. Before him is a small boy and an immense field of poppies, breathing their sickeningly sweet perfume in the nighttime breeze. The child is dressed in mere scraps of cloth, and his cheeks were sunken from malnourishment. Still, sparks of mirth and hope danced in his wide, chocolate eyes. He was rather frightened by the man's sudden and not to mention, ungodly and rapid jerk upwards, and he stumbled backwards in fright and surprise, tumbling onto the grass.
"Hey! Luka!!!"
An agitated voiced rant out in the distance, getting louder very quickly. Luka, the boy that threw the rock at the man, stared dumbly at him, the boy's chapped mouth gaping. His cheeks bloomed poppy-red in embarrassment, and he averted his eyes in embarrassment.
'Hm, now isn't this an odd predicament?' The reaper thought to himself.
Suddenly, another child leaped out in front of him defensively, his entire, skinny body tensed. This child had far less hope in his icy blue eyes, but it certainly had a fire that burned bright within them. He glared at the bespectacled man, the dust on his clothing still. The reaper stared deeply into those icy blue orbs, searching the boy's soul.
"Who are you?!?"
"Jim!"
Luka clutched onto Jim's pants, burying his face in the hollow of the elder boy's knee.
"It's my fault, brother. I threw a stone at him because I thought he was sleeping!"
"He shouldn't sleep in such a stupid place." Jim replied, still defending Luka.
"It's quite fine, stone Luka threw at me didn't cause harm anyways. I was just about to leave, after all." The reaper said in a monotone voice. His gaze fixed on the two young children in front of him.
Jim sighed, dropping his young, blond head while he knelt. Casting a suspicious glance at the man, he whispered very seriously in Luka's ear. Luka eagerly whispered back, nodding with enthusiasm. The bespectacled reaper just watched the whole exchange between the brothers, his eyes then became illuminated warmth as his almost permanent emotionless expression morphed into one filled with a certain gentleness, an expression he hadn't worn in many decades.
The brothers glanced back at him, silently. They crawled over to the man, still holding their heads proudly. The younger one, Luka immediately draped himself over the man's lap. Subconsciously, the reaper held his breath to focus on the feeling of the young boy's fluttering heart beat. The older boy, Jim, sat beside the bespectacled man without touching him, only resting his little hand in Luka's curls.
"You two remind me of two other people I knew a long time ago…"
The reaper's eyes then went blank as he was suddenly pulled into a strange room. Two children, a boy and a girl stood in front of him. He couldn't make out any of their features but he can hear their voices.
"Papa! Papa! I want to show what I've made today, it's super cool you have to see it!" The girl said enthusiastically, grasping onto his sleeves.
"Yeah, I agree. It's cool, yeah you honestly have to see it." The boy responded in a more calm manner. However, it didn't stop the enthusiasm from creeping through his voice.
"C'mon, let's go." The girl then started to lead him to wherever they were going, they boy following close behind.
Suddenly, he heard gunshots ripped through the peaceful moment and bloodstains danced in his vision, the children then screamed in horror. The reaper was then brought back to the reality that surrounded him, clutching his head in pain from the horrifying memory, breathing heavily. He soon regained his composure and faced the boys again.
"But it was a long time ago, I can't remember anything. But their face, what they wore, or what eye colour they have. Just their voice. I just wish… I can actually remember, for once." Despite his solemn expression and monotone voice, a tear couldn't help but escape his eye and roll down his cheek. Jim then leaned his against the man's shoulder, feeling sorry for him.
"We'll rest with you, just until the sun rises, to make sure no spiders crawl into you ears."
The reaper just simply nodded at this.
'Thank you, I appreciate this. I promise to protect you two from all harm that comes your way, I swear on my life.'
As the night slowly shifts into the dawn of a new day they all fell asleep alongside the brothers fell asleep alongside each other, blissfully dreaming of a bright future to come. Whilst death guards them as a guardian angel would, protecting them as he promised. However, as you know it, all good things must come to an end...