p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"Horatio looked out the window as he thought of the play. It had been wonderful, and many of the words were now imprinted on his heart. But one line in particular repeated itself in his head over and over again./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"emspan style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"When beggars die, there are no comets seen-/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"A young woman in rags sat on the street outside, shivering and hungry./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"emspan style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"The prince in silks and furs lay beneath the covers, warm and content with life./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"Both were looking up at the stars in the sky, appreciating those who made the darkness more bearable. emHow unfair, /emthe scholar thought, emfor them to acknowledge one but not the other. Since when did earthly power make someone matter more than their helpless fellow men on the street?/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"Hamlet stirred. "Horatio, what is troubling you?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;""Oh," he replied, caught off guard by this unexpected question. "I just remembered that line of Calphurnia's in the second act...the one with beggars and princes." It was only now that Horatio realized he'd been crying. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;""How peculiar," the prince chuckled, "you can discuss things like the witch burnings of Savoy with composure, but one line in a play brings you to tears."/span/p
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;""It wasn't the line on its own," Horatio replied. /spanspan style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: #2a2a2a;""It reminded me of you, and how you'll leave me one day. My God, my God, Hamlet-" He paused to correct himself. "I mean, my lord-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;"Hamlet walked over to the chair in the corner to comfort his friend. "Horatio, I am twenty-one. I'll hang around to annoy you for at least another century, and when I do die I'll come back to haunt you if you miss me that much." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;"The idea was so laughable that Horatio let out a good-natured chuckle through his tears. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;""You'll probably die first, though. 'The good die young,' the old ones say."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;""Oh, my lord, do stop talking about death."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;""Do stop addressing me as "my lord" when you've been sharing my bed for a year!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;""All right, Hamlet," Horatio sighed happily, pulling the other boy into a tender hug./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;"When he was sure the other boy was under the umbrella of the Ole-Lukoie, Horatio pulled him closer, whispering, "You know, I wasn't joking. I really would miss you if you died...I love you so much..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;"Before he could lay back down on his pillow, the scholar felt a faint brushing of lips on his own, an affectionate chuckle, and a whispered smile in the dark accompanied by the words "I love you too."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"emspan style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"When beggars die, there are no comets seen-/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"A young woman in rags sat on the street outside, shivering and hungry./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"emspan style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"The prince in silks and furs lay beneath the covers, warm and content with life./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"Both were looking up at the stars in the sky, appreciating those who made the darkness more bearable. emHow unfair, /emthe scholar thought, emfor them to acknowledge one but not the other. Since when did earthly power make someone matter more than their helpless fellow men on the street?/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"Hamlet stirred. "Horatio, what is troubling you?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;""Oh," he replied, caught off guard by this unexpected question. "I just remembered that line of Calphurnia's in the second act...the one with beggars and princes." It was only now that Horatio realized he'd been crying. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: 11.85pt;"span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;""How peculiar," the prince chuckled, "you can discuss things like the witch burnings of Savoy with composure, but one line in a play brings you to tears."/span/p
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;""It wasn't the line on its own," Horatio replied. /spanspan style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: #2a2a2a;""It reminded me of you, and how you'll leave me one day. My God, my God, Hamlet-" He paused to correct himself. "I mean, my lord-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;"Hamlet walked over to the chair in the corner to comfort his friend. "Horatio, I am twenty-one. I'll hang around to annoy you for at least another century, and when I do die I'll come back to haunt you if you miss me that much." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;"The idea was so laughable that Horatio let out a good-natured chuckle through his tears. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;""You'll probably die first, though. 'The good die young,' the old ones say."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;""Oh, my lord, do stop talking about death."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;""Do stop addressing me as "my lord" when you've been sharing my bed for a year!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;""All right, Hamlet," Horatio sighed happily, pulling the other boy into a tender hug./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;"When he was sure the other boy was under the umbrella of the Ole-Lukoie, Horatio pulled him closer, whispering, "You know, I wasn't joking. I really would miss you if you died...I love you so much..."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 15.45pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #2a2a2a; mso-fareast-language: EN-PH;"Before he could lay back down on his pillow, the scholar felt a faint brushing of lips on his own, an affectionate chuckle, and a whispered smile in the dark accompanied by the words "I love you too."/span/p