One Week Till Prom

Henry

Into the night, the ashen night, of a billion stars both exploded and living, into the serendipity of duality that is our shared existence, is both futility and eternal hope, the road that belongs to immortals. In the serenade of the black, the stars are a choir; they are lights that sing in infinite patterns. Sometimes eyes need music, and the darker the night the sweeter the song. Strong black silhouettes rooted to land in happy slumber, stretch into the mottled-metal sky. For this is twilight. This is the hour when dreaming begins when thoughts turn from the mundane to the magical. Emma stepped into the home led by Henry. "It seems like everyone is Mourning, Thanks for coming to the meeting."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world! Beanie and Amaris are with Holly at Dennis's dad's shop getting the Van fixed. They'll be here soon." Emma replied as they slipped down to the basement.

Light flooded into the basement from the windows that crowned the room. Her eyes were drawn upward toward the flowers of spring that were blossoming into the newly warmed air. All about the room were comfy chairs, a bookshelf, and guitars. It was the sort of place you could go to feel calm, to feel cradled by the earth and yet still under the moon.

Chestnut, greasy hair slightly reveals a strong, tense face. Darting brown eyes, set a-symmetrically within their sockets, watch readily over the natives they've cared for so long.

Smooth skin gorgeously compliments his mouth. This was Henry who stood in front of the crowd. "Thank you all," He said happily. "I'm very happy to see you all here today. As you all probably heard, the contents of the Strawberry Milk has had some unusual consequences," He spoke. "And now that we know theirs corpses in the Milk, I suggest we destroy any and all of the cartons of Strawberry Milk." He then frowned. "We also mourn the loss of our Vice President, Chrissy." He bowed his head before frowning. "If anyone has anything to say in her honor, You may have the floor."

Emma stood up and walked to the podium once Henry stepped off. "The good people that pass leave in us a part of their goodness, and in that they evermore live on. You can feel it at the funeral, that need to reach out and feel it once more, to have that memory keep our soul sparks burning bright. We need to keep Chrissy's memory in our souls, We all need to fight for a better school." She gently froze before hearing a Van pull up. "Beanie is here?" She mumbled before stepping off the Podium, "I think Beanie would have more to say considering their relationship." She walked towards the exit.

Henry took a moment. "....Emma?" He suddenly said as he spotted a figure rush past his basement window. "That didn't sound like beanies Van..." Emma stopped and took a moment. "Beanie's van breaks down far too much for it to make that clean of a stop." Emma froze.

"Who else knows your address and drives a van?" Emma asked slowly before Henry watched her slip a knife from her pocket. "Grab something to protect yourself."

"Hey-It might be the neighbors, I mean-"

"Right now!" Emma replied narrowing her eyes. Henry nodded rushing to grab his Guitar and holding it like a bat. "Your Guitar!?" She asked as he frowned.

"It's heavy, I can do something with it!" Henry replied as Emma rolled her eyes gripping her knife tighter and looking to the door.

"Your door, Is it Unlocked?"

Henry stared for a moment thinking before nodding. Emma groaned before pointing. "Watch the Windows, if this is a student from our school, they're probably some sort of horror buff." She said. "They'll break through that window before they attack you." Emma said before running upstairs.

Henry groaned before closing his eyes. "Relax. Relax. It's probably nothing." He then heard a voice in his ear.

"Who made you afraid, my love? Afraid of the future and the past? For neither exist in any place but the imagination, even memory must be imagined. Thus fear is a kind of madness, but one that is useful if you know how it works. Fear will take you by the hand to the things you keep and guard as precious. Always face fear with courage, understand it, and then let it go. Let these fears wake you up, let them show you the way to your true self, to the brave soul whose love shines like a star. For without fear, love is brighter, stronger, deeper. When you find yourself, my love, you will be your own master, fully healed, and your last fear will be of your own strength." A soft voice echoed in his ear. "You drank the Strawberry Milk, Did you not? You have nothing to fear. But your friend, she has everything to fear."

Henry turned his head before frowning. "What? Who? Where are you!?"

"We both see delicate spring blooms. I see life as so robust that the flowers come back season after season, Igor sees them as transitory - soon to be trampled under foot. We both feel the sunlight growing stronger. I feel warmth and look forward to the harvest, Igor shrinks inside and worries about burns and insect bites. We both know the goodness in our community. I know we can push forwards and grow in an enlightened way, Igor "knows" that the people from other religions will come to spoil it and take over, ruining our progress. But Igor confuses knowledge with fear.

There are so many problems in the world, I'm not blind to it, my eyes are open too. But I don't see big religion, people as part of "herds" or "gangs," I see billions of broken hearts reaching out to know they are loved by the Divine, and they are. All of them, every single one. So I'm feeling optimistic. Our enemy isn't people at all, they are all born in innocence, there never was an "evil" baby. Cultures shape our minds, religions can inspire goodness or fear and bigotry. Cultures can change if infused with Love and mutual understanding. Fear breeds fear and shuts us off from the true inner voice of our moral compass.

People are good, human nature is just fine, the culture can change and more rapidly than people think. I reach out with Love because Love heals, Love makes us whole, Love elevates us to better and more noble thought patterns. The glass is still half full and I know we can make it if we try. When the Window breaks. Don't attack me."

"Fuck you! You killed my friend!" Henry growled out before hearing a sigh.

"Fine. Be like that." The voice whispered before the noise of nails being fired from a nailgun echoed around the outside and the noise of glass breaking.

The air is suddenly rent by the sound of breaking glass. Other than a gunshot there is nothing that gets her attention sooner or Her heart accelerating faster. As always Emma's first on her feet, first to be armed, back against the cool Wood of the door. She locked the door frowning before the window next to her shattered. She without a beat swung her cleaver, lopping the hand of the intruder off. It splatted against the ground bleeding a pink viscous liquid. The hand jumped up and hopped out the window. "What the?" She frowned before running to the basement to Henry.

Standing before Henry was a second intruder. One wearing a half mask of comedy, covering their nose and eyes but not their wicked grin, in their hand, was the school's fire ax. They had the kind of Cheshire grin that brought new life to those around them. They smiled that way when a wonderful new idea had come, and those ideas were our rocket fuel. Turning their head to Emma as they laughed. Henry swung the guitar hearing a loud thwack against the intruder's head. They recoiled but without warning swung the ax, feeling it crash through his ribs. They gripped a nailgun and fired it into Henry's gasping mouth. They pulled the ax from his chest as he hit the ground. They fired two more 9-inch nails into his head.

"Emma. We need to speak to you." The intruder said and opened her mouth licking her fangs and braces.