[-Moonlight Monologues]-

[Part #1: Moonlight Monologues]

    Dim light from the television gently flashed across the shadows of young men on a couch. One was sound asleep on the couch arm, the other wide awake and sitting upright. Lee was deep in thought, as usual.

    "I've always been a simple man," he thought. "Nowadays, I'm a simple man with too much to say and no energy to say it. Most times a nod or a few 'hmms' will suffice. It's odd how similar Eris and I are in this matter. When people want you to talk, they'll ask. You shouldn't go around rambling for hours, as my mother used to. Sure it's nice, but when you see someone's hand reaching for the doorknob and you're still talking, that's a sign that they're planning on leaving. Yes, I'm big on body language. The placement of a hand on a chin can be a sign of boredom, favoring one leg over the other can be a sign of complacency, and gazing up in a conversation can be an indication of remembrance, just to name a few. Andrius taught me a bit about body language, as one of many things he taught me. It's a shame that the brightest lights burn out the fastest."

    Eris stirred in his sleep and the crutches that were propped up on the couch arm came crashing to the floor a few seconds later. Lee snapped his head up, staring at his roommate while he shook off his thoughts. It was relatively late, a little past one am. Eris was leaning on the left arm of the couch still deep in sleep. Unsure of what to do, Lee began fidgeting with the bandana on his left bicep, reached downward to pick up his crutches, then got up to go to the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror, gently moving his hair with his fingertips to look at the scars that littered his hairline. Painful memories flooded his mind. He tried to push them aside. Vanity is the fault of humanity, he thought, vain wretched creatures. He sighed and ruffled his hair before turning off the light. He blinked unevenly and ambled back into the living room. Eris was awake, perched on one of the kitchen stools like a gargoyle. That was a favorite thing of his, although Lee had no clue why.

    "Just sit in the chair like a normal human!" he'd said. Both of them knew it was pointless to correct Eris' behavior, but Lee still tried.

    He walked over to Eris and leaned against the sink, "What are you doing there?"

    Eris didn't reply but refused to leave his perch. Lee looked at the floor and couldn't help laughing. White powder and glass shards littered the tile. Eris' shirt was covered in flour and his face was flushed with embarrassment.

     "Early morning baking? Get it I guess."

     Eris nodded, still not getting off of the stool.

    "Here buddy, I'll help you down. But you know I can't get on the floor to sweep this up. It's just an accident, Eris, I'm not mad."

    Eris choked out a pitiful, "I know," and took Lee's hand to get down from the stool. I just wanted to make snickerdoodle cookies, Eris thought. I didn't plan on making a mess, although it seems like that's the only thing I'm good at.

    Lee stuck his face near his friends, "Earth to Eris! You still in there?"

    Eris shook his head yes and walked to the cleaning closet to search for the broom. Lee clicked back into the living room and fumbled for the TV remote, which then fell off the coffee table and onto the floor. The lower cover slide slipped off and the two AAA batteries inside rolled away.

    He grimaced, "...darn it. No TV this morning."

    Within minutes, Lee was sawing logs as he slipped off into his dreams.

     By this time, Eris had cleaned up most of the flour and jumped at the opportunity to start again. He hung the broom back up on the third screw, like he was supposed to, and shut the door. A few minutes later, he emerged from the landing crawl space with a stepstool. He wasn't going to be risking a fall again. It was nearing two-thirty now. Prepare for a new house air freshener, he told himself, I'm not breaking or burning things this time. Eris pulled out his spiral-bound baking book and pulled his hair back into a tight ponytail. He derived great joy from this, as his hair was just long enough to do so. Eris was quite proud of his hair, considering the great challenges he had in the past with it. It was a good length now, leaving him content. He placed his headphones on and put on one of his favorite playlists.