Split

Little Talk

Hedwig made me jump the next day, shouting 'boo' while I was reading and then laughing loudly at my dumbstruck expression. I shook my head and set the book down, "you shouldn't sneak up on people, you'll give someone a heart attack," I scolded. He stopped laughing but was still grinning at me, and then walked over to join me sitting on the sofa.

"I thought you weren't scared of anything?"

"Who told you that?"

"Barry."

"Oh, well I don't think that's true. I'm scared of lots of things."

"Like what?"

"I don't like clowns."

"Clowns?" He snorted a laugh, "That's stupid, what's wrong with clowns?"

I shrugged, "fine, what are you scared of then?"

"Uh, I don't like the dark."

"I guess I don't like the dark either."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I don't like the thought of something being there and you can't see what it is."

He looked serious for a moment before shuddering, "like monsters?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"No, I don't like that either."

"Why did you come to see me?"

"Barry told me I could have the light on his day off for a while, he's talking to the others."

"About what?"

"Miss Patricia."

"Oh... did you hear about what she did?"

"No, they won't tell me, do you know what she did?"

I realised that they were probably getting Hedwig out of the way so he wouldn't have to hear them talk about his role model like that, and shook my head, "no, they haven't spoken to me either. Speaking of Patricia, I need to have a little talk with you."

"Is it about me giving Patricia the light? Etcetera?"

"Yes, actually, it is."

He groaned dramatically, speaking in a whiny tone, "Barry already told me! I won't do it again, okay?"

"Do you know why she needs to stay away from everyone?"

"Barry told me that she's sick and that she's going to hurt us if she doesn't stay behind."

"Yes... she could have hurt me, and more girls... do you want that?"

"No," He sulked.

"No, so she needs to stay away if Barry says, okay? You need to do what he says."

"Yes!" He huffed, fed up with the conversation, "I only did it because she said it was the last time she'd be in the light!"

I felt a pang of guilt, "okay, you promise me you won't do it again?"

He let out an irritated sigh, "Yes!"

"Are you sure? Because I'll be going soon and I won't be able to keep an eye on you."

"Going?" He completely ignored what I was talking about before, "going where?"

"I'm going to go back to school, then college, and then hopefully I can to see you all again."

"But I don't want you to go," He mumbled, already beginning to sulk again.

"I won't be gone long, I just have to wait until I'm old enough to be able to stay with you guys."

"You can stay with us now."

"I can't, it's easier for everyone if I go now, then we can go out and do things together and not have to worry about me being seen, because at the moment people are looking for me."
He folded his arms and looked away from me, pouting at the wall.
"It's okay, I'll come back."

"They all say that."

"Who?"

"All of my friends."

"What friends, Hedwig?"

"Friends I meet when Barry was sleeping. If I go out when he's asleep then I find friends around the city... they always say that they want to see me again but they never do."

"Hedwig, they're probably very busy with their jobs and things, people don't have time to talk to people in the street. That's just the way it is, but I have time don't I?"

He shrugged, "they talk to me."

I felt sorry for him, more so at the thought of people humouring him while he talked at them.
"I know they do, but people can be mean. I will come back, I promise."

"Okay," He sighed.

"Do you want to play a game?"

"Game?" His face suddenly lit up, "hide and seek!"

"Sure," I chuckled, "I'll count and you go hide."
I covered my eyes and heard him run out of the room. I could tell which way he went from the slapping of the soles of his trainers on the cold floor-too excited to even try to be quiet.
I took my hands away and waited for a while longer.
As his footsteps faded I was left in silence again. Maybe this wasn't the best idea for a game, the loneliness seemed to be creeping back in as soon as he left... as soon as any of them left.

Maybe that's how they felt too.