The House in the Crags (Sockathan)

Three - A Horrible Reality

Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the tears to stay inside. This is just a dream, he told himself. A terrible, terrible dream. After all, it only seemed right that he would dream of such a thing as he slept so close to the peak of Swallow Hill. However, when he analyzed the situation, he saw that the pain he felt was very real, very raw, not at all dreamlike.

Then again, things aren't always what they seem. It has to be a nightmare. It has to be.

Blinking his hopeless tears away, Jonathan turned and sat down heavily, earning a rude burst from his leg that had him whimpering to stop himself from screeching like a scared rabbit.

He looked up at the sky with a dismal expression.

I guess I'm stuck.

~

Hours later, Jonathan woke with a start. His mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton.

Did I really fall asleep? He asked himself. I should have been trying to signal for help, or, even better, trying to get out of here. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, noticing with a sinking heart that his vision seemed blurry and his limbs felt heavy. It's been thirty-six hours since I've had anything to drink. That can't be good.

Struggling and trembling, Jonathan started to push himself into a sitting position. Before he could, his head started to spin and his ears began to ring painfully, and he collapsed with a puff of dust and a grunt.

His entire body was shaking like he'd just had the most taxing workout of his life. He closed his eyes for a minute to let the ringing in his ears cease, but he felt no better when the obnoxious sound came to a halt. If anything, he felt worse.

Wow, he thought to himself. Sixteen years of dealing with everything imaginable - a car crash, depression, attempted murder, and even being bedridden with the flu for three weeks - and I'm going to die of dehydration on the side of a cliff. What a great way to go, he scoffed mentally. But I guess there's no way out of it.

Coughing, he turned to face the stars.

He thought of everyone he knew. In a raspy voice, he began, "I love you Mom, even though you made me eat breakfast when I wasn't hungry and clean my room when I was tired. I loved it when you helped me study at the end of the school year so I wouldn't fail algebra.

"I love you Samuel. You were the best big brother I could have hoped for. I still remember the day you came home with a cardboard cut-out girl and taught me how to impress her. I tried it on a classmate the next day. I got suspended."

Jonathan almost smirked remembering the incident. He ripped off his shirt in front of a girl in fourth grade and asked her if she wanted to touch his abs (which didn't exist, by the way). She wasn't impressed.

"I wish I'd be able to see you again, Sam," he whispered. "At least say I love you. At least."

"I love you Grandma and Grandpa, and all of the cousins I met and never got to meet. I love you little Sarah, even though you're only two and the most annoying kid I've ever met.

"And...and I love you my little sibling, whatever your name will be seven months from now. I hope Sam raises you just like he raised me. I'm just glad you'll have someone else to love you. I hope I get to meet you one day."

With a breath that barely disturbed the air, Jonathan said, "I hope I get to see all of you one day. I could go on for hours but, you know, I'm getting kinda tired again and it's way past my bedtime."

"Goodnight," he whispered.

He hadn't even shut his eyes before the world turned black.

~

Well, it's been more than a week, hasn't it?

Sorry about that.

Anyway, I heard that the little star thing at the bottom of your screen LOVES to be tickled, so why don't you give it a try? If you enjoyed this chapter, then thank you, and if you didn't, well, tell me why not. I'm open to everything, y'all.

Ciao!

-Fluffy ~💙