So Long and G'night

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I approach the crowd of family and friends. No one looks happy, no one looks angry. Just sad... even Danielle has a depressing frown on, which isn't often for her. At all.

Everyone looks up at me for a second, and then immediately pays their attention back to the center of the circle. I walk up behind Ally and peer over her shoulder to find a most devastating sight. Shane on the ground, as well as his father. Only Shane is crying. The other family member doesn't have enough energy to cry.

“Dad, please come!” Shane sobs. Salty tears are leaking out onto his face, as well as his shaggy hair in the way of his sight. “We can leave for the boats and they'll cure you! They'll cure you for good because they'll have a doctor! You're supposed to have more time left! I don't—”

“Shane,” he whispers. The boy quiets into a sniffling mode, ready to burst at the next moment. “Go now. Take your friends and your mother and get out of here. I don't want you to see me like this. Be careful when you reach the boats; the army men aren't always friendly. But I believe you can still be happy and live your life without me. I know you can.”

“And who says I'm going to leave you behind, Bill?” Mrs. Dotten acknowledges as she appears from out of the bathroom. “I will never leave your side for as long as I live. I promised you that since the day we met.”

Everyone looks up at her, dumbfounded. Huh, what do you know... Shane's parents found love at first sight. Mrs. Dotten walks inside of the circle to kiss Shane on the forehead. She then kneels down and lifts her husband's head onto her lap, smiling at her son. And then he starts to cry. Real hard. I look around and everyone is shedding a few tears—even me, I realize, as I swab two fingers across my face. The liquid soaks into my skin, sad yet familiar.

After a few minutes of gushing water, Shane calms down and stands up. His hair is still covering his eyes, and doesn't bother to swipe it away. Mr. Dotten's skin is now paler than the bones inside his body. “Remember Shane...” he murmurs. “No matter how cliché this is, I will always be in your heart. Watching you, judging you, chastising you... There might not be a sound, but that doesn't mean I'm not there. Don't forget me.” And just like that, he fades away. I've always imagined someone dying, but not like this. His eyes didn't roll back. His skin didn't turn paler. He just... died. He took his last breath and died.

Shane bites his lip, hands in pockets, and walks towards a couch. He sits down onto it and covers his hands with his palms, trying to forget the moment. No, Shane... that's not how it works... I carefully stroll over to the damaged boy a sit down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. I can hear a slight grunt from being moved. “Listen, Shane... look at me. I said look at me.” I push the wet hair out of his eyes to reveal shiny blue orbs staring intensely. “I know you want to forget all of this. All that's ever happened. But you just can't do that.” He slumps down, wiping his face to be completely dry. “You didn't let me finish, dude. There's a reason you can't forget what's happened. It's molding you right now into the person you were destined to be. I know this might sound cheesy—and it probably is—but life is like a box of pocky. Yeah, I said it. It takes you moments to eat one, and then it's gone. There's no brining it back. So you know what you do?” I pause for a second. “It's so simple: you buy more.”