the boy who was afraid of the dark

saturday 12:05 am, lucas

  the bridge was fairly close to my apartment, i didn't even need to check the streets.
  i knew where it was, in a blocked off location that had been trashed and closed since 1965 during a student protest.

  i didn't even hesitate before hopping the fence with my tiny legs, which i didn't regret as much as i should have.
  i hit my balls.

  once over the fence, i began walking slowly, canvassing the woodsy mass with my eyes.

  i spotted the legs of the bridge, and brought my eyes up to the top.
  and there he was.

  he stood at the top, with a hoodie covering his head. he stared at the bottom, with a very blank face.

  i realized that he couldn't see me, so i ran into his line of sight.
  i didn't scream. i didn't ask him to come down.

  "eliott." i whispered. i knew he could hear me. i just knew it.
  "lucas." he whispered back.

  he took a step back from the edge, but did not take his eyes off the ground.

  "eliott, there are a lot of places i want to go. and there are a lot of places you want to go," i stared into his eyes, which were barely visible in the night. "and i won't go without you. we go together, eliott. not 'oh the places you'll go.' okay? it's 'oh the places we'll go.' so wherever you go, i go. remember that."

  he didn't move for a while. his face didn't change at all. he just stood there, staring at me.

  moments passed. then he took another step back, and tumbled to the ground.
  his cries pierced through the thick night air. they were loud, and painful. but all of paris could hear them.

  i spotted the stairs and sprinted up and over to him. i knelt down to where he lay, and picked up his head and put it in my lap.

  he cried to the stars, and i twirled and combed his hair.

  i knew a lot needed to happen. but worse would happen if i forced it now.

  so i let him cry while i comforted him.