Here Lies...

Spun In Circles

Tom

I sat in my bed, somewhere around six in the morning.
I stopped having those dreams...

Ever since I started hanging out with Tord, I always slept a short, silent night. The past few days have been nothing but an empty abyss when the moon rised.

So what had awakened me in the early morning, my brain scrambled. Well, it was the fact that it had bothered me. The fact that all the detailed unexplainable midnight thoughts had just vanished after I started understanding a person, had confused me.
It hurt to think about it entirely. My head's a wild animal, I'm still trying tame it.

I decided to get up out of my bed and head down stairs. I got out of my white pajamas and into some decent clothes.

With my feet carefully walking down the hallway, I thought of Tord. I thought about the place where we had fully introduced ourselves to one another. How did we end up in the same place and almost the same time?  It was no secret that tourists and the newly moved would show up near the old decayed street, but they would never get too close. Especially to a completely demolished home that had a potential crime scene on it.

So why was Tord different? Are his parents working for a construction business, and he was just there to tell them about it? Was he really just 'looking around the place'? Or is it something else that shoved him into the right direction to put him in the center of ash and dust, and find me there?
My mind scrambled with possibilities and all their different outcomes. I was so busy trying to sort my thoughts out, I didn't notice that I had made it downstairs.

Marshall scurried to get breakfast ready in the kitchen. He was careful enough to keep quiet while also rushing.
He didn't seem to see me enter the room, as he started on some pancake mix. It was only when Marshall went back to the fridge, that's where he'd finally saw me.

He jumped, startled to see another human being at this hour, "T-Tom! What a pleasant surprise, you're not usually up this early." Marshall says in a low volume. I glance at the mess of the counter tops, "do you need extra hands to help with that?" I ask, mimicking the same volume as him.
"If you'd like, the others should be up in a few minutes." Marshall responds, a cheery smile on his face.

I get to work on the batter, adding the correct measurements for the right amount of people. Marshall comes back to the counter with a pack of bacon and prepares the stove for cooking.
"I don't know how Kolton could get this all done so quickly without burning the food." Marshall takes a few bacon slices from the packaging and carefully sets them on the greasy burning pan.
I smile at his comment, recalling an old theory I had about how she'd done it, "my guess was that she got up earlier, and perfected each meal with all the time she had."

Marshall hums in response, turning the bacon over with a spachla.
After a few small seconds of silence, Marshall speaks up again, "you can start making those pancakes, just don't burn yourself." I stop stirring the batter, and grab a big enough pan from the cabinet.

"Tom, I noticed you've been more happy lately. It's the most happiness I've seen from you since Kolton died. I'm proud of you for staying strong for her." Marshall said. A ghost of a smile, rests on my face, "I try my best, I guess." I answer with an unbeat tone. "Meeting new people does the trick, I suppose."

Marshall slaps the evenly cooked bacon onto a plate, "It's that boy from the other day, isn't it?"
I pause for a moment, pondering whether or not Tord is the real reason why my spirits have been lifted. Maybe he's a gift for the heavens...I finally nod. A gift from Kolton..."He's helped me through a lot of things and I help him too sometimes. Though, I really think I'm the one getting most help."