Carpe Diem ▸ Dead Poets Society ✓

epilogue

❁

4 years later

I lay out on the dock as the sun continues to shine down on me. It feels as if its gonna burn a hole right through my chest and covers my tanned body in a heat blanket, it feels good.

I hear the variety of boats zoom past, beyond the wake zone. I sit up, opening my eyes and shielding my face from the sunlight. I look down at my tanned skin and reach for my cold drink.

It felt good to get a vacation. We were at the Overstreet lake house for the summer, Knox and I freshly graduating college. The dalton family was close to ours as they joined us this year.

Everyone was either inside or on the patio enjoying the shade.
I preferred to get as tan as i could get, plus I enjoyed the space.

I reach over and grab my notebook, writing down some ideas I had a daydream about for my next book.
I became quite the writer in college and switched my major.

"I thought this was vacation, not work!"

I turn my head as I hear Charlies voice, he walks closer to the dock, I see he has swim shorts on along with a t-shirt.

I smile, "I could never stop, you know that. Everything has potential to a good story."

He sits down in the chair a few feet from where I am sitting.

"I know Ron I know," He lifts his arms and takes his shirt off. "But what about your story? your life? You have to take time for yourself too."

He likes to make me think. "I wi-" he interrupts my words by coming close and messing up my hair, then he turns and jumps in the lake. Water coming up and splashing me. I sit my book down and laugh at him.

He comes out from under the water with a smile, "Come on Ron!"

I roll my eyes and smile. I get up and join him in the lake. The water feels like ice against my hot skin.

Charlie and I have conversation catching up as if we needed it anymore, we already talked all the time, but never ran out of things to say. He was my best friend besides Knox of course, but that didn't count. Charlie and I could talk for hours.

We grew closer and closer over the years but nothing more than friendly flirting ever had happened. Sometimes I wonder how he truly felt, but I knew no matter what he cared about me, and thats all I could ask for.

❁

I toss and turn in bed as the bright full moon shines right on me. I looked at my clock and the time says 2:21am.

I decide to walk down stairs and get a drink. The only light in the house is the pale moonlight shining in the windows and doors, which there was a lot of, so it wasn't hard to see.

I get a water and lean against the counter, thinking about everything on my mind. The moonlight makes me think of all the nights in "Hell-ton." The moon shining on my bed, the moments with Neil, which I deeply miss, and the sneaking out to the dead poets society. I smile thinking of the memories.

I decide to head upstairs. I daily remember one quote Keating told us,
"but poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

As I make it to the top of the stairs, instead of turning to my room, my body wants to go the other way.
I stand and think for a moment.

Carpe Diem.