Almost in Paradise

14. Diamonds

I wake up in a couch with a blanket and a glass over water standing next to me. It's quiet in the house, and I see Ban in a chair resting his head on the table a few meters away. Jericho's probably sleeping in another room.

I try to fall asleep again but after half an hour of failure, I give up. I sit up and get off the couch, still a little dizzy but way better than earlier. I feel like having some air, let's go outside.

The night air is cool and soothing to the warm fever I'm experiencing. I sit down on the stone stairs and wrap my thin coat around me. I look up at the dark sky and see small stars twinkling all over it. The tiny dots makes me feel at home again. Knowing that I might never be able to return again would make me a little homesick, especially further into the future, but the stars are just the same as the ones at home. I can feel it.

Then I hear quick footsteps approach. I came out here without a weapon so let's just hope it's nothing dangerous.

The little boy I say during the day steps out from a corner, happily dancing and singing alone. When he sees me, he freezes, and I almost believe he will run away again, but this time, he stays. He looks at me with curiosity and I smile gently. Then I look up at the stars again. I don't want to stare at him and make him uncomfortable.

After a while, I hear his little feet walking my way and then stop right in front of me. I look at him again.

"What are you doing?" The boy questions me. His voice is small and fragile and it makes my heart want to melt. I smile and say,

"I'm looking at the stars. Aren't they just beautiful?"

He carefully sits down next to me and looks up.

"They look just like they always have" he says naturally.

"That's what I love the most about them. They never change. Wherever you are, they can always show you the way home" I say dreamy. He moves a bit closer to me and grabs my arm. I look down at him and notice that he's only wearing shorts and a t-shirt. "Aren't you cold?"

He fumbles upon the words but answers, "A little."

"Here" I say and take my coat off, my wings are still hidden under my dress. I wrap it around his little body and place my arm around his shoulders. "Better?"

He nods and smiles the most sweet smile you could ever imagine. It's so full of warmth and trust that nothing could ever beat it.

We sit there a while and look up at the sky until our necks starts to hurt. That's when it happens.

The black night sky turns screaming light blue, and the stars grow bigger and into different shapes. I fall back in chock and the boy looks strangely at me.

"What's wrong?" He asks confused.

"D-don't you see? Th-the sky!" I stutter. Everything above is made of different shades of blue, and what I earlier found recognisable is now of the most occult forms I'd imagined.

They're diamonds. And they're falling.

"Watch out!" I shout at the boy next to me and embraces him as to protect. But when the diamonds met with my skin, they simply melted into water and fell down my back.

"What are you doing? There's nothing in the sky!" He says and breaks out of my grip. I touch the drop of water that runs down my arm and looks at it with fear. What is going on with me? Am I sick? Am I simply going mad?

I turn to the sky again and react as on reflex when I see the ginormous so-called diamond close in on us. I throw myself over the poor child, who has to witness all of this, and somehow fold my wings out. With both of us confused, I just reach the zone where the bomb can't hurt us. It crashes down over the village, and splashing waters stream across the streets. A big wave distracts me and makes me loose control, I accidentally drop the boy into the water and get dragged into it as well.

My wings don't flap. My feet don't run. My eyes don't open. My lunges don't gather oxygen. I'm completely washed away with the waves of the flood. In the end, I don't even try to move my body. I just let the water put me to sleep.

This is it. This is how my life ends. Drowned by a flood of diamonds, that doesn't... even... exist?

I grasp for air as the water around me has suddenly disappeared. No, it's me who's in another place. It's very dark here... haven't I been here before? I surely recognise it.

I shake my head to get rid of the water in my ears, and that's when I hear the music. Loud, clear earth-music. I know this song. Everybody knows this song. Why am I hearing this song?

"I'm sorry for putting you through all of this without warning you first, traveller."

As if on speakers, a female unknown voice echoes from all around the place and into my brain.