Her Keeper

Aarvik's mother entered his lab and found him talking to an empty chair. He was smiling, his eyes filled with a rare happiness.

"You don't have to go yet," he was saying. "Just stay a little longer."

"Aarvik," his mother called softly, her heart breaking at the sight.

He turned to her, annoyed. "What do you want? Can't you see we're in the middle of a conversation?"

His mother's tears fell freely. "Aarvik, she's not here. Please, come back to us."

He shook his head violently. "No! She's here! She's always here!"

He ran to the chair, gripping it tightly as if holding onto a lifeline. "Don't listen to her, Aadhya. You're with me. You'll always be with me."