Post by Tiger on Oct 31, 2016 20:49:40 GMT -5
((Posting on behalf of Dju)
No one could tell what he had done.
It was a simple thing, a simple treat – but Timothy could not resist.
It was one of the small gifts Time had blessed him with. Despite all the headaches and the nosebleeds and the challenge that living in the present was, Timothy Hikes could behold life in a way no other human was ever able to before. As soon as Mitzi had turned to face them, Timothy sped himself up just enough to watch as her face lightened up into a youthful and bright smile. He then turned to Zenith and relished in theirs and let himself be flooded with relief and joy.
There was a part in Timothy which would always remained sad. It was a part that wished him to suffer and sulk over everything he had done and experienced, until he rotted in resentment and went mad.
But that part was not loud enough to overcome the simple and overwhelming gratitude he felt for simply being himself again. That was all he could feel now – he was thankful. Thankful to be alive, to be in the present, to be amongst loved ones.
“I cried too much for you.” Agatha had told him the first time they met after his cure. He had noticed then his sister had aged – she had been smoking too much and working too hard, and Time had not been kind to her. She was so beautiful, but so worn…and her eyes could not hide how old her soul really was. “I should’ve been here. I should’ve been a better sister…”
“You were never my sister,” he said “You were my mom, and goodness – I don’t wish that on my worst enemy.” Picking up her chin with his fingers, he smiled and said. “Stop being so hard on yourself, Aggie – for the first time in years you have a life of your own. Relish on it, and live it for good. I’ve got my own now, too. And sure – we’ll never be as close as we used to, but that’s not bad or good. It’s just…”
“Life.”
“Yeah, it’s life. And it’s sweet and bitter and whatever else.”
“It would just be much better if you’d stop having your head turned by pretty girls.”
“Hey!” Timothy protested. “She was drugging me!”
“Oh, quit it.” Agatha laughed, wiping tears from her eyes with a tissue. “She was not the first.”
“But I think she was the last.” Timothy nodded confidently.
“Is that so?” she laughed vividly, something Tim hadn’t seen in a long time. “Very well then, if you say so. Just don’t mess it up.”
“Eh, they’ve seen me the worst of me and they’re still here.” He shrugged. “So…yeah, I guess I can’t mess it up no matter how much I try.”
Agatha fell silent at that, but her smile remained. Her eyes wandered from the ground to her feet and the tissue in her hands, until they finally met her brother’s and rested there. She didn’t have to say anything – when you know someone as much as they knew each other, words were sometimes too much. Let silent speak for them.
Now, Timothy took great comfort in knowing that Agatha was back home, working on her garden, living day by day without guilt or regret for not being the mother his brother did not need any longer. She was living in the present and planning the future, and to his surprise…so was he.
Planning the future is good, he thought as he observed his friends gather in slow motion. He could see Tabitha gracefully turning towards them, and Scaletta making her way through the crowd to meet them. They’d soon speak, of course, and Tim was looking forward to that, but he still let himself enjoy the moment a bit longer. I won’t plan too much though, because the present requires most attention.
And so he let Time resume at last. It knew the best pace anyways.
No one could tell what he had done.
It was a simple thing, a simple treat – but Timothy could not resist.
It was one of the small gifts Time had blessed him with. Despite all the headaches and the nosebleeds and the challenge that living in the present was, Timothy Hikes could behold life in a way no other human was ever able to before. As soon as Mitzi had turned to face them, Timothy sped himself up just enough to watch as her face lightened up into a youthful and bright smile. He then turned to Zenith and relished in theirs and let himself be flooded with relief and joy.
There was a part in Timothy which would always remained sad. It was a part that wished him to suffer and sulk over everything he had done and experienced, until he rotted in resentment and went mad.
But that part was not loud enough to overcome the simple and overwhelming gratitude he felt for simply being himself again. That was all he could feel now – he was thankful. Thankful to be alive, to be in the present, to be amongst loved ones.
“I cried too much for you.” Agatha had told him the first time they met after his cure. He had noticed then his sister had aged – she had been smoking too much and working too hard, and Time had not been kind to her. She was so beautiful, but so worn…and her eyes could not hide how old her soul really was. “I should’ve been here. I should’ve been a better sister…”
“You were never my sister,” he said “You were my mom, and goodness – I don’t wish that on my worst enemy.” Picking up her chin with his fingers, he smiled and said. “Stop being so hard on yourself, Aggie – for the first time in years you have a life of your own. Relish on it, and live it for good. I’ve got my own now, too. And sure – we’ll never be as close as we used to, but that’s not bad or good. It’s just…”
“Life.”
“Yeah, it’s life. And it’s sweet and bitter and whatever else.”
“It would just be much better if you’d stop having your head turned by pretty girls.”
“Hey!” Timothy protested. “She was drugging me!”
“Oh, quit it.” Agatha laughed, wiping tears from her eyes with a tissue. “She was not the first.”
“But I think she was the last.” Timothy nodded confidently.
“Is that so?” she laughed vividly, something Tim hadn’t seen in a long time. “Very well then, if you say so. Just don’t mess it up.”
“Eh, they’ve seen me the worst of me and they’re still here.” He shrugged. “So…yeah, I guess I can’t mess it up no matter how much I try.”
Agatha fell silent at that, but her smile remained. Her eyes wandered from the ground to her feet and the tissue in her hands, until they finally met her brother’s and rested there. She didn’t have to say anything – when you know someone as much as they knew each other, words were sometimes too much. Let silent speak for them.
Now, Timothy took great comfort in knowing that Agatha was back home, working on her garden, living day by day without guilt or regret for not being the mother his brother did not need any longer. She was living in the present and planning the future, and to his surprise…so was he.
Planning the future is good, he thought as he observed his friends gather in slow motion. He could see Tabitha gracefully turning towards them, and Scaletta making her way through the crowd to meet them. They’d soon speak, of course, and Tim was looking forward to that, but he still let himself enjoy the moment a bit longer. I won’t plan too much though, because the present requires most attention.
And so he let Time resume at last. It knew the best pace anyways.