@finitusvita || random starter
Thomas gently tugged her forward, searching for her fingers under the cloth of her sleeves. He was getting taller. Boyhood was leaving him, he didn’t have to wear loose shorts or knickerbockers anymore. Already hitting the age of sixteen, he dressed in brown pants and tweed jackets. Thomas was always covered in browns and reds, like the foliage of November dotting the horizon. Most people considered this choice to reflect a plain heart and plain mind, but just a few moments alone with him would show just a little bit of that mystery just running underneath the surface.
Most of his family had died a long time ago, four years now. He didn’t have money like he used to, he wouldn’t inherit what little was left behind until he turned eighteen, but that was fine. He didn’t want to pay her to stay with him. Thomas hoped, Echo would stay his friend just because she wanted too. He found himself floundering in shock and gratitude when she did.
“I found this place recently and so far, no one seems to bother with it.”
They were in a massive park in the city. It was public but stretched on for miles against the Lake shore and bordering skyscrapers. He’s heard people say you could even see it from a plane flying overhead. One hand gently pushed aside the rust colored vines and dripping branches. It was Winter now, but this place must look beautiful in the Summer.
A small tree hung low and curved, letting its bare skeleton arc and touched the ground. It sat against a cement wall, and just past this wall a long stretch of train tracks miles below. A train whistled in the distance coming to their direction. From this height it looked like a slick, black toy. They ducked under the branches, and the rest of the city was hidden from sight. Thomas sat down in the brown grass next to the tree, staring up at the blue sky just hanging above them. It was big enough for the the two of them, at least until he grew too tall. Thomas sighed a little bit and closed his eyes.
“It’s so quiet…. I like to come here and read when I can. You can come here too if you’d like, Echo. Even if I’m not with you.”
he’s taller now--- a fact which seems to resonate within the silent girl that is scurrying behind those longer legs with an unfair disadvantage. and there is an odd pressure, a squeezing sensation within her chest as she dwells on such a thought. many people were taller than her. such had bothered her little before.
she follows. silent in her still contemplation of her own foreign emotions. she was learning day by day to try to dissect them. to study them and connect them to their names. love was a particularly tricky concept.
“thomas---” she voices herself only when it seems dangerous for the boy, ducking beneath such sharp branches. she worries for him as he seems to lose his sense of caution as the years go by.
she’s not his servant now, or at least not financially so. no, but she refuses to leave his side regardless. her loyalty keeping her bound not to his house or name--- but to the boy which held her hand so softly now.
the view in this secluded spot is breathtaking. and echo had always been a fan of seeing such things. fireworks, stars, clouds. she was fascinated by the sky. like the call of a bird without wings to fly. but such was not her focus now. not now as she sat so close to him, taking in his presence. and his warmth.
and then it strikes her. he’s growing. aging. and she is being left behind. anxiety grips her, and takes root deep within at the thought that one day he would grow not to need her anymore. the boy would become a man, and what of her? would she grow as well? no, she thought not. her fate was not meant to be so sweet. but such a feeling was unpleasant. it left a bitterness inside her cheeks.
she shuffled closer, head leaning softly against his frame. silver strands of winter splayed against the autumn canvas of his vest.
“echo will never leave thomas’s side.”
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