Monday Flash Fics: Sixty-six Years

This story is the sequel to the flash I posted two weeks ago, titled Thirty Weeks. I’ll hope you’ll enjoy your second encounter with Victor, Fabian and the sea.

Sixty-six Years

Exactly sixty-six years had passed, give or take a few hours. The sun was merely a reminder on the horizon rather than setting and the pathway into the sea was gone of course. Victor thought back to the moment the sea claimed it, as if the salty water needed something in return for giving up Fabian to the man who loved him enough to build it.

Fabian had explained it all after their passionate and heated reunion. “That’s where I’m from, Victor, my people live in the sea. When we’re twenty-five we’re given a year to experience life on land. If we’re lucky enough to find someone who truly loves us we may re-join them. But only after they prove their love is strong and only for as long as that love lasts.”

It had taken Victor some time to get his head around it all. Fabian’s departure had nearly torn him apart and the return of the man he loved seemed too good to be true, and yet, here he was, next to Victor on the beach, as satisfied as Victor was.

“What happens if the love doesn’t last?” Victor had been afraid to ask the question but the need to know had been stronger.

“Why, do you doubt your feelings for me?” Fabian had sounded both amused and worried.

“No, but the rest of my life is a long time.” If Victor knew one thing about love it was that it required honesty.

“If you ever stop loving me I will have one hour to make it back to the sea before my lungs will stop working and I’ll die the same way a fish does when it’s left on land.”

Fabian had been very matter of fact about his possible fate. Victor on the other hand had been scared out of his wits, the responsibility felt too large and yet he couldn’t imagine going back to living without Fabian.

For three years Victor had refused to leave the coast. He needed to be sure that Fabian would be safe if Victor’s heart would ever betray them. They’d travelled after that, secure in the knowledge that their love grew stronger rather than diminished with time.

Now they were back. Victor knew his days, no scratch that, his hours were numbered. The last few days had been a struggle, and Victor had been afraid he wouldn’t live long enough to get Fabian to within one hour from the sea, but he had. Victor lay on the beach in Fabian’s arms. Breathing was difficult and his eyes were heavy when suddenly the sea lit up, reflecting the night sky on the water.

“See that my love that’s my world, welcoming us back.”

Victor smiled. “You, they’re welcoming you back. I’ve reached the end of the road. Just....”

“Just what? Anything for you my love.”

“Take me with you when you return. Bury me where you will be.” Victor closed his eyes and surrendered. His life had been long and filled with love. He hated leaving Fabian, but if it had to happen, this was how it should be.

Victor was barely conscious when Fabian lifted him up and walked into the sea. He felt the warm embrace of the water and briefly wondered whether dying underwater would be easier than dying on land. Then the water covered his head and he stopped thinking.

“Open your eyes my love.”

Victor blinked and looked up at what looked like the night sky except that it moved.

“I’ve shared your life for sixty-six years. Now you get to share mine until the end of time.”

****

633 words.

More stories inspired by the same picture can be found in the Monday Flash FicsGroup on Facebook. That’s also where we’ll announce the image for next week’s flashes.

Monday Flash Fics: Higher, Daddy

Higher, Daddy

Eighteen months. Seventy-eight weeks. Five-hundred and forty-six days.

He pushed the swing and watched as it moved away from him, arched and swung back.

He missed her. Every single minute of every single day her absence surrounded and suffocated him. All the places where she wasn’t reminded him of what he’d lost.

The movements of the swing got shorter and he had to take a step forward to give it another push before quickly retreating to avoid the seat hitting him in the face. For a moment he thought he heard light and happy laughter in the air and his thoughts flew back to that morning, almost two years ago now.

On the morning of Shelley’s third birthday it had been hard to say who was more excited, his daughter or Sean. He’d wanted to rush her out to the garden the moment she woke up but Alice had put her food down and had insisted they’d all sit down to breakfast first.

Alice. Thinking about his ex-wife threatened to spoil his trip down memory lane and he pushed her out of his mind and fast-forwarded to the moment they did step into the garden and Shelley saw the swing-slide combo. He closed his eyes and heard her squeals. When she ran towards her birthday present on her still chubby legs his chest had filled with pride. He’d made this happen for her with his own two hands. This was what it was all about. This made all of it worth it. Enough moments like this might make it possible for him to forget.... He hadn’t allowed himself to finish the thought then and he didn’t finish it now, even if his reasons had changed.

“Higher, daddy. Push higher.”

He remembered Shelley’s excited voice as she shouted at him, glancing over her shoulder with a radiant smile on her face. They’d spent the whole morning swinging and sliding, having fun. It had been magical.

He opened his eyes and looked at the swing, hanging motionless in front of him.

Six months later Alice and Shelley had been ripped from his life. One moment they’d been there, the next they’d disappeared. Gone, leaving him adrift in their old family home. Anger and frustration rushed through his body. It wasn’t fair. He hadn’t deserved that.

He gave the swing a violent shove and had to jump out of the way of the back swing hurling towards him. He stepped back and stared at the seat as it swung.

Two arms embracing his waist shook Sean out of his trance.

“Any minute now. Are you ready?” Roy’s voice was soft and understanding.

“Yes I am.” Sean put his hand on top of Roy’s and squeezed lightly.

Eighteen months ago Alice had taken Shirley and disappeared, leaving only a note telling Sean he’d never see his daughter again. A small fortune later he’d found her, a court case had taken care of the custody issue.

When he raised his eyes and looked at the ground in front of the swing he could have sworn he saw the shadow of a little girl on the seat.  Sean smiled, any moment now it would be more than just a shadow.

****

534 words

As always more stories inspired by the same picture can be found in the Monday Flash Fics Group on Facebook.

Monday Flash Fic: Thirty Weeks

Before I share the picture and the story it inspired I feel I should warn anybody who might read this. My flash this week is far more obscure than what I usually come up with. I did check and Brigham Vaughn assures me the story manages to stay on the right side of incomprehensible. I hope you’ll agree J

Thirty Weeks

Fifteen

The tree stump weighed a ton and got heavier in his arms with every step he took. Victor grimaced as he clamped his arms tighter around the rough wood. It didn’t help he’d further to walk every time he did this either.

Eighteen

Every tree stump he stepped on represented a week; seven full days more since the last time he’d seen Fabian.

Twenty-two

His subconscious continued counting as Victor’s memories took him back to that day, now thirty weeks ago.

“I have to go, my love. You know I don’t have a choice.” There’d been sadness in Fabian’s eyes as he spoke but also a tiny flicker of hope. “If you do what I asked you to do, if you trust me enough to fulfil my wish I promise we’ll be reunited.”

Victor had pleaded with Fabian. Much to Fabian’s shock and Victor’s embarrassment he’d fallen to his knees and begged, with tears in his eyes. Seeing his pain mirrored in Fabian’s beautiful, almost aqua-marine coloured, eyes had only made Victor feel worse. They were made for each other. He’d no doubt they belonged together and Victor knew Fabian felt the same.

“Get up. Don’t do this. This parting is hard enough as it is. We have no choice, you know that.”

Getting up from his knees had been one of the hardest things Victor had ever done in his life but he’d forced himself. “I’ll do it. I will make the path, I promise.

Please....Just tell me why?”

Fabian had shaken his head. It wasn’t the first time Victor had asked the question and the answer hadn’t changed.

“I can’t. Just have faith. Please....” Fabian’s eyes had brightened suspiciously.  “Trust me. Trust us.”

Victor had nodded his head helplessly and watched while the man he loved more than life itself walked away from him, into the sea where the waves seemed to embrace him, before Fabian disappeared.

Twenty-six

He’d built this path into the sea. A path towards the setting sun because his now lost lover had asked him to do so. He’d no idea what the purpose of this exercise was but he didn’t mind the task anymore. It gave him something to keep busy with. It marked the passing time in an otherwise empty life.

Twenty-nine

Victor stopped walking. This was as far as he’d come. He carried stump number thirty in his arms, the weight of it nearly toppling him into the sea.

Despite his aching arms Victor couldn’t bring himself to lower the last piece of wood. If nothing happened once he’d put it in place, if his life after this action were to turn out as empty as it had been the past 30 weeks he wasn’t sure how he’d gone on.

Gravity took over and it was all Victor could do to make sure the wooden stump settled in the right place. Exhausted he stayed on his knees, while staring at the sea that had claimed his love.

Out of nowhere a column of water raised up in front of Victor, obscuring the setting sun on the horizon, and rushed towards him. The wave curled at the top and crashed over him without a drop of water touching Victor. He was still staring at the sea, trying to figure out what had just happened when he heard a voice behind him.

“I told you I’d be back.”

****

566 words

More stories based on the same picture can be found in the Monday Flash Fics group on Facebook.

Monday Flash Fic: Pride

Pride

“If it isn’t Donovan Grady. Fancy meeting you here.”

Donovan – Donny to his friends – spun around and stared at the bobby who’d said the words. Shit, shit, shit. He hadn’t paid the policemen standing along the parade route any attention at all. He certainly hadn’t expected one of them to know him; one of them to be the man he’d bullied relentlessly when they’d both been teenagers. Who would have thought wimpy and shy Edward McCabe would grow up to join the ranks?

Of course, if Donovan was honest, he had to admit Edward hadn’t just been wimpy and shy; he’d also been cute as hell and that had first confused and later infuriated Donovan.

“Edward, this is unexpected. I guess we’re both a long way from home.” Donovan wasn’t quite sure how to talk to the man whose school years he’d turned into hell. Mind you, his hadn’t been easy either. Trying to hide who you truly were while harassing those who were brave enough to come out, had proven quite exhausting.

Edward smiled the same sweet smile Donovan remembered from the past – the smile he’d worn regardless of the shit Donovan and his mates had thrown at him. The smile Donovan had loved to see as much as he’d hated it. It had made Donovan’s heart beat faster while his mates had seen it as proof that Edward had a crush on him and they’d teased him relentlessly. Which of course had only made Donovan crueler to Edward.

“I never thought I’d find you in the middle of a pride parade. What a difference a few years make.” The smile never left Edward’s face.

If their positions had been reversed Donovan would have used this meeting as an opportunity to rub Edward’s former hypocrisy in his face. But Edward had been a forgiving soul in the past and, if appearances were anything to go by, that hadn’t changed.

“Yes...” Donovan felt the blush as it crept up his neck and cheeks, “I guess some of us were slower to admit the truth about ourselves than others.”

For the first time since Edward had said his name, Donovan broke out of his personal bubble of memories and became once again aware of the people streaming by them, all part of the large and very colourful Pride festival in London. It was a far cry from the small Northern town they’d both grown up in. The town Donovan never visited anymore because his parents refused to accept the truth about their son.

Thinking about his parents made Donovan’s mind up for him. He’d nothing to lose anymore. His friends had been right, he did have a crush on this man when they were both sixteen and, looking at Edward’s smiling face now, he had to admit, the attraction hadn’t diminished over the years.

“You’re on duty?” Donovan asked.

“Yes, until six.”

“Want to meet for a drink when you’re off? I owe you an explanation.”

When Edward opened his mouth to interrupt him, Donovan rushed on. “Or at least an apology. Let me buy you a pint.”

“Sure. You don’t owe me anything but I’d like to go for a drink later.” Edward’s sweet smile stretched into a grin.

Donovan couldn’t resist. He bent forward and placed a soft and long overdue kiss on Edward’s cheek. “I’ll see you later so.”

****

This story was a little bit too long at 560 words, but I just didn't want to cut it any further. As always, other flashes can be found in the Monday Flash Fics Facebook group. That is also where we will be posting the picture for next week's story later today (Monday July 6).