The evening after Papa’s funeral

Yellow orbs of light. Hammocks. Sand. Breeze. Twilight.  Faint lively bustle of conversations in the distance.  Black silhouettes of palm trees like watchers in the breeze. And the faint crashing of the waves on the beach.

He’s walking down a sand-covered stoneway. To the rubble-coursed wall with a wicker gate. The wicker gate that opened to a stone stair that fell to the beach below.

He can see his brother in the distance, at the gateway looking into the horizon, lost in thought; His long hair obscuring his small face.

His legs carry him to his brother.

His brother turns his head back towards him and walks towards him, as if he didn’t want to be seen alone with his thoughts.

But that’s what he wants to think; that his brother is the one who doesn’t want to be seen alone with his thoughts.

He’s really the one who doesn’t want to be seen alone with his thoughts.

That’s always been his greatest fear; a life of being alone with his thoughts and people judging him for it.

His brother mumbles “Lets play table tennis.”

He mumbles back “I’ll get Daniel.”

The memories of the past efferevesce within him. Mixing themselves with the desires of the present.

Stoically, they both trudge away knowing they’re never really going to attempt to play table tennis.

The sea meanwhile washes away the deathly still; into the eroded rocks on the lonely beach.

The yellow orbs burn brighter; as if in answer to the gathering darkness.

The trees seem homely now. Ancient and beautiful.

A cacophony of bawdy laughter wafts down from the dining cottage.

They reach it.

“Lebironam” The gibberish of his mind says.

He smiles.

It could mean anything; but he knows what it means to him.

And he keeps on smiling.

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