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He walked slowly towards the young woman. She was staring out at the water with a look of awe. Like she had seen too much and yet not enough in however many years she had been alive.
“You wouldn’t mind indulging an old man with your company, would you? Not many your age would sit here on the edge of a cliff, staring in wonder as the waves crash below.”
The girl kicked her feet over the open air, not frightened of the dying light or the drop below. Someone, somewhere, would be getting worried if she didn’t get home soon.
“I’m waiting for someone. Why are you here?”
She spoke quietly. He could tell, despite her muttered words, that she had a beautiful aura around her. Brilliant and filled with white light. He feared for her. Sometimes it’s these bright lights that fade the fastest. Extinguished by the perils and trials of the harsh, modern world.
A single star shimmered above in the overcast sky. It wasn’t crisp and clear like he had hoped to find it but special all the same. He rubbed his eyes, wrinkled around the edges. Tired from having seen so many things through both his mortal and immortal life.
They sat on the edge and stared out across the horizon. Lights flicked in the distance.
Without lifting his head, he brought out a photograph from his pocket.
“I used to come here as a child. I live nearby and was tucked up in bed until a few minutes ago. Something just told me that I needed to be here tonight.”
He lay back and sighed as he took in the feel of the soft grass under his head, the wind brushing gently over him, gliding through his grey hair. Most never wanted to grow old but after 60 years of suspended life, it had been a long time coming. He had come to terms with the time he had left.
He opened his eyes and looked up. Both the star above and the young woman had disappeared.
“So much for the comp-”
He held out his hands in front of him and turned them over. They weren’t scarred, at odd angles in places or unmovable in others. He ran his hand over his head. His hair was thick and dark, as it once had been. His heart raced as he shot up with ease. His bones didn’t ache or creak and as he blinked, his eyesight was beautiful and clear.
He smiled.
“Who are you waiting for?”
The soft voice came from behind him again, as a hand touched his shoulder.
“My big brother.”
Within a single roll of the curling waves, the clouds in the sky shifted above. As the moon shone bright in the midnight sky, an old man lay alone on the grass. He let out a rattling breath, peaceful and contented, his hands crossed over his stomach.
As the clouds shifted in the night sky, the single star became two.