1 A Multitude of Drops

The sound of an argument long since passed rang in his ears, exhaustion setting in. The icy shive in his heart stung at the incessant, incoherent words. A twisting knife that jabbed further in with every beat of a fading pulse. Though he wondered if it was just his current situation. A wet chuckle escaped, in-spite of the solemn face of tears; everything that lead him to this precipice flooded his hazy a mind. A broken cicematoraphy of memory.

The sirens, flashing red and blue-

The scream his mother rang in his ears she fell before an officer, she was holding his sister name in a broken tamber

The photos of twisted metal and burnt tires; in it they forgot to cover a single tiny limb-

A bead bracelet, he made sister that for good luck-

How he darted home years later, he had made it into an art gallery, he couldn't wait to tell the broken man that was his father. Her portrait was going to be up. He had run home to find him in the kitchen…. The step stool had found itself toppled next to the trash can-

The rope was drawn so tight that the steak knife bent as he desperately tried to slice it-

Red and blue flashed again-

He was still holding the knife and rope when they said dad was going to make it-

He hadn't moved

They acted like he should have been relieved, but he cried-

The smell of booze was so common he didn't know his teachers could smell it on his clothes. The counselors office always smelled of cloves

Before graduation he found a pink paper on the door, and the keys wouldn't work-

His auntie was nice but called him filth for who he dated-

At graduation he managed to walk down that carpet, the seats he had bought for his loved one's remained empty-

He remembered the blue eyes and soft smile that gave him hope, that made him safe. The gentle kisses that pushed away his nightmares, the sweet call of his name. How he would hear the deep chuckles through his chest when they embraced. He gave those blue eyes everything…. "Stratton" the voice teased…

Drawing in a sharp breath at the thought of him, Stratton closed his eyes. Trying to stifle the sob escaping his throat, a wet wheezing was all that was made.

*you are dying…*

His internal monologue, doctors called a coping mechanism, reminded him urgencantly. Stratton didn't care to entertain the voice, he was too tired. Raising his wrist from the reddened bubbles of lavender soap he watched as the pulsing stream left icy fissures in his skin. Crismon mixed with the scented steam. They hurt, the cuts, his body screamed to cover them, but he resisted.

*what is an ocean but a multitude of drops* the unspoken voice within him always had something random to add.

He vision was darkening, breaths coming more and more shallow. Pulse racing, heart screaming with effort. He looked over to the shattered mirror on the wall, he did not see himself anymore. He had never looked so haunting. His muscles could not keep his position as he lost the strength to stay upright. One ragged exhale heralded the income flood of crimson water, silencing the final sigh. Filling lungs that carried an air of confidence through out all his hardships, he stared up at the glimmering lights through the water's surface as darkness claimed his vision.

*This life was far harder than many before… I understand. At least our deal has been fulfilled*

The last intrusive thought rang in his mind and stillness took over the room.

The note on his bed would be the last thought this world had of his.

A neatly folded origami flower sat on stain pillows of a made bed, it's petals had a scribbled note….

"I love you

I'm sorry"

It would be found by those blue eyes later that day when that man came to grab the last of his things and the dog's essentials. He took the beloved pet and everything Stratton else… Not a single tear did he leave for the heart that had stopped beating in his wake.

——————

A void darker than any paint he had ever used was before him. He senses numb, he couldn't feel the position of his limbs, nor hear anything but his thoughts. A physical vessel he was lacking.

*light exists everywhere, even in the darkest spaces of the universe*

The random facts his mind gave him calmed his anxieties. Instead of focusing on the strangeness before him, he stopped suppressing the voice he had tirelessly ignored his whole life.

*The fall of Roman society is partially contributed to lead poisoning from the pipelines*

*there's an exo-planet with rings a 1000x larger than Saturn's*

*plants have the ability to see the environment around them, they also scream*

*for all objective purposes negative mass could work in earth's current model of physics*

*How long are going to listen before you lose your sanity?*

His mind jolted

*If you plan on listening to me recite random facts at you for all enterity, I have some unfortunate news for you… our pledge has been fulfilled… once we pass the in between we can finally be one again*

The cadence of the thoughts startled him, it resonanted with-in his mind much closer to consciousness than before. A shout compared to the whisper before. The darkness shifted.

Feeling returned in a thunderous symphony, there was a glorious light.

The light was prismatic and vibrantly warm, filling his frozen senses. Stratton had no body but it was all he could see, the warmth was like an embrace.

"At last, it's taken so long to find you my child"

A voice emanated from the light, it's resonatce deep yet gentle. "Welcome home"