Vanilla Dusk ✓

Loop Part 12

It was the first school day for Erik. He had just flown to London from Norway. When he stepped into the school gate, some students were standing in front of the main building paying a silent tribute. Bouquets of an array of colours lined up against the wall. Gladioli, chrysanthemums and orchids. It was drizzling and nobody seemed to have an umbrella. As Erik reached the main entrance, he was drawn to the long, white table outside the hall where candles and more lilies were placed. He stopped at the photo showing a boy with a gorgeous face and dark hair, his large, brown eyes reflecting an inherent streak of melancholy and stubbornness He looked so familiar as if Erik had met him somewhere, maybe in their incarnations or dreams.

'Who's he?' Erik asked a lady who just came out of the office and was rearranging the positions of the bouquets on the table.

The woman glimpsed Erik, whose eyes remained glued to the portrait.

'You don't know him?' said the lady. There was surprise in her tone. 'Shayne from 10A.'

Erik frowned, repeating the name in his mind.

'Shayne Stanford,' added the woman. 'He jumped off last Friday. Oh wait, you're the new kid. You probably don't know this. By the way, have you got your registration done yet?'

Erik shook his head.

'Come with me then,' said the lady, beckoning Erik to follow her.

All this time, Erik kept thinking of one thing – Why? Why did he have to die?

After finishing his registration, Erik went up to the rooftop out of sheer curiosity. A suited man with neatly combed blond hair was standing close to the railing with his back facing him and sobbing. When Erik walked up to him, he caught sight of the tears that never ran down his handsome face. A golden pocket watch was glittering in one corner and Erik picked it up.

'Um... Sir?' started Erik. He handed the watch to the man. 'I believe you have dropped something.'

The man, finally aware of Erik's presence, turned to him with a frown. When he saw the watch, he gasped and grabbed it from Erik.

'Strange,' mumbled the man. 'How did it end up here?'

'Yes?'

The man wiped the dirt off the watch and slid it into his pocket.

'A family inheritance,' he explained with a dejected smile. 'There're two, actually, but my ancestor gave the other one away. Do you believe in magic?'

'Maybe,' answered Erik with a shrug.

'If you could go back in time, what would you do?'

'Get rid of my past regrets?'

'What if it comes with a cost?'

'I don't know. Depends on what it is.'

'Your life, maybe?'

Erik raised his brows but didn't answer. He assumed the man was gibbering because of grief. Death had never crossed his mind. He had never thought of how he would die, why he would die and if there was someone or something he would die for. If there was one, it had got to be worth it. And if it was worth it, he would, at all cost, risk his own life.

He would rather die for that extraordinary someone than live without a purpose. His heart could stand being broken however many times he was loved, but it couldn't be a receptable. He could walk on thin ice if he was ever promised the slightest warmth. He would, for that one person, trade with Death and still walk away without regrets.

Because all he had ever lived for was that one unbreakable vow – someone had been waiting, calling, reaching out for him in his dreams all these years. He had to meet those eyes, caress those cheeks, grab those hands and feel their skin – the warmth, the tenderness, the aroma.

'No trade is fair,' said Mr. Stanford. 'Sometimes, things happen for a reason. He's always been lonely and I've been too negligent.'

'I'm so sorry for your loss, Sir,' said Erik. It hurt to see the man's back as he slowly trudged back to the door. He stopped at the door and stared for a long time at the watch, his index finger ready to press the crown but he gave up in the last second and sighed. He walked out of the rooftop and dumped the watch into a bin.

Erik couldn't stop thinking about the boy. He had heard his name before, seen his face and even touched him. He wanted to hold him at that moment, kiss him and tell him that it was alright. Everything would be okay. He didn't have to die. He could have been saved. There was so much in life he was yet to experience and he deserved all the love and happiness in the world.

Erik stepped closer to the railing and that was when he spotted another silvery watch glinting on the ledge. Without hesitation, he squatted down, squeezed his hand through a gap between two spindles and reached out to the watch. When he got back to his feet and was about to shout for Shayne's father, the man had long disappeared.

He examined the watch which had twelve Roman numbers on the clock face. The hand was now pointing at XII. Shayne's face flashed across his mind and on the spur of the moment, he pressed the crown.

Time ceased at once and then it started ticking.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Erik was back at the rooftop entrance. A dark-haired boy was standing on the ledge, slouching against the railing. His eyes were closed and his mouth slightly opened as he lifted his head and relished the wind. He looked so lonely and disconsolate from the back Erik couldn't help scurrying towards him and reaching out to touch that frail frame.

The boy let go of the railing and leaned forward.

'Wait,' said Erik in a shaky voice. 'Don't do that. Please.'

He didn't know why he was crying for a stranger, but somehow, he felt connected to him. He held out his hand and stuttered, praying that the boy would leave the ledge and come back to him. The boy spun around and stared at him pensively, as if striving to retrieve fragments of his memory.

To both Erik's bewilderment and relief, the boy took his hand firmly. He spared no time to yank him back and hugged him. His body was warm, his heart beating against his chest. He smelled of gel and caramel and coffee.

'Thank God.'

'Who're you?'

The boy flinched from the abrupt intimacy and frowned.

'Erik,' said Erik with a smile. 'You?'

The boy paused for a while before slowly breaking into a smile.

'Shayne.'