The boy inside the matrix box

21

Know that I love you so

I love you enough to let you go

Already Gone – Sleeping At Last

The rest of the week passes without Nataniel hearing from Seven - or trying to contact him on his own - so he deduces that everything has gone according to Seven's mother's premonitions. The boy does not want to see Nataniel anymore and Nataniel does not know where he stands.

The young man has set up a kind of ritual. Whenever he thinks of Seven and feels that he might burst into tears, he goes to water the diphylleia grayi that Seven has given him. And as he watches the flowers become transparent, he imagines that he too is disappearing and with him all his worries and sorrows. There is also something comforting about consoling himself the way he knows Seven is used to doing.

It is on Saturday morning, when Nataniel was in the kitchen having breakfast, that Coline bring him an envelope with his name on it.

"It was in the letterbox," she explains.

He immediately recognises Seven's handwriting and tears open the envelope to find only a USB stick. Giving up on his meal, he runs to his computer. The memory stick contains only a Word document. Feverishly, he opens it and reads the lines typed by Seven.

"Dear sweet Nataniel. I wanted to write you a letter, but I couldn't do it. There are too many things I want to say to you to be able to put them into words. I have too many regrets to be able to put them on a piece of paper.

I just want you to know that I never meant to hurt you and, more importantly, that you never hurt me. I am the only one who has made mistakes. I'm sorry for everything I didn't say and everything I didn't do. I want to let you know how much I love you and how important you are to me. But I don't know how to say it.

So I made this, to try to tell you a little bit of everything I think and feel.

It's like a love letter and a poem at the same time. Maybe a puzzle too.

I hope my message reaches you.

I love you so much, and I ask for your forgiveness for everything. I want to remember how precious you were to me. I hope that the matrix will give you all the happiness you deserve. You are the person I would want to save if humanity were to disappear.

With all my love,

Seven. "

Then, below that, just the link to a YouTube channel that he clicks on. The channel is empty of videos, but as he searches, he comes across a playlist called "Seven's Playlist". Nataniel glances through the song titles, not understanding what they might mean.

The White Buffalo - Oh Darling, What have I done ?

Scorpions - When you came into my life

Lauren Aquilina - Sinners

Jean Ferrat - Que serais-je sans toi?

Tim Dup - Mourir vieux (avec toi)

Wrongchilde - Falling in love will kill you

Jaymes Young - Dark Star

Faith Marie - Antidote

Elizabeth Grace - Bleachless

Aviators - I don't want to hurt you