8 Days, 8 Letters; Spot Conlon

The Variable of Time

Mush sat next to him and leaned his head on the wall facing him.

Mush: Never landing or standing by
Never taking a break
Ever making me retry

He turned to face the newsies.

Mush: We "nickel and dime" every "quarter to two"

Then turned to face me and shrugged his shoulders.

Mush: But maybe it's time to let time pass through

Skittery joined in from the corner of the wall blankly staring in the distance.

Skittery: If the future is bright
It doesn't shine with that "end of the tunnel" light
More like a deer in the headlights
Sudden red lights
Or "your dead" lights
As the angler fish bite

He leaned his head on the wall and faced the ceiling.

Race kicked a pebble on the floor as he paced the room.

Race: It's not fair
The past is clear, but it's clear back there
What's ahead? No one knows
But it's closing in, we swear
Still not my prime, I have so much to do
But maybe it's time to let time pass through

He flopped on the ground and fiddled with the unlit cigar between his fingers.

Specs leaned on the corner by the bars, facing them. His eyes darted around the hallway, probably trying to see if there's a way out even though he knows there's not.

Specs: I can't just rewrite decisions when life gets strange
Should I go with my gut on which door I should shut?
I'm unsure
I'd keep exploring this rut
But what good is time without change?

Mac leaned on the bars, tapping his fingers against them making the noise echo throughout the room. His face was straight with no emotion. The complete opposite of the Mac I had seen just a few hours earlier.

Mac: Move on
'Cause things never last
Just move on
'Cause it goes too fast and the past has passed
So move on
No one likes an ending
So what's with the attention we keep giving them?

Bumlets' usual social light was dimmer. He slowly sat down and rested his arms on his legs.

Bumlets: Why are we spending so much time
Dreading our lives instead of living them?
Why do we try to divert the river
When the water is what will deliver us where we need to go?

I looked around at my newsies. Time had gotten to each of them and I can't protect them.

Spot put his arm around me and led me to a place on the wall to sit. We sat down and he put his arm around my waist.

Spot: We may never know why
Time is always in limited supply
But we'll live to regret it
If we get it
And then let it slip by
It can never rewind

I tried to put on a sympathetic smile to hopefully lift my newsies' and the Brookies' spirits up. Tumblr came over and snuck himself under my arm. I lifted his head to face me.

Jaime: Once you've lost it, it's hard to find
Take the journey in stride
When your plans have been sidelined

I looked through the bars of the cell at the clock on the wall behind it.

Jaime: Every hourly chime could begin something new

I faced my newsies with a small, yet genuine smile on my face.

Jaime: So maybe it's time to let time pass through
Not passing by, but passing through
'Til the well runs dry
Just passing through

Tumblr looked up at me.

"What's gonna happen now Books?" he asked.

"I'm not exactly sure yet," I answered, softly. "But I know that we're gonna be okay."

"We are?" Mush spoke.

"Yeah," I said. "Everything's gonna be alright. You'll be safe."

I fiddled with the moon ring on my hand.

"I'll keep you safe."

The newsies began to lean on each other in hopes to catch some sleep.

"Books?" Tumblr mumbled.

"Yeah kid?"

"Can you sing us something to sleep?"

"If that's alright with everyone else."

I looked up and they all smiled at me, motioning for me to go ahead.

Tumblr smiled, getting comfortable.

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly
Lavender's green
When I am [queen] dilly dilly
You shall be [king]

Who told you so, dilly dilly
Who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly
That told me so

Call up your men, dilly dilly
Set them to work
Some to the plough, dilly dilly
Some to the fork

Some to make hay, dilly dilly
Some to cut corn
While you and I, dilly dilly
Keep ourselves warm

Lavender's green, dilly dilly
Lavender's blue
If you love me, dilly dilly
I will love you

Let the birds sing, dilly dilly
And the lambs play
We shall be safe, dilly dilly
Out of harms way

I love to dance, dilly dilly
I love to sing
When I am queen, dilly dilly
You'll be my king

Who told me so, dilly dilly
Who told me so
I told myself, dilly dilly
I told me so

I looked down at Tumblr to see him snuggled up, hearing his light breathing as he drifted off.

I glanced around the room to see the newsies going to bed with a soft smile.

I heard soft snoring coming from my right.

I glanced over to see a sleeping Spot on my shoulder.

I smiled and leaned my head on his, wrapping my arms around him and Tumblr before drifting off to sleep myself.

I'm not sure what the future will bring, but as long as I can keep having moments like this, I know I'll be okay.