Life is Stranger

Time

Author's note - "The Reaper" and "The Shepherd" are not intended as Mass Effect references, and will have no connection with their Mass Effect counterparts.

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"Ray, it's nearly time."

"Time? Time for what? You don't mean..."

"Yes."

Ray paused before continuing "I need a drink. I imagine you would like one as well."

"Indeed I do. Why not? It's hardly going to be the death of me, is it now?"

"I suppose not. Are you sure that you want to do this? Isn't there any there any other way? Any other way at all?" said the bald man as he filled two glasses.

"No. You of all people should know that, Ray. This is the only way. I have to do this. For her. For the both of them. For the bay. For everyone. Ray, the Reaper is coming. Coming here. Coming for them. And when it does arrive, it will stop at nothing – it will sweep aside everything before it to get to them. And I do mean everything. It is merciless and totally without remorse or pity. It cannot be reasoned with, and it is absolutely terrifying. I know. I have seen it. I have conversed with it. It has only one goal – to rip them apart and devour them. It will pursue this goal with a singularity of purpose that is truly horrific. It cares for nothing or no one – it will raze the whole bay if it has to. It must be stopped. At all costs. This is bigger than all of us. There simply is no other way. Ray, we both knew this day would come eventually."

"I know, but now that it's actually here..."

"You have to be strong. I can't do this alone. I need you. I need the Lighthouse Boys. You must not falter. The Reaper certainly won't – it is purpose personified. But they won't either – the both of them will stay strong throughout it all. You know what you have to do. We've been over all of this so many times. We can defeat it. We are not alone. The Shepherd is coming too. You can't have one without the other, just like you can't have the night without the day. The Reaper and the Shepherd, they are polarised – they give each other meaning. They give each other purpose. You must find the Shepherd when it arrives – it is the key to everything."

"But how do I find it? What will I be looking for?"

"You will know when you see it. Trust me."

"Bill?"

"Yes Ray?"

"Why them? Why those two in particular? They've never done anything to anyone. They're so pure and innocent. How could anyone even think about hurting them? It's just so cruel. Neither of them deserve this. Why has it singled them out?"

"The Reaper exists in a completely black void of total darkness, biding its time. Waiting. But it craves light. It feeds upon it. It is irrevocably drawn to it, and when any light encroaches into its world, it has an overpowering compulsion to extinguish it, to devour it. Their light is beaming out so brightly that it is outshining all others. It is like a supernova. It has never seen one so bright, so brilliantly blue, and it simply cannot resist it, just as the sea can't resist the pull of the moon. And it is making a bee-line right for it, for them, and it is approaching fast. Very, very fast. Once the light is gone, it can hide in the dark once again, unseen. The greatest trick it ever pulled is convincing the world that it doesn't exist. Then suddenly, without warning, it is there - it reveals itself. It devours the light, and like that...it's gone. Back to the darkness. But this time is different – we know of it, and we know that it is coming. But it also knows that I know. We have been blessed - we are so lucky that we have this knowledge. But it hasn't come without a price, an immense price, but it is worth it. Without this knowledge, we would already have lost. Before we even began. They would both already be lost."

"I need another drink. You?" William nodded. The amber liquid glowed a gorgeous golden colour as the setting sun streamed in through the window. "Why does it do this? Why does it hate them so much? Why does it hate us?"

"It doesn't hate. It simply has no concept of hate, or any other emotion. It only has purpose. I have felt it – I have been inside its mind. I still shudder at the cold, steely, emotionless, heartless, soulless, compelling drive it is utterly overwhelmed by. It does what it does because it must. It cannot help itself – that is all it knows how to do, all it exists to do, its one and only reason for being. It only exists because it has to – everything has to have a counterweight, a balancing force. It is a fundamental law of nature. It doesn't hate us – it doesn't even know of our existence. We are nothing to it. But now it is aware of me. It knows exactly who I am, and what I intend to do. It's wrong to say that it's frightened of me, but it knows the threat I pose to its purpose. It won't allow me to stop it. It can't allow me to stop it. And I cannot stop it. But I know someone who can."

"Who?"

"You'll discover that in time. Ray, if I told you now you would be in the very same mortal danger that I am in. Because of what I know, the Reaper seeks to annihilate me. It cannot allow me to continue. It cannot allow me to be. It sees me as a bright light as well. It is coming for me, Ray. It is coming for me first. Right now. I can feel its icy cold breath on the back of my neck. It's getting real close now. It's never going to leave me alone. I can never escape it – not here. There is only one path that leads me to safety, and it is a very difficult one to take, but take it I must – it is my only chance. I cannot stay here. I have to go before it arrives and puts an end to me. If it ends me, it ends them too. I am not going to allow that to happen. I will do anything to save them. I have no choice but to go somewhere where it can't reach me, somewhere where there are those that can protect me from it. I either flee, or I die. I have no other option but to fly from it...for now."

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"She's never leaving me."

"That makes two of us then. I won't be long girls. See you soon."

"Okay Daddy."

"Bye Uncle William."

William was about to close the door when he saw it. It was resting upon the hood of the car, looking directly at him. It was a shadow sparrow. He stood completely still, unable to move.

"Daddy?"

At the sound of his daughter's voice, he turned around and faced the two girls framed in the doorway, Max with her arm draped over the taller girl's shoulder and Chloe wrapping one of hers around Max's waist. William slapped his forehead. "I nearly forgot! What a doofus!" he exclaimed as he embraced them and kissed them both upon the forehead. "I love you Chloe. You'll always be my Princess. Forever. Max my little Munchkin, I love you just as much. You're my daughter too. Never forget that. Now get yourselves inside and make as much mess as possible before we get back." He smiled lovingly at them.

"Love you too Daddy."

"Me too, Uncle William. You're the best."

"You two are. I'll be back before you know it."

Chloe closed the door. William waited at the car for them to appear at the bedroom window. The sparrow alighted and flew up to the small roof just above the window, where two beautiful, smiling faces soon appeared. He blew them both a kiss and mouthed "I love you." Then he got into the car and drove away. Tears fell from his eyes as he spoke. "Elanor, I'm scared. For them. Please give them all the strength to get through this, to carry on without me. Please give them the strength to endure what they will have to face in the years to come. Please let them understand that I had to do this - for them. I love all three of you. And I always will." All too quickly he arrived at the store and saw his beloved waving at him. He composed himself, then whispered softly "I'm sorry my angel. I love you so much. I'll always be with you. Forever."