Death and Tea at Three

34 Harold and Life

Harold felt adventurous. At least, by his standards, that is. He paced around the room, every so often glancing at his watch, just to see if time had indeed passed.

There was, however, something different about the way in which he paced. As he glanced at his watch again, he couldn't help but smile. It was a smile that, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it, felt as if it had a life of its own. As if the smile was more than the side-effect of a feeling, but a catalyst to something more.

Harold hummed enthusiastically as he strolled around his quaint apartment, only stopping briefly to stare out his living room window. The city looked far simpler now. In fact, everything seemed simpler now. He glanced down at his watch once more. As the hands of the watch ticked slowly, he no longer felt the sense of dread he once felt. He was no longer a prisoner of time, but a participant.

Harold looked up from his watch to the kitchen. Despite whatever adventure awaited him today, there were some habits that could not be so easily subdued. He walked over to his kettle, filled it with water, and set it to boil.

A smile was still etched across his face, as he sat down on his lavender chair and waited. He continued to hum, albeit quieter than before. Since the audition, Harold found himself singing a lot more. He thought that he perhaps did this to keep up with Isobel, who was now singing more than ever, but a part of him knew he simply missed music, and all that it brought to his life. And although his muse had left him, he was not quite ready to stop playing.

The kettle began to whistle. Harold hurriedly strode over to the kitchen and prepared two cups of tea. As he watched the cream swirl in his black tea, the colour changed ever so slowly, and then all at once. Harold stared at his tea. He was fascinated by how quickly the very essence of something could be altered. His concentration, however, was soon interrupted by a knock at the door. The corner of Harold's lip curled into a grin. There was no need to check his watch – he knew what time it was.