Pulse

Astronomy domine

The skies were gloomy as always, the soft droplets of rain on his face made him shiver, though it was nice, it was a way for Harry to feel alive one last time. He walked over to the shoreline, not making eyecontact with anyone he passed as usual. He held back tears as he walked, didn't want anyone to feel empathic towards him and get hurt in the process. He reached the shoreline and just stared out in front of him, taking a deep breath and wiping a tear away as he let the air leave his lungs again.

He started picking up rocks, shoving them in his pockets and walking towards the water. The water felt nice, the cold felt like tiny needles digging into Harry's skin, making him more aware of the fact that he was real and this was happening. Wet hands ran across his face, and then he got ready to go into the deep end, finally saving his town from the misery he caused them. He looked up at the grey clouds above him and smiled, maybe that's where he would go. A couple more steps and he'd be there. Maybe he'd sink to the bottom, slowly, peacefully, as the air would leave his lungs until he was no longer here. Nervousness took over as he got waist deep. Was this the right thing to do? He prayed for a sign to stop but to no avail. No. He had to do this. He owed it to his neighbours. He wiped away more tears and got ready to take the dive as he heard a small voice ask for help. He frantically looked around, where did that voice come from? That's when he saw a boy clutching onto one of the rocks, his body practically turned blue from how long he'd been laying there. He ran over to the boy, slowly taking his hands off of the rock and pulling him on his back. He carried him back to land and laid him down.

The boy coughed and looked around. He looked tired, tired and sick and probably hungry as well. "Where am I?" He asked. And for the first time Harry actually looked at his face, the boy had piercing blue eyes, they were so breathtaking, he thought he'd turn to stone if he looked for too long. This boy was special, just like him. He had to be.

"You're in Eroda", Harry said, helping the boy as he tried to sit up.

"The fishermen's town?"

Harry nodded.

"What am I doing here?"

"I don't know", Harry shrugged, "I just found you".

"Could you, maybe, if it's not too much to ask, get me something to eat?"

"Of course", Harry said, already standing up. That's when he realised this boy did not belong in Eroda, at all, and he was special, just like Harry. He wasn't going to let the town hurt the boy like they did with him. "Actually, we'll have to wait a bit longer".

The boy sulked but remained seated.

"What's your name?" Harry asked.

The boy looked like he had trouble remembering things. "Uhm".

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me, we can use fake names", Harry smiled, "I know the rumours about this place, never give them your name or you'll get trapped".

The boy smiled at him. "Okay", he whispered.

Harry's heart fluttered as he saw the smile, the first genuine smile he'd ever seen. "I'll start", he said, "I'm Edward".

"Hi Edward", the boy said, shaking his hand, "I'm Alex".

"Nice to meet you, Alex".

The boys stayed on the shore until it started getting dark. Harry took backroads to get Alex to his house, hoping no one would see them. He succeeded and immediately gave Alex a blanket. "I'm so sorry it took this long".

"That's okay", Alex shrugged.

"I'll check if I have any fish and bread left". Harry knew his neighbours didn't mean to be rude towards him. They were just scared. One of the reasons he knew was because the local bakeries and fishermen made deals with him. He'd hang the money in an envelope on his front door, his order inside as well, and they'd leave it there, ringing the bell to announce it was there but asking Harry to wait till they had left before picking it up.

He brought a small plate back to the table, "it's not much but I'll give you more in the morning".

"Thank you", Alex smiled again.

Harry was never going to get over it, his smile was so beautiful, and it was directed towards him, it felt surreal. He watched Alex eat, his eyes were closed and it looked like he was savouring every bite. He was ethereal.

Harry gave Alex his bed that night, promising it was okay that he was going to sleep on the couch. The boy finally gave in and took the bed, cuddling up into the warmth of the blankets and sighing happily. Harry's heart was going to burst.

The couch was colder than expected, he'd have to turn the heat up if he was going to keep the boy around. He'd do anything to keep him around though. He was the first person to ever actually talk to Harry, actually dated to look at him and even smile.

That night, as Harry finally fell asleep, he dreamt of Eroda as always, only this time it wasn't a sad dream, not at all. This time it was a different Eroda, one where it wasn't always cloudy. The sun was beaming down on the shorelines where families were hanging out together. A rainbow painted the clouds and him and the boy were living happily together. His neighbours loved him.

He cried when he woke up.