To Tell the Waves Goodbye

Halcyon climbed down to the shores lining Necrose. They sat on the sand where shallow waves rolled, and attempted to take a nap. When their brother was alive, Hyacinth would follow after them. He would let them sleep during the hours the sun shone, the rays acting as a sort of blanket. And when the waves grew too large, he would scoop them into his arms and bring them back home.

Hyacinth was gone and the waves grew higher. They were the ones to wake Halcyon.

Halcyon wanted nothing more than to blame Hyacinth for leaving them. They hated the cold looks their mother gave them, the dismissive waves. She never talked about Hyacinth, or their father.

The night was cold, the wind clawed at their skin. When the waves began to brush against their legs, the sand followed, like knives breaking digging into their flesh. The ocean clung to them, and they shivered under its cold touch.

Halcyon made the decision not to move, and the water made the decision to rise. Their shivering stopped when the waves began to lash against their cheek. They screamed, when a piece of seaweed wrapped around their ankle, pulled them back into the water.

Where was Hyacinth? asked Halcyon.

He is gone, answered the sand.

“Halcyon.”

They startled, the water dissipated, laying them back in the sand.

“Halcyon.”

The voice had a calming lilt to it, soft and familiar in a way they could not recognize.

When they looked up a tall man leaned over them. White strands of hair looked still despite the blowing wind. The lines of his black eyes peaked impossibly through growing darkness. They seemed luminescent, like the algae furth in the sea. The man was beautiful. A statue of some god Halcyon might pray to.

“You’re shivering.”

The man knelt beside them, reaching behind Halcyon to drape a white cloak over them. They pulled it closer and buried their nose in the warm fabric. The smell was familiar, the same headache inducing perfume Hyacinth always wore.

When they glanced up the man brought his hand to their cheek, knuckles brushing against their cold skin.

“You look like your brother,” He said.

“He left.”

“He loves you more than anything. He wouldn’t want you here, you could get sick.” His hand pulled away and he took a seat beside Halcyon.

He seemed unbothered by the waves, in spite of the drops beading against his skin, or wetness soaking into the clothes he wore. His eyes traced the scenery, the tall bridges that stretched overhead, the shadows that danced below the surface of the water.

“He told me about this place, in his softer moments. Though to him it's never so dark.”

Halcyon curled further into themself. Sinking their nails into the biting sand. They attributed the gloomy look of this area to themselves, having someone point it out made it real.

“You know my brother?” The man smiled and it wasn’t sinister. Too soft to be anything but genuine.

“We travel together.”

“Where is he?” Their voice was quiet. Had the words been whispered?.

The waves grew higher, and their toes began to lose feeling. The seaweed clung to them once again.

“He will come back some day.”

Halcyon closed their eyes and they burned. Halcyon feared they could not control the wetness gathering behind their eyelids. They took a few breaths, allowing their body to calm.

The man was gone. The sand under him, undisturbed by anything other than the waves. When Halcyon looked at the ocean it seemed a little brighter, with the sun spilling its orange hues into the sky.