A scream split the night, such as had never been heard before, within the walls of the Coterie's dormitories. Anguish. Agony. Despair beyond imagining... And the source of the sound was the least likely of all who resided there. Haulean... a young man who had the sunniest disposition you ever did see. But the sunlight had been overtaken by a veritable storm cloud, as he collapsed to the floor of his shared bedroom, sobbing his soft little heart out. Never before had he ever displayed such grief... such pain. If he ever had, he'd hidden it well.
Just moments before, he'd been fine. Haulean and the three other boys that bunked in the room were settling down for bed, playing and joking, roughhousing a little, and having a good time. The blonde half-elf had pulled a small folded and sealed letter out of the pocket of his coat, now having time to read the message that had arrived an hour or so ago. It was from his mother, it had to be! But the hand it was written in belonged to one of his 'aunties'; a friend that his mother often referred to as her sister. Before he'd had a chance to read beyond the first words of greeting, the piece of paper was unceremoniously plucked from his hand, and held aloft by the oldest boy in the room. "Ooooooh Rabbit's got a sweetheart!" he teased, jovially. "About bleedin' time!"
Everyone, including Haulean, giggled. However, Haulean immediately leapt to his feet and attempted to retrieve it. "I do not!" he argued. "Give it back, it's from my mum!" A playful game of Keep Away ensued, as all of the other boys were a sight taller than Haulean was. Everyone was scampering about, giggling breathlessly, when finally the eldest obtained the letter once more, and began to read aloud as he kept his distance from its recipient. "My dearest Haulean!" he began, in simpering falsetto, which sent everyone into yet another chorus of laughter. "It is with a heavy hea... oh shit..." he trailed off, expression sobering, and was damn near slammed into by little Haulean, who then snatched the letter back, and hopped backward a few paces. The boy who'd been reading had gone a bit pale, and the giggles subsided, while Haulean now read the letter in tense silence.
It read:
My dearest Haulean,
It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you of your mother's passing. The sickness has finally taken her, and she is in pain no more. I know that you will want to come back, but you must not. By the time you receive this, she will already have been buried. She did not want you to risk sneaking out again, as you have likely already been punished for doing so on your birthday. By her wishes, you are given leave to open the parcel that was given to you, that night. Know that she loved you to the end, and will always be with you. The hearts of your aunties go out to you, and you are in our prayers.
Sincerely,
Auntie A.
Haulean read it over, and over again... At least four times, before his world swam, his knees hit the ground, and the scream tore its way from him involuntarily. Then came the instant onslaught of tears, as the petite youth crumpled the rest of the way to the floor, and curled into a ball. "Shit! Somebody needs to go get Nairn!" came the panicked words of one of the boys. Which one, Haulean was too far gone to register. "Fucking GO!" And then the sound of feet pounding frantically, as someone ran off to seek help of some sort. Someone had to go out and fetch Nairn. Of all people, he was the one Haulean was closest to. Surely he could help calm the boy down? No one had ever seen him like this, and thus... they were panicking, and at a loss as to what to do. Even as three of them picked the sobbing boy up and placed him on his bed, he didn't seem to register. He was lost to them, for the moment.
Just moments before, he'd been fine. Haulean and the three other boys that bunked in the room were settling down for bed, playing and joking, roughhousing a little, and having a good time. The blonde half-elf had pulled a small folded and sealed letter out of the pocket of his coat, now having time to read the message that had arrived an hour or so ago. It was from his mother, it had to be! But the hand it was written in belonged to one of his 'aunties'; a friend that his mother often referred to as her sister. Before he'd had a chance to read beyond the first words of greeting, the piece of paper was unceremoniously plucked from his hand, and held aloft by the oldest boy in the room. "Ooooooh Rabbit's got a sweetheart!" he teased, jovially. "About bleedin' time!"
Everyone, including Haulean, giggled. However, Haulean immediately leapt to his feet and attempted to retrieve it. "I do not!" he argued. "Give it back, it's from my mum!" A playful game of Keep Away ensued, as all of the other boys were a sight taller than Haulean was. Everyone was scampering about, giggling breathlessly, when finally the eldest obtained the letter once more, and began to read aloud as he kept his distance from its recipient. "My dearest Haulean!" he began, in simpering falsetto, which sent everyone into yet another chorus of laughter. "It is with a heavy hea... oh shit..." he trailed off, expression sobering, and was damn near slammed into by little Haulean, who then snatched the letter back, and hopped backward a few paces. The boy who'd been reading had gone a bit pale, and the giggles subsided, while Haulean now read the letter in tense silence.
It read:
My dearest Haulean,
It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you of your mother's passing. The sickness has finally taken her, and she is in pain no more. I know that you will want to come back, but you must not. By the time you receive this, she will already have been buried. She did not want you to risk sneaking out again, as you have likely already been punished for doing so on your birthday. By her wishes, you are given leave to open the parcel that was given to you, that night. Know that she loved you to the end, and will always be with you. The hearts of your aunties go out to you, and you are in our prayers.
Sincerely,
Auntie A.
Haulean read it over, and over again... At least four times, before his world swam, his knees hit the ground, and the scream tore its way from him involuntarily. Then came the instant onslaught of tears, as the petite youth crumpled the rest of the way to the floor, and curled into a ball. "Shit! Somebody needs to go get Nairn!" came the panicked words of one of the boys. Which one, Haulean was too far gone to register. "Fucking GO!" And then the sound of feet pounding frantically, as someone ran off to seek help of some sort. Someone had to go out and fetch Nairn. Of all people, he was the one Haulean was closest to. Surely he could help calm the boy down? No one had ever seen him like this, and thus... they were panicking, and at a loss as to what to do. Even as three of them picked the sobbing boy up and placed him on his bed, he didn't seem to register. He was lost to them, for the moment.
04-06-2024, 07:07 PM
