text: My face was numb. "I...guess this is it." He said. The skies were dark. Eternal dawn without the Sun. With the only truth being pity and sadness that the truth will forever be beyond us. And our forever was about to begin. "Yes. Maybe it is." A mellow song played by the failing stereos. Both of us slacked on the floor, listening to what would probably be the last song. The ironic melody. "Was it worth the wait?" "I'm not sure. All I know is that the wait would be over soon." I sighed, reminiscing moments of my vain life. How free it was, how loved, lonely. But none of it mattered anymore. In fact, none of it mattered at all in the first place. But the memories of it do paint a smile on my face. Perhaps that's what he's chuckling about as well. "That's a nice thought." He said, weakly brushing the crumbs off his beard. "So, what happens now?" "The wait. It shouldn't be too long." I replied, taking gulps out of my beer. Eyes red and wet, his face struggled not to crumble into pieces. "I..." With his voice struggling to come out between breaths, he spoke. "I wish I married. Argh. I wish I lived some more! Laughed some more! Cried! Loved! I never thought...If I knew, I would've...hah!!" The song played on through his pleas. Pity, once again. I pitied him and him too, no one else. And that spoke volumes of how contradictory we were. Of how people, was. "...I guess that's all too late now." He added. We shared tears. It made no sense, all of this. But it felt that much more. "Maybe you did. Could've. But you'll still say the same things at this point." I saw his pain as our eyes met, I knew it. Because I also struggled with regrets. At the end of time At the end of the world. At the end of all things. There is truth and deceit. "But if it happened, it happened. Why does it have to mean anything?" I asked myself the same way I asked him. He seemed to understand despite the lack of context. Nonsense. It's the core of us all. --I watch them grow They'll learn much more Than I'll ever know-- Terrible song. It's a waste listening to such a tune in the already rickety bass. Our silent weeping didn't play well with it too, but it was comforting in a sense. "Although, I am thankful. For most of it." "Some times, huh. At least we'll have the coolest way to go." Sorrow turned to laughter, but it was grief nonetheless. As pain sowed in both of us, there was little left to resist. I just wish it all ends before we break. "Makes you wonder. How long would we have lived?" He jests, opening another can from the pile we'd gathered. Like death-row inmates. "It'd suck. I'm sure. Old age is overrated, but the experience never fails. Except for beer. If you experience beer too much, you'll be stopped." We broke out in laughter once again. I am tired. Tired. My soul was exhausted from knowing too much. It made ignorance seem so luxurious, so sweet. If I didn't know that the world was about to end, would I have faired better? Stop it. "I don't think anyone's ever passed painlessly." He continued blabbering. Silence descended upon us as the song was interrupted by the power outage. Reality turned grey and cold, it felt alone. And it was fueling the madness consuming us. No. I closed my eyes and found myself praying with whatever semblance of faith I had. Save me from this nightmare. Save us, please. But saving, what is saving? What happens when we're saved? How is saving what stops this? Don't venture there. It's dangerous. The song blurs back on one last time. --what a wonderful world. I was stunned. Nothing came on after that. "As the songs of the dead fill the space of my mind." He sang, slowed, and tone-deaf. Or at least he tried to. But the following words never came out. Hope is a dirty thing. It's a drug. The most addictive one at that. Nothing could destroy and rebuild a person over and over more than hope, and it is not something that anyone can control. This is the byproduct of sentience. A side-effect of the wonderful. For the universe is not a machine. It is flawed, designed for oblivion. We are part of the aimless process and that makes us think of a relevant future. Of a higher purpose, a madness that's run rampant throughout history. How conceited. How meaningful. My thoughts stray towards happier times. Feelings that filled me with warmth. It drove my questions away. Though stupid as that may be, I was thankful from the bottom of my heart. Was this how he felt? My spirit was at peace once more. I was also startled by how easily I settled. "I suppose the whole of life is an act of letting go." I said, content. He grins. "Yeah. A wonderful world it is." My face felt numb at those words. A prickling feeling washed over me as a low hum could be heard from the distance. "Yes." I smiled, the happiest I've been.