2019-07-19 - And The Night Will Come

Wake up, say good morning to
That sleepy person lying next to you
If there's no one there, then there's no one there
But at least the war is over

Eli’s pen scratches against the paper, the room dimly lit, the screen from his laptop giving off most of the illumination. The music was a pair of comfortable arms wrapping around him while he tried to focus on the phrasing for this translation. It was always a few passages in every novel that really made him work. It was about understanding the author’s intent, the meaning they were trying to convey and making sure that same meaning comes across in the translated work. It’s so easy to lose that in a direct translation and could ruin important parts of the book.

It's us, yes, we're back again
Here to see you through till the day's end
And if the night comes, and the night will come
Well at least the war is over

Dahila was here. He could hear her and Genevieve downstairs talking. He was planning to go down in a little while to say hello and maybe join them for a little while. At the same time he’d decided they both needed space to talk about whatever it was they were going to talk about. Sometimes he struggled to see the forest for the trees. Eve was coming at this with a fresher pair of eyes and could no doubt help Dahlia figure out was going on in her life without Eli’s ham handed help.

Lift your head and look out the window
Stay that way for the rest of the day and watch the time go

The lightening was suddenly bright enough through the window to throw colour into the otherwise dim room, the heavy thunder following just after, shaking him to the bone. A harsh gust of wind pushes through the window and sends his papers scattering.

The window that was not open. He was sure it hadn’t been. The air conditioning was running.

Listen, the birds sing
Listen, the bells ring
All the living are dead, and the dead are all living
The war is over and we are beginning

The lights flicker when he gets up from his seat to walk over to the window. For all the thunder and lightning it seemed oddly calm and quiet outside. His body freezes at the sight of the massive shadow lurking down on the empty street below, too bright eyes looking up at him. He draws in a breath and raises his voice - “Genevieve!” But the sound is all but smothered by the next crash of thunder, the room pitched into complete darkness.

We won, or we think we did
When you went away, you were just a kid
And if you lost it all, and you lost it
Well, we'll still be there when your war is over

The darkness was complete. His laptop was off despite having a battery. The music, however, played on. The shape outside was gone - he couldn’t even see outside. All he could do was fumble through the darkness. It was a helpless sensation that was all too familiar. He’d failed already. The Wolf was down there with Genevieve and Dahlia and he was here stumbling through the darkness, directionless. The wall were gone. The bed the desk. He trips on something and falls heavily to the ground, his hands pressing into what feels more like dirt than floorboards. He calls out again, but his voice feels like it’s getting swallowed by the darkness.

He lays panting. His eyes close. This is easier. This is better for everyone. Alone. Alone in the darkness where he belongs.

“Eli!”

The faint cry from somewhere draws him up again. It was Genevieve’s voice. His own voice still seems lost, but he has a direction. He begins to crawl toward the sound.

“Eli!”

It comes louder this time and Eli climbs back to his feet, stumbling forward and finding himself on more familiar ground. It’s dark, but he finds the stairs down from the loft. Not alone. Not this time, not ever again.