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Moss remembers it like it was yesterday. Maybe it was. Time is weird here. Where is here? What is here? He usually calls it the void, it just seems to fit it.
The void is all black and empty, like somebody turned out all of the light in the world, like the world doesn’t even exist anymore. But Moss knows it does. They were in it just a few minutes ago. Hours? Days? Months? Years? He doesn’t think about it for long, he doesn’t want to. It sends an uncomfortable chill down his spine.
What were they talking about again? Oh, right! The incident. So here’s how it went;
Moss packed the picnic basket with their mom. This was supposed to be a surprise for Oscar, his very first picnic! And it was tomorrow! Moss was so excited that he could barely stop himself from flying loops multiple times.
They could just imagine how it was going to go.
Currently, he was folding the blanket for the picnic, which is, as his mom had worded it, “The most important part of the picnic”.
“So just grab that corner of the blanket and drag it over this one.” Their mom ordered, pointing to the one he was holding onto, then to the corner opposite of the one Moss was holding. He did as he was told, flying over and letting go of the blanket’s corner.
“I did it, mom! Look!” He exclaimed proudly, gesturing at the blanket which was now folded in one corner.
“That’s great, Moss, now do the same to the other corner, as well.” She smiled warmly at her child. She, herself, was filling up water bottles and putting them in a cooler to cool down before they took them out again for tomorrow’s picnic.
She could just tell that this was going to be a great picnic, filled with laughter and pure happiness.
Oh, how wrong she had been.
-
“Mooom! Do we have to go to bed?” Moss whined, excitement for tomorrow making his wings twitch.
“Of course you do and you should know best why.” She booped his nose and he did a blep.
He leant back and forth on his feet, secretly trying to debate whether he should listen or not. Their mother gave him that ‘I know what you’re thinking and don’t you dare try it’ look and he gave up on that idea.
They turned back to the mirror and began brushing his teeth, giving himself a smile in the mirror. Oscar stood behind the counter that he stood on, brushing his teeth, as well. Completely oblivious to the conversation and the plans for tomorrow.
Moss and his family got done with preparing for bed and they all went to their rooms to sleep.
He laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. They felt their eyelids begin to droop, but his antennas still twitched with excitement. He shifted around in his bed, before eventually falling into a peaceful sleep. They were awoken by a thump outside his door. Everything was dark, so he guessed that it’s in the middle of the night. He could hear the sound of something moving outside his room and he clenched his fists on the edge of his duvet. The door opened with a small creak and Moss could see the shadow of a person outside the door. Who is that? He squinted his eyes, trying to see any details through the dark of the night.
They couldn't see any details though, and they felt fear racing through their body.
“Mom?” He called out, hoping that it was her. Hoping that this isn’t some random kidnapper who somehow found their house. They remembered hearing their mom muttering to herself about that once, something about her getting kidnapped by… The tavern? It’s hard to remember. Whatever, it’s not important right now.
Between one blink and the next, the figure was by his bed.
The person raised their arm, holding something in their hands, then they thrusted it down upon him.
First, there was shock.
He laid shock-still in his bed. There was a tingle of something in his chest, like how you would feel if your leg fell asleep.
Then, the pain.
Moss let out an agonized cry as a sharp pain burst in his chest. They felt a warm liquid gather and soak his nightclothes. He looked down at his chest and saw the glint of a sharp dagger buried in his ribs. Suddenly, the pain felt much harsher and spots began to dance in his vision. It’s piercing, more agonizing than anything they’d ever felt before. There was a disgusting squelch sound and the weight in his ribs lifted.
He lifted his gaze up to the figure.
It was still too dark for him to identify the person, but he could still see the way the blade glinted. It almost shined in the dark, in contrast to everything around it. Blood was dripping off the tip of it, making it look menacing.
A gust of wind hit them and out of the corner of their eye, they saw the person dart out of the room. Moss personally thought that was a cowardly thing to do. Reasonable? Sure. Admirable, though? Definitely not.
They laid in the dark, on their bed for a while, or so they thought. Everything felt like it was in slow-motion, yet moving all too fast.
“Mom?” He croaked, feeling tears gather in his eyes and fall down his cheeks. “Oscar?” He cried out to the dark, again. Nobody is coming.
“Anybody?”
He felt helpless. He felt scared. He felt pain.
Exhaustion weighed down at their limbs, but they didn't wanna die. They were just a kid, they shouldn’t die, right? Why in the name of Herobrine should they die?
He felt his eyelids begin to close, the world becoming a blur around him. He was so tired.
But he had to rise up, rise up.
Oscar! My dear brother, take your time.
I’ll see you on the other side.
Everything turned black.
They wake up with a gasp.
He looks around, but he can’t see anything. Is he blind?
He brings his hands up to his eyes. He can see them. Then why is everything around him black?
“Hello?” They call out, getting up from.. Well, nothing. “Is there anybody out there?”
He begins flapping his wings and flying around, there’s gotta be somewhere out here, right? Where is he even?
“HELLO?” They yell out again, this time louder.
Silence.
There’s nothing out here.
Moss lets out a frustrated groan, kicking at nothing. They sigh, looking around at the darkness. Is nobody really going to come?
“Anybody?” He tries again.
But nobody came.
-
Oscar looked at the honeycomb blocks. They’re slightly buried in the dirt, pebbles and stones that are newly placed in front of it. Mossy cobblestone lines the honeycomb, a reminder of his older sibling Moss. Something is written on the honeycomb, but he couldn't read it yet.
He was holding mama’s hand. He could hear her sniffling.
He looked up at mama, a confused look on his face.
“Where’s Moss? Is he playing hide and seek?” He asked excitedly, his eyes brightening at the idea of playing hide and seek with Moss. They always find the best hiding spots!
He faltered though, when mama shook her head, a dark look forming on her face.
“Moss won't be coming back.” She replied, her voice monotone, yet fueled with sadness.
“Till’ when?”
“Ever.”
“Why not? Doesn’t he like me anymore?” Oscar whined, fear lacing his tone.
“They love you very much!” Mama instantly defended Moss, “And they’ll always love you, but he’s in the void now.” She continued, closing her eyes sadly.
“Can I go visit him?” Oscar questioned.
Mama shook her head, a pained expression on her face.
“But Moss is there! And they wouldn’t leave without taking me to the void, too, right?”
“It’s not that easy.” Mama said coolly, her eyebrow making a twitch of annoyance.
“He’s dead, Oscar! You won't see him anymore! You won't hear them or feel their hand ruffle your hair ever again!” Mama snapped, and Oscar flinched back. “Sorry, Oscar… I didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”
Rain began to fall from the sky, starting as a soft drizzle, but turning heavier by the second.
“Come on, let’s go inside. Don’t wanna get a cold, now do we?” Mama suggested, her voice soft as she gave Oscar a pitying look.
He tried to play off the wet falling down his cheeks for the rain, not tears.
-
Oscar laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He could feel exhaustion weighing on his body, yet he couldn't seem to fall asleep.
He thought it’s probably near midnight, maybe earlier, maybe later.
Footsteps sound outside his room.
Oscar peeked over the covers and he could hear the door creak as it opened slowly. He let out a confused squeal and suddenly a person darted over. They held their hand over his snout and he struggled to get free.
He let out muffled, panicked squeals and snorts, trying to get the person to let go. Instead of them letting him go though, they just held on tighter, keeping him down.
Oscar felt an agonizing pain burn in a straight line on his throat and he let out nerve-wracking sobs.
He tried to pull his hands up to grip on the pain, wanting to do anything to stop it, but the figure pinned his hands down.
Suddenly nothing restrained his body anymore and the person was gone. As if they were never here.
Oscar tried to call for his mother, but the words died in his throat and couldn't seem to leave his mouth. It hurt just to try.
It seemed like all energy left his body and he closed his eyelids tight. Everything hurt. He just wanted it to be over.
Everything turned silent.
Oscar opens his eyes in an instant. Everything is black.
He reaches up to his neck, but there is no wound nor pain. He then reaches out into the black, but finds nothing. Where is he?
"Hello? Mama?" He calls out, sitting up. It's only then he realizes he's floating.
“Moss?” Nobody answers and Oscar grows more and more worried.
“Please! Where is anybody? I don’t wanna be alone! MOSS! MAMA!” He practically pleads into the black and he can feel his hands shaking at his panic.
He begins to sob, curling into a ball.
He’s all alone.
Moss hears something.
He isn’t sure whether it is his ears messing with him or not. They hear it again. It’s faint, as if it’s miles away, but it’s there. And Moss is going to find it.
They repeat the sound in their head and begin to ponder. That voice sounds awfully familiar…
Then he realizes. That’s Oscar’s voice! But what’s Oscar doing here? Shouldn’t Oscar be back on Earth? They shudder, not wanting to think about it.
He begins to fly towards the voice and by each second it’s like the world is turning just a tad bit brighter.
Then they see him.
Oscar.
He lets out an overjoyed squeal and he flaps his wings harder, flying as fast as possible to his little-brother. He thought he was going to be alone forever and ever in this endless void, but here Oscar is! His little brother! Moss feels tears threatening to spill from their eyes in their pure joy, but they don't care. Oscar is here. They’re not alone, they have company now.
Oscar finally seems to notice him and he opens his mouth wide in a silent gasp. He then does the brightest smile the world has ever seen and it’s like everything around them lights up to an almost blinding white. Oscar begins to run towards Moss, his hooves hitting against the non-existent ground. He looked more like he was floating. They finally reach one another and embrace eachother in a tight hug. Oscar holds Moss close to his chest, hugging his older-sibling tightly. Moss hugs him back, being too small to reach his arms around Oscar, but doing a good enough impression of a hug. If either of them lets out small sobs and tears, neither comment.
As they now stand together in the pitch-black void, which now feels like it’s shining, they feel a warmth erupting in their chest and the former loneliness ebb away.
Maybe they’ll be okay now.