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"As for man, his days are like grass; a s a flower of the field, so he flowers. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, a nd its place acknowledges it no longer." ~ Psalm 103:15-16
"Put me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death..." ~ Song of Solomon 8:6a
Colm rested his head back on his arms and reclined farther onto the bench on the porch. Sixteen , he thought silently. It’s been three years since I got here…
He sighed softly. Three years already. He was having trouble coming to grips with the realization that had smacked him upside the head recently. All of his friends would outlive him. By at least several thousand years, in fact.
Emma and Wings belonged to the Valkyrie order, making them immortal. Emma would stop aging sometime in her thirties or forties, and Wings had probably already stopped aging. Soot as well. The thought of leaving his steed, his closest friend, behind for good was almost too much to bear.
And then there was Deru. The image of the beautiful, dark-haired young dryad flooded his mind. She had thus far allowed herself to appear the same age as Emma, so as to prevent the awkwardness of a girl who looked twelve or thirteen hanging out with a couple of older teens, but when Emma stopped aging, she probably would, too. It amazed him how little time it felt like he had with them in contrast to their own immortality.
Colm startled as the sound of voices broke through his thoughts.
“Well,” Emma said with a grin, “speak of the devil. Did we interrupt some serious thinking?”
Colm smiled back. “Yeah, actually.”
“I’m sorry we did. It’s so rare for you to do any,” Emma teased, and Colm rolled his eyes.
“C’mon, don’t be so hard on him,” Deru scolded amusedly, ever defensive of him.
“Alright, alright,” laughed Emma. “What were you thinking about?”
“It was nothing,” Colm replied hastily, then realized he had been too quick with his answer. The girls caught on and exchanged a look.
“I’m going to… go inside and make dinner,” Emma said slowly. “It’s been a long day.” Before Colm could say anything, she was through the door and out of sight.
He rolled his eyes. They had him figured out pretty well. He wouldn’t usually say anything around Emma, preferring to change the topic and begin swapping playful insults with her rather than open up, but somehow Deru always managed to get him to talk.
She sat down beside him on the bench. “So,” she began. “What’s wrong?”
Colm stubbornly kept his eyes aimed away from her.
Deru raised an eyebrow at the side of his head. “You might as well just give up. You know I’m gonna get it out of you one way or another.”
He sighed in defeat. She was right of course. He was only delaying the inevitable.
“I’ve… just been worrying about my life.”
Deru’s face grew concerned. “You don’t regret coming here, do you?”
“No, no, not that,” Colm reassured her quickly. “It’s just that every one of you is immortal, and I’m… not. I’ll be gone in the blink of an eye compared to the lives you and Emma have in front of you.”
“Oh, Colm,” Deru said sadly. She brushed her hand gently over his. Touching hands was a gesture she made often, but it meant nothing. At least, nothing like what he wanted it to. He pulled his hand out from under hers, casting his gaze downward so he didn’t have to make eye contact with her.
“I don’t want to leave you all behind.”
“You shouldn’t think about that yet,” Deru tried to reassure him. “You have many more years.”
“Yes, but that’s the point!” Colm snapped, frustrated that she wasn’t understanding. “My ‘many more years’ is a pinprick in time to everyone here I care about! How long will it be before I’m nothing but a faded memory, a blurred image from centuries past?” His voice grew quieter and distorted by sadness. “How long until you’ve all forgotten me?”
Deru reached a hand over to pull his face toward her. “Colm,” she said, looking him directly in the eyes, “I don’t know much about the times to come, but I can promise you one thing.”
Colm shook his head slowly. “What would that be?”
She grabbed his hand in hers, not letting him pull away this time. “No matter what happens, I will never forget you.”
Colm turned his head away from her, disbelieving. “How can you be so sure? You admitted yourself that you don’t know what might happen.”
Deru pushed his head toward her again. He felt a burning in his eyes and his vision swam. No, not now. Don’t cry in front of her.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m just sure.”
And she kissed him. It was just a peck, light as a feather, but Colm could feel his face growing hot, and he knew he must be flushing bright red.
“W-What was that for?” he stammered.
Deru gave a small laugh. “I thought it might take your mind off of your worrying for a while. It seems to have worked.”
“Dinner!” Emma called from inside, and Deru stood up, dragging Colm up by the wrist as well.
“Just for tonight, see if you can ignore your worries,” she advised him. “There’s no point in dwelling on them yet.” She kissed him once more on the cheek and walked inside.
Colm stared after her for a moment, frozen in complete shock, until Emma called him again.
“You coming, Colm?”
He shook his head in an attempt to clear it and followed Deru inside.